Logging In and Staying On: Exploring Immersive Virtual Influencers and How They Drive Consumers' Immersive Time

Ba ino ic, Hen ie a; Tingelho , Fabian; Hamme schmid , Maik; Schöbel, So ia
A icle — Published Ve sion
Logging In and S aying On: Explo ing Imme si e Vi ual
In luence s and How They D i e Consume s' Imme si e
Time
Jou nal o Consume Beha iou
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John Wiley & Sons
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Ba ino ic, Hen ie a; Tingelho , Fabian; Hamme schmid , Maik; Schöbel, So ia
(2025) : Logging In and S aying On: Explo ing Imme si e Vi ual In luence s and How They D i e
Consume s' Imme si e Time, Jou nal o Consume Beha iou , ISSN 1479-1838, Wiley, Hoboken, NJ,
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Jou nal o Consume Beha iou , 2025; 24:2597–2624
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2597
Jou nal o Consume Beha iou
RESEARCH ARTICLE OPEN ACCESS
Logging In and S aying On: Explo ing Imme si e
Vi ual In luence s and How They D i e Consume s'
Imme si e Time
Hen ie aBa ino ic1 | FabianTingelho 2 | MaikHamme schmid 1 | So iaSchöbel3
1Depa men o Ma ke ing and E- Business, Uni e si y o Gö ingen, Gö ingen, Ge many | 2Ins i u e o In o ma ion Sys ems and Digi al Business,
Uni e si y o S .Gallen, S . Gallen, Swi ze land | 3Digi al Inno a ion and In o ma ion Sys ems, Uni e si y o Osnab ück, Osnab ück,Ge many
Co espondence: Maik Hamme schmid (maik.hamme schmid @wiwi.uni-goe ingen.de)
Recei ed: 12 Sep embe 2024 | Re ised: 22 May 2025 | Accep ed: 15 July 2025
Funding: This wo k was suppo ed by Kon ad- Adenaue - S i ung.
Keywo ds: a o dance pe spec i e| consume expe iences| imme si e pla o ms| imme si e ime| i ual in luence s
ABSTRACT
This s udy explo es he ole o i ual in luence s (VIs) as c i ical ouchpoin s o enhancing consume s' “Imme si e Time
(ImT)”— he ime spen on i ual eali y- empowe ed imme si e pla o ms. By blu ing he lines be ween i ual and physical-
wo ld expe iences, imme si e pla o ms ans o m VIs in o “Imme si e Vi ual In luence s (IVIs)” wi h enhanced unc ional
capabili ies. In his pape , we i s assess he na u e and ex en o consume s' ImT wi h IVIs. Second, using he a o dance pe -
spec i e, we in es iga e how IVI design elemen s impac consume s' expec a ions o IVIs' unc ions and, in u n, ImT. Employing
a mixed- me hod app oach, ou ini ial su ey (N = 179) unco e s ha consume s so a only spend limi ed ImT wi h IVIs and
iden i ies easons hinde ing p olonged engagemen . Ou ollowing quali a i e analysis, based on 30 semi- s uc u ed in e iews,
e eals dis inc pa hways o enhance ImT o wo consume segmen s: po en ial and incumben use s o imme si e pla o ms.
Fo ins ance, po en ial use s seek an idealized u opia, exempli ied by IVIs designed o appea lawless. Con e sely, incumben s
iew imme si e pla o ms as an ex ension o physical eali y, ep esen ed by IVIs ha emb ace g ea e di e si y. By unpacking
he nuanced d i e s o ImT, we cons uc a amewo k on consume - speci ic expec a ions ega ding IVI unc ions. The ame-
wo k in o ms abou he s a egic design and unc ions o IVIs impe a i e o os e ing a mo e engaging and p olonged i ual
expe ience o di e en consume segmen s. Thus, we con ibu e o he bu geoning discou se on how imme si e pla o ms al e
consume beha io and o e guidance o b ands on how o na iga e he complex dynamics o imme si e in luence ma ke ing.
1 | In oduc ion
Vi ual In luence s (VIs) a e compu e - gene a ed ac o s ha
main ain a p esence in digi al en i onmen s, such as social
media p o iles on pla o ms like Ins ag am (F anke e al.2023).
Rep esen ed as anima ion- like igu es (e.g., Nobody Sausage)
o li elike cha ac e s (e.g., Lil Miquela), VIs exe in luence on
consume s by mimicking human beha io , embodying unique
pe sonali ies and na a i es (Muniz e al.2024). Unlike human
in luence s (HIs), VIs a e c ea ed and con olled en i ely by
b ands o digi al agencies hi ed by hese b ands, ensu ing p e-
cise o e sigh o hei ep esen a ion and messaging (Mou i zen
e al.2023).
Recen ly, he eme gence o imme si e pla o ms has ans-
o med consume in e ac ions wi h VIs (Pa k e  al. 2024).
Imme si e pla o ms a e digi ally media ed spaces powe ed by
i ual eali y (VR) echnologies, whe e bo h consume s and
VIs a e embodied as h ee- dimensional a a a s ha in e ac in
eal ime (Hennig- Thu au e al.2022). As such pla o ms expand
This is an open access a icle unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License, which pe mi s use, dis ibu ion and ep oduc ion in any medium,
p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed.
© 2025 The Au ho (s). Jou nal o Consume Beha iou published by John Wiley & Sons L d.
2598 Jou nal o Consume Beha iou , 2025
he design possibili ies o VIs, hey en ich he unc ions ha VIs
can p o ide consume s (Ba e a and Shah2023; Liyanaa achchi
e al.2024). By making VI in e ac ions mo e li elike, imme si e
pla o ms blu he lines be ween i ual and physical- wo ld ex-
pe iences (Hennig- Thu au e al.2022). Consequen ly, VIs ac -
ing on hose pla o ms u n in o Imme si e Vi ual In luence s
(IVIs).
An inc easing numbe o b ands like Maybelline New Yo k
and Po sche hea ily in es in IVIs o igge consume s o
spend mo e ime in hei i ual b and wo lds hos ed on im-
me si e pla o ms like Roblox o VRCha (McDowell 2024;
Po sche2022). Fo example, on Roblox, Maybelline New Yo k
enables consume s o c ea e g a i i wi h digi al makeup
p oduc s and emix a song in collabo a ion wi h he IVI Kai
(McDowell2024). Empi ical e idence o websi es (Eisinge ich
e al.2019), social media (Luo e al.2013), and mobile applica-
ions (Appel e al.2020) al eady demons a es ha inc eased
ime spen on such channels is closely linked o highe pu -
chasing ac i i y and b and loyal y.
The impo an ole o he ime consume s spend online has
ecen ly been emphasized o imme si e pla o ms (Kau
e al.2024; Mogaji e al.2023). To accoun o he unique cha -
ac e is ics o hese en i onmen s, schola s in oduced he
concep o Imme si e Time (ImT). ImT is de ined as he con-
scious ime consume s spend o in end o spend using de ices
like VR headse s o engage wi h hei su oundings, including
IVIs (Mogaji e al.2023). ImT is especially ele an o b ands
ac ing in he con ex o imme si e pla o ms. Besides d i ing
pu chase- ela ed beha io , p olonged ImT inc eases he alue o
consume - gene a ed da a o p o iding deepe insigh s in o his
beha io (Liyanaa achchi e al.2024; Mogaji e al.2023).
Howe e , al hough imme si e pla o ms like Roblox eg-
is e ed o e wo million ins alls on Me a's Ques VR head-
se s sho ly a e launch, e lec ing consume s' high in e es
(Hiken2023), many companies s uggle o mo i a e consum-
e s o in e ac i ually wi h hei b ands on such pla o ms
(Wa son2023). Ou i s s udy o 179 consume s egula ly ac-
i e on imme si e pla o ms p o ides empi ical e idence o
his challenge, e ealing ha while 84% exp essed in e es ,
only 28% o pa icipan s had al eady spen subs an ial ImT
wi h IVIs. Mo eo e , ou indings indica e ha IVIs' design
elemen s and unc ions may no align wi h consume expec-
a ions, emphasizing ha b ands s uggle o le e age hei po-
en ial and ans e consume s om a s a e o “ha ing access
o” o a s a e o “spending sus ained ime.” While p e ious
esea ch highligh s escapism (Mogaji e al.2023, 2024), en-
joymen (Wongki ung ueng and Sup awan2024), and social
engagemen (Cheung e al.2024; Kau e al.2024) as impo -
an ac o s d i ing ImT, how hese unc ions a e ac i a ed
h ough a a a design ha e ye o be explo ed, posing a c ucial
gap o b ands aiming o op imize IVI in e ac ions.
To espond o his p ac ical need and he sca ci y o exis ing
esea ch, we d aw on he a o dance pe spec i e (Gibson1986;
Majch zak and Ma kus2012), a psychological amewo k used
o explain consume s' willingness o engage wi h o he ac o s,
such as IVIs (Ka ahanna e al.2018; Shin2022). In line wi h
his heo e ical lens, we posi ha he unc ions o IVIs, based
on a ious design elemen s, a e key o d i ing he willingness
o spend ImT. Thus, we p opose he ollowing esea ch ques ion:
RQ1. How do he unc ions associa ed wi h IVI design elemen s
d i e ImT?
Acco ding o esea ch on a o dances, consume expec a ions o
an ac o 's unc ions can a y. On he one hand, some consum-
e s a e al eady ad anced in hei “imme si e pla o m jou ney”
and use such pla o ms egula ly, possessing p io expe iences
wi h ac o s simila o IVIs (e.g., non- playe cha ac e s (NPCs))
ha shaped hei expec a ions (He hausen e al.2019). On he
o he hand, many consume s canno ye d aw on hei own
expe iences bu a e open o ying ou imme si e pla o ms
(Hennig- Thu au e al.2024). Thei expec a ions a e shaped by
ex e nal in o ma ion om media o pee s (Be nha d e al.2013;
Meske e al.2023). Conside ing his, we a gue ha op imizing
IVIs' design should add ess he dis inc needs o hese wo con-
sume g oups: incumben use s (IUs), who d aw on hei i s -
hand in e ac ions wi h compa able i ual ac o s, and po en ial
use s (PUs) o imme si e pla o ms, who depend p ima ily on
second- hand in o ma ion om ex e nal sou ces. Each g oup is
likely o p io i ize di e en IVI unc ions (Meske e al.2023),
akin o how membe s o online communi ies di e in aluing
a o dances when deciding how much ime o spend in hose en-
i onmen s (Pe hig e al.2024). This dis inc ion leads us o ou
second esea ch ques ion:
RQ2. How do IUs and PUs di e in p io i izing he unc ions o
IVI design elemen s?
To answe ou esea ch ques ions, we adop ed a mixed- me hod
app oach. S udy 1 p o ides ounda ional empi ical insigh s
in o he (limi ed) amoun o ImT consume s spend wi h IVIs.
I u he e eals possible easons o hei lack o engagemen .
These indings guide a quali a i e explo a ion (S udy 2) using
semi- s uc u ed in e iews wi h 15 IUs and 15 PUs ( o aling 30
in e iewees). As a esul , S udy 2 p o ides a iche , con ex ual
unde s anding o bo h g oups' d i e s o spend ImT wi h IVIs,
complemen ing he quan i a i e insigh s om S udy 1 (Ryan
and Be na d2003). Fo ins ance, PUs seek an idealized u opia,
exempli ied by immacula e IVIs designed o appea lawless.
Con e sely, IUs iew imme si e pla o ms as an ex ension o
physical eali y, ep esen ed by IVIs emb acing b oade di e -
si y, including isible impe ec ions.
Ou wo k p o ides heo e ical and p ac ical con ibu ions.
F om a heo e ical pe spec i e, we con ibu e o unde s and-
ing IVIs as c ucial “ambassado s” mo i a ing consume s o
spend ImT. We also e eal which speci ic IVI design elemen s
in igue consume s and d i e hem o spend mo e ImT. By u -
he explo ing he unc ions o IVIs' design elemen s, we im-
p o e he unde s anding o why consume s ac i ely seek hese
elemen s and, he e o e, can be e explain why hey wan o
spend ImT wi h hese ac o s. F om a p ac ical pe spec i e, ou
indings enable b ands o unde s and how IUs and PUs di e
in hei expec a ions o IVIs, o e ing c ucial insigh s o de-
signing IVIs ha appeal o bo h o speci ic g oups. Ou esul s
p o ide ac ionable design implica ions o IVIs, empowe ing
companies o le e age IVI ma ke ing o d i e ImT o hei
a ge consume s e ec i ely.
2599
2 | Concep ual Backg ound
2.1 | Imme si e Vi ual In luence s on Imme si e
Pla o ms
In luence s a e indi iduals whose con en i ally shapes con-
sume pe cep ions o b ands due o hei c edibili y and loyal
ollowe base (Ki and Kim2019). Unlike HIs, which ac as in-
dependen endo se s, VIs a e designed and managed by hi d
pa ies (e.g., b ands). This can ensu e a ailo ed and con olled
b and ep esen a ion o a ge online audiences (Mou i zen
e  al. 2023). VIs' appea ance can a y om un ealis ic non-
humans like Nobody Sausage o hype - ealis ic humans like Lil
Miquela (Mou i zen e al.2023). Such a ie y enables hem o
e ec i ely adap o speci ic a ge g oups (see Figu e1 o ex-
amples o di e en VIs). Addi ionally, VIs a e cha ac e ized by
unique pe sonali ies and engaging s o ylines, solely exis ing on
digi al pla o ms wi hou a human coun e pa in physical eal-
i y (F anke e al.2023).
A hei co e, all digi al pla o ms e e o en i onmen s ha en-
able consume s o access a ious applica ions, ools, o con en
(Gawe and Cusumano2014). This allows consume s o engage
in mul i ace ed expe iences ac oss a ied domains like social in-
e ac ions, educa ion, o shopping (Hein e al.2020). Imme si e
pla o ms, a subg oup o digi al pla o ms, ep esen a no el
landscape o dis inc i e consume - b and in e ac ions (Schöbel
and Leimeis e 2023). To be conside ed imme si e, a pla o m
mus use echnologies such as VR headse s o d aw consum-
e s in o mul isenso y, o en in e ac i e en i onmen s (Yoo
e al.2023). These en i onmen s en elop consume s as a a a s,
eplica ing o enhancing physical p esence. Such ep esen a ion
enables i ual social in e ac ions ha esemble he physical
wo ld, including he abili y o app oach each o he spa ially
(Hennig- Thu au e al.2022). Addi ionally, imme si e pla o ms
mus enable simul aneous in e ac ion be ween ac o s (e.g.,
consume s and companies) and pee - o- pee ansac ions (e.g.,
exchanging i ual asse s on VRCha ) (Yoo e al.2023). While
pla o ms wi h some o hese ea u es exis ed p e iously, hei
collec i e in eg a ion de ines imme si e pla o ms as uniquely
comp ehensi e digi al en i onmen s (Hadi e al.2023).
The unique cha ac e is ics o hese en i onmen s shape VI's
design and, in u n, unc ions. Fo ins ance, he embodimen
h ough a a a s on imme si e pla o ms enables VIs o in e -
ac wi h o he s (e.g., consume s) and objec s (e.g., p oduc s)
in i ual spaces, mimicking ealis ic ges u es and beha io s
h ough mo ion acking and anima ions— unc ions no ex-
is en o VIs on adi ional social media. Mo eo e , in con-
as o social media en i onmen s, imme si e pla o ms
enable simul aneous in e ac ions ha allow VIs o join li e
sha ed expe iences, enhancing consume s' pe cep ions o e-
alis ic, pe sonal in e ac ions (Ba ino ic e al.2024). Th ough
his ans o ma ion, imme si e pla o ms enable b ands o
c ea e VIs ha anscend wo- dimensional social media con-
ex s wi h hei p edominan ly s a ic con en . They imme se
audiences in h ee- dimensional, dynamic expe iences sup-
po ed by spa ial p esence and enhanced senso y capaci ies
(Liyanaa achchi e  al. 2024). The eby, VIs' design elemen s
and unc ions a e undamen ally eshaped based on hei
no el p esence and in e ac ion possibili ies. Consequen ly,
VIs become imme si e and ake on new oles as IVIs, de-
signed o ully le e age he po en ial o imme si e pla o ms
and, ul ima ely, enhance ImT.
2.2 | Imme si e Time as a Key Goal o Imme si e
Vi ual In luence In e ac ions
ImT is eme ging as a key goal o b ands le e aging IVIs on im-
me si e pla o ms (Kau e al.2024). ImT ep esen s he ime
consume s consciously spend o in end o spend in imme si e
en i onmen s engaging wi h ac o s like IVIs using de ices
such as VR headse s (Mogaji e  al. 2023). Fo b ands, his is
pi o al, as inc eased ime spen wi h echnology is associa ed
wi h highe pu chasing ac i i y and g ea e b and loyal y (e.g.,
Zhang e al.2025). Addi ionally, IVI in e ac ions gene a e alu-
able beha io al and in e ac ion da a, p o iding companies wi h
FIGURE 1 | Examples o VIs.
2600 Jou nal o Consume Beha iou , 2025
insigh s in o consume p e e ences (Liyanaa achchi e al.2024;
Mogaji e al.2023).
Va ious unc ions linked o he unique na u e o imme si e
pla o ms can d i e ImT. Du ing ImT, wea ing VR headse s
causes consume s o become “disconnec ed” om physical
eali y, unable o engage in o he ac i i ies simul aneously
(Mogaji e al.2023). This deep ocus can ully d aw consum-
e s in o he i ual wo ld, making hem lose ack o ime
and ex e nal e en s (Schüll2012). Fo his eason, ImT migh
be nu u ed by escapism (Mogaji e al. 2023, 2024), in ol -
ing bo h “escaping om” daily li e and “escaping o” he
no el, cu iosi y- d i en oppo uni ies o explo a ion (Co a
e al.2018; Han e al.2022). Mo eo e , consume s enjoying
imme si e pla o ms end o in es mo e ime explo ing hese
en i onmen s (Wongki ung ueng and Sup awan 2024).
Enjoyable expe iences a e pa icula ly impo an in his con-
ex , as hey likely p olong he ime spen , while nega i e ex-
pe iences may lead consume s o exi he pla o m and explo e
al e na i es (Kau e al.2024). Ano he unc ion o imme si e
pla o ms ha could acili a e ImT is social engagemen wi h
o he consume s o b ands (Kau e al.2024). This includes
pa icipa ion, e e ing o he esou ces consume s in es in
in e ac ing wi h o he s, and a ec ion, which e lec s hei
emo ional engagemen (Cheung e  al. 2024). Appendix A
p o ides a summa y o exis ing esea ch on he unc ions o
imme si e pla o ms ha could be deployed by IVIs o po en-
ially d i e ImT.
To encou age ImT, i is bene icial o b ands o design IVIs o
le e age hese unc ions o imme si e pla o ms e ec i ely.
Howe e , exis ing s udies do no explo e whe he and which o
hese unc ions can igge consume s' ImT when deployed by
a a a s like IVIs—an essen ial gap o b ands aiming o c ea e
unc ionally appealing IVIs (Cheung e al.2024). Unde s anding
how IVIs should be designed o mee consume s' expec a ions
ega ding IVIs' unc ions is impe a i e o b ands o de elop and
le e age a a a s ha d i e ImT. To achie e his, he a o dance
pe spec i e is highly ins umen al.
2.3 | A o dance Pe spec i e on Designing
Imme si e Vi ual In luence s o D i e
Imme si e Time
The a o dance pe spec i e se es as a use ul ool o unde -
s anding how consume s o m expec a ions abou he unc ions
o o he ac o s in mul i- ac o en i onmen s (Ahn, Kim, and
Kim 2022). A o dances ep esen he ac ion possibili ies ha
an ac o (i.e., an IVI) in an en i onmen (i.e., an imme si e pla -
o m) can o e o an indi idual (i.e., a consume ) (Gibson1986;
Majch zak and Ma kus 2012). In o he wo ds, i cap u es he
unc ions o a ious design elemen s ha IVIs a e expec ed o
con ey o consume s on imme si e pla o ms.
Th ough he a o dance pe spec i e, i becomes clea ha spe-
ci ic knowledge gaps—abou how VI design a o ds ce ain
VI unc ions—a e al eady p esen in esea ch on adi ional
social media pla o ms. Mos s udies ocus on ei he VI design
elemen s o VI unc ions in isola ion. Fo ins ance, s udies
in es iga ed a ious VI design elemen s, such as appea ance,
senso y capabili ies (e.g., A senyan and Mi owska 2021;
Cheung and Leung2021; Ho edi z e al.2022; Kim e al.2023;
Li e  al. 2023; Xie- Ca son e  al. 2023; Zhou e  al. 2024),
and disclosu e (e.g., F anke e  al. 2023; Mi owska and
A senyan2023; Yoo e al.2024). S udies ocusing on VI unc-
ions iden i y oles anging om p o iding en e ainmen ,
in o ma ion, o escapism (e.g., Aud eze and Koles2023; Lou
e al.2023; Mi owska and A senyan2023) o os e ing pa aso-
cial ela ionships and communi y building (e.g., Aud eze and
Koles2023; Dondapa i and Dehu y2024; Liu and Wang2024;
Ma and Li2024; S ein e al.2024). The ew pape s ha link
VI design elemen s o unc ions a o ded h ough hese ele-
men s only ocus on connec ing one single VI design elemen
(e.g., humanoid design) o one single VI unc ion (e.g., pa aso-
cial ela ionship building) (e.g., Dabi an e al.2024; Liu and
Wang2024; Ma and Li2024; M ad e al.2024). Hence, mos
s udies do no comp ehensi ely explo e how mul iple design
elemen s ela e o a mul i ude o expec ed unc ions, esul ing
in a agmen ed knowledge landscape. We p o ide an o e -
iew o ele an VI s udies in AppendixB.
On imme si e pla o ms, hese gaps become e en mo e c i -
ical as he design elemen s o VIs and, consequen ly, hei
unc ions can expand. Fo ins ance, when c ea ing IVIs, in e -
ac i e design elemen s, such as communica ion s yle and e-
sponse ype, become inc easingly impo an (Miao e al.2022).
In es iga ing he ela ionship be ween speci ic design elemen s
and a o dances p o ides a clea e pa hway o heo izing how
IVIs can d i e consequen ial consume beha io s like spend-
ing ImT.
Impo an ly, consume s' expec a ions ega ding an ac o 's
(design- enabled) unc ions (i.e., a o dances) can be shaped by
expe iences wi h simila ac o s, such as NPCs, and h ough
ex e nal in o ma ion om media sou ces o pee s (Be nha d
e al.2013; Meske e al.2023). Pas s udies emphasized ha a -
o dances can se e ely di e depending on whe he an indi id-
ual de eloped hem h ough hei own in e ac ions wi h simila
ac o s o based on ex e nal in o ma ion (e.g., Meske e al.2023).
These di e ences can se e ely impac how consume s an ic-
ipa e design elemen s o unc ion, which, in u n, mo i a es
beha io , such as spending ImT. Recognizing hese di e ences
and aligning design elemen s wi h consume s' unde s anding
o unc ions ensu es ha a o dances a e ac ualized sa is ac o-
ily when consume s engage wi h an ac o (Leidne e al.2018;
Meske e al.2023).
The a o dance pe spec i e is pa icula ly ele an in he con-
ex o IVIs and ImT. Fo emos , i emphasizes how IVIs' design
elemen s a e an icipa ed o unc ion and app ecia ed by di e -
en consume g oups. Such knowledge can enhance ou unde -
s anding o how b ands encou age speci ic consume s o spend
ime wi h IVIs. Familia wi h he capabili ies and cons ain s
o imme si e pla o ms, IUs may pe cei e and app ecia e o he
a o dances han PUs (Shin2022). Fo ins ance, IUs a e likely
o emphasize unc ional a ibu es o IVIs, like social connec-
i i y o he abili y o na iga e seamlessly ac oss in e ac i e
componen s (Shin 2022). Aligning IVI design elemen s wi h
he expec a ions o di e en a ge audiences is c ucial o en-
su e ha , when consume s engage wi h IVIs, hei a o dances
a e ac ualized o ul ill hei an icipa ed unc ionali ies and

2601
mo i a e beha io s, such as spending ImT (Leidne e al.2018;
Meske e al.2023). Exis ing esea ch on VIs o e looks di e -
ences in how di e se a ge g oups, such as PUs and IUs, o m
a o dances, u he limi ing ou unde s anding o hei b oade
appeal and e ec i eness.
3 | S udy 1: Explo a i e Su ey on IVI Usage and
Pe cep ions
3.1 | Me hod: Da a Collec ion, Pa icipan s,
and Su ey Design
The i s s udy uses a quan i a i e app oach o assess consum-
e s' ImT wi h IVIs sys ema ically. I unco e s he (limi ed) ime
spen wi h IVIs and iden i ies easons ha may hinde p o-
longed engagemen wi h hese cha ac e s. We collec ed da a
online h ough a su ey hos ed on Qual ics. We chose he on-
line panel p o ide P oli ic o dis ibu e he su ey o i s highe
da a quali y compa ed o o he online panel pla o ms (Pee
e al.2022).
To ensu e da a quali y, we checked all esponses o comple e-
ness, p ocessing ime, esponse beha io , and sc eening ques-
ion esul s. We excluded pa icipan s wi h a esponse ime
below 3 min and hose displaying s aigh lining pa e ns o
ailing he sc eening ques ion. The inal sample consis ed o
179 pa icipan s, wi h demog aphic cha ac e is ics p esen ed in
Table1.
To minimize he isk o common me hod bias (CMB), we ook
wo s eps when designing he su ey (Podsako e al. 2003).
Fi s , we assu ed pa icipan s ha he e we e no igh o
w ong answe s, encou aging hem o espond eely and hon-
es ly. Second, we main ained cla i y by using simple language
h oughou he su ey, ensu ing ha all de ini ions and desc ip-
ions we e concise and easy o unde s and, and a oiding com-
plex sen ence s uc u es.
The su ey consis ed o wo sec ions. In he i s sec ion,
pa icipan s we e p o ided wi h a de ini ion o “imme si e
pla o ms” and asked a sc eening ques ion o con i m egu-
la usage.
Pa icipan s indica ed whe he hey egula ly spend ime on
imme si e pla o ms by selec ing “Yes” o “No.” I hey se-
lec ed “No,” he su ey was discon inued. Those who passed he
sc eening epo ed de ails abou hei pla o m usage, includ-
ing ime spen (weekly and mon hly a e ages) and he speci ic
imme si e pla o ms hey egula ly engage wi h. Nex , pa ici-
pan s we e p esen ed wi h a de ini ion o “IVIs” be o e indica -
ing whe he hey had e e spen ime wi h one on an imme si e
pla o m. They hen p o ided de ails on hei IVI in e ac ions,
including equency on a weekly and mon hly basis and he a -
e age du a ion o a single in e ac ion.
Subsequen ly, he su ey u ned o aspi a ional ques ions.
Pa icipan s we e asked abou hei in e es in spending ime
wi h an IVI in he u u e, wi h esponse op ions o “Yes” o
“No.” This was ollowed by a se ies o i ems measu ing hei
pe cep ions o IVIs on a 7- poin Like scale (1 = comple ely
disag ee, 7 = comple ely ag ee). Pa icipan s e alua ed he u-
u e ole o IVIs, assessing hei po en ial (e.g., as enjoyable o
inno a i e), and iden i ied wha hinde s hem om spending
ImT wi h IVIs (e.g., lack o appealing design limi ing expec ed
unc ions).
The second sec ion en ailed demog aphic ques ions, such as age,
gende , and income.
3.2 | Resul s: Explo a o y Insigh s on IVI Usage
and Pe cep ions
Ou pa icipan s p ima ily spen ime on VRCha (58%), Roblox
(53%), and Ho izon Wo lds (39%). On a e age, hey accessed im-
me si e pla o ms 3.18 days pe week. While 84% o esponden s
exp essed in e es in spending ime wi h IVIs, only 28% had al-
eady spen subs an ial ImT wi h hem. Among hose who had,
he a e age ime spen pe in e ac ion was 7.3 min. We p esen a
summa y o hese esul s in Table2.
TABLE 1 | Sample demog aphics.
Sample
cha ac e is ic Sample composi ion
Gende Male 49%
Female 51%
Age 18–24 yea s old 36%
25- 34 yea s old 50%
35–44 yea s old 14%
Annual income $0–$9999 21%
$10,000–$24,999 14%
$25,000–$49,999 17%
$50,000–$74,999 21%
$75,000–$99,999 12%
$100,000–$149,000 9%
$150,000+ 4%
P e e no o answe 2%
Educa ion No schooling comple ed 1%
Some high school,
no diploma
2%
High school g adua e 15%
Some college c edi 6%
T ade/ echnical/
oca ional aining
2%
Associa e deg ee 4%
Bachelo 's deg ee 42%
Mas e 's deg ee 26%
P o essional deg ee 1%
Doc o a e deg ee 1%
2602 Jou nal o Consume Beha iou , 2025
The esul s sugges ha b ands s uggle o le e age he po-
en ial o IVIs. S ill, pa icipan s belie ed in hei u u e
signi icance (M = 5.47, SD = 1.29), o ins ance, a ing IVIs
as po en ially in e es ing (M = 5.82, SD = 1.23), inno a i e
(M = 5.73, SD = 1.17), and ele an (M = 5.64, SD = 1.48).
Howe e , his po en ial does no seem o ansla e in o sus-
ained ImT. Pa icipan s s a e hey e ain om IVIs be-
cause o a pe cei ed unappealing design (M = 4.78, SD = 1.94)
and limi ed unc ions, including a lack o expec ed bene i s
(M = 4.82, SD = 1.89) and insu icien ly engaging ac i i ies
(M = 4.42, SD = 1.72). We show u he insigh s in o he su ey
esul s in Table3.
These indings p o ide p elimina y e idence o IVIs' sho com-
ings in d i ing ImT while aising ques ions abou which spe-
ci ic design- enabled unc ions in luence consume s' in en ion
o spend ImT. To add ess hese ques ions, we designed S udy
2 o u he in es iga e hese ac o s, wi h an in e iew guide
speci ically de eloped o examine he ole o IVI design- enabled
unc ions in po en ially d i ing ImT.
4 | S udy 2: Quali a i e Explo a ion In o IVI
Design D i ing ImT
Building on S udy 1's indings, we conduc ed a complemen a y
quali a i e s udy o explo e how consume s' expec a ions o IVIs'
unc ions po en ially d i e ImT. We used a quali a i e app oach,
as he complexi y and no el y o ou opic demand a ich and
de ailed unde s anding o IVIs' engaging ole. Quali a i e e-
sea ch is app op ia e as i p o ides deepe , o en con ex ualized,
explo a o y insigh s in o a opic (D ape 2004). I is, he e o e,
highly sui able o induc i ely explaining speci ic phenomena
in mo e de ail. In ou case, his pe ains o which a o dances
(i.e., design- enabled unc ions) d i e in ended ImT wi h IVIs o
di e en a ge g oups.
4.1 | Me hod: Da a Collec ion and Analysis
Be o e and du ing ou da a collec ion and analysis, we ook se -
e al s eps o ensu e he alidi y and eliabili y o ou esul s. We
p o ide mo e de ails on his in AppendixC.
Fo emos , we ca e ully selec ed his s udy's in e iewees.
All pa icipan s we e amilia wi h VIs on social media. We
ec ui ed wo g oups o in e iewees o explo e he a o -
dances o IVIs ha d i e ImT by IUs and PUs. The g oup o
IUs was ec ui ed ia LinkedIn (5), Ins ag am (7), and TikTok
(3) and had imme si e pla o m expe iences (e.g., Ho izon
Wo k ooms, Roblox), including in e ac ions wi h IVI- like
a a a s (e.g., i ual shop assis an s and NPCs in VR games).
O his g oup, eigh pa icipan s had egula access o a VR
headse , ei he h ough owne ship, iends, o p o ided by
hei wo k. Fo he emaining se en IUs, we cla i ied a he
beginning o each in e iew whe he hey had su icien VR
expe ience wi h IVI- like ac o s, ensu ing hei insigh s we e
compa able o hose o he eigh pa icipan s wi h egula ac-
cess (Table4 compa es con ex in o ma ion be ween he wo
use g oups). In con as , he second g oup o in e iewees
(PUs), wi h only second- hand knowledge o imme si e pla -
o ms and IVIs, was ec ui ed in a snowball sampling h ough
e e als (Lincoln and Guba1985). A he beginning o all 30
in e iews, we e i ied ha each in e iewee e e ed o he
same concep ualiza ion when discussing IVIs and imme si e
pla o ms.
The a e age age o bo h g oups was 27.9 yea s (IUs: min: 14,
max: 45; PUs: min: 20, max: 35). In he PU g oup, se en iden-
i ied as emale and eigh as male, while he IU g oup con-
sis ed o i e emales and 10 males. This dis ibu ion aligns
wi h cu en imme si e pla o m use s, who a e p edominan ly
Gen Z and Millennials, wi h a highe ep esen a ion o males
(Deloi e2023). Pa icipan s we e om Ge many (12 PUs and 11
IUs), he Uni ed S a es (one PU and one IU), B azil (one PU and
one IU), and one each om Se bia (IU), Aus ia (IU), and New
Zealand (PU). O he esea ch s udies (e.g., Ve huls e al.2021)
ha e ound no signi ican in luence o cul u al di e ences on
he pe cep ion o VR con en . This indica es ha consume s
TABLE 2 | Resul s S udy 1—usage pa e ns.
Usage pa e ns Usage dis ibu ion/a e age
Imme si e pla o ms
egula ly used
VR Cha 58%
Roblox 53%
Ho izon Wo lds 39%
Rec Room 22%
Bigsc een VR 17%
Al space VR 15%
The Void 11%
O he s 8%
Imme si e pla o m
access pe week
3.18 days (min:
1; max: 7)
Imme si e pla o m
access pe mon h
14.04 days (min:
1; max: 31)
ImT wi h IVI No 72%
Yes 28%
Numbe o days
pe week whe e
in e ac ion wi h
an IVI occu ed (i
“Yes”)
0.81 days (min:
1; max: 7)
Numbe o days
pe mon h whe e
in e ac ion wi h
an IVI occu ed (i
“Yes”)
3.53 days (min:
1; max: 31)
ImT wi h IVI (i
“Yes”)
7.3 min (min:
1; max: 50)
In e es in u u e
ImT spending
No 16%
Yes 84%
N = 179
2603
om di e se coun ies expe ience imme si e pla o ms and
o m expec a ions abou IVIs simila ly. Ou da a suppo his
inding, as he codes om ou pa icipan s ac oss di e en e-
gions showed no s uc u al di e ences. We p o ide an o e iew
o he in e iewees in Table5.
To minimize po en ial ansla ion- induced al e a ions, we con-
duc ed 80% o he in e iews in he na i e languages o bo h
in e iewees and in e iewe s (Ha zing and Mazne ski2002),
wi h he emaining in e iews held in English. A bilingual e-
sea che wi h expe ise in he opic handled he p ocess o en-
su e ansla ion accu acy, while a second bilingual esea che
c oss- checked he ansc ip s agains he audio eco dings.
In e iews we e conduc ed online ia Zoom (22) and wi hin
Ho izon Wo k ooms (8) o hose wi h access o a VR headse .
The use o Ho izon Wo k ooms allowed us o pe o m he in e -
iews in a ealis ic se ing o hose pa icipan s being amilia
wi h VR headse s (Lincoln and Guba1985). Bo h he in e iewe
and he pa icipan used VR headse s h oughou he in e iew
(see AppendixD o pic u es o he VR in e iew si ua ions). We
ensu ed ha he indings a e no biased by a speci ic in e iew
medium by conduc ing in e iews in di e en media (Zoom and
VR), also gua an eeing ha we did no miss impo an aspec s
unique o imme sion. This app oach a i med he obus ness o
ou esul s. The in e iews las ed 38 min on a e age. We e e o
indi idual pa icipan s based on hei g oup a ilia ion using he
abb e ia ions PU and IU, ollowed by hei ch onological num-
be (1–15) o each g oup.
We used a semi- s uc u ed in e iew guide, main aining
enough oom o ou in e iewees' expe iences and anecdo es
(Gioia e  al. 2013). The guide ea u ed open- ended, concise
ques ions and ollow- up p obes o esol e ambigui ies, wi h
con ex ual in o ma ion and examples p o ided as needed.
We s a ed by ga he ing demog aphic in o ma ion, ollowed
by ques ions abou pa icipan s' unde s anding o imme si e
pla o ms and IVIs. The ocus hen shi ed o he design el-
emen s o IVIs and he unc ions hey should a o d o con-
sume s, explo ing desi abili y. We also explo ed in e iewees'
willingness o in e ac wi h IVIs, wi h all 30 pa icipan s
being open o a signi ican ime in es men . Mos impo -
an ly, we in es iga ed hei easons o po en ially spending
p olonged ime wi h IVIs, ep esen ed by he design- enabled
unc ions ha IVIs o e . Finally, we solici ed iews on u u e
de elopmen s o IVIs.
We applied he a o dance pe spec i e o help us unde s and he
expec ed unc ions ha IVIs need o o e consume s. These, in
u n, a e enabled by a ious design elemen s. Recognizing his,
we ocused on coding bo h he design elemen s and hei asso-
cia ed unc ions o unco e he key d i e s o ImT. Doing so al-
lows us o close he esea ch gaps iden i ied in 2.3.
TABLE 3 | Resul s S udy 1—IVI pe cep ions and ImT ba ie s.
I emaMSD
IVIs will play an impo an ole on imme si e pla o ms in he u u e 5.47 1.29
IVIs ha e he po en ial o be …
… enjoyable 5.36 1.20
… inno a i e 5.73 1.17
… inspi ing 4.99 1.41
… in e es ing 5.82 1.23
… ele an 5.64 1.48
… ela able 4.83 1.46
Wha a e he main easons why you migh no spend ime wi h IVIs on imme si e pla o ms?b
IVIs a e no designed in a way ha appeals o me 4.78 1.94
IVIs do no p o ide he bene i s I am looking o 4.82 1.89
IVIs do no deli e he ac i i ies ha I seek 4.42 1.72
IVIs do no ma ch my expec a ions o en e ainmen 4.40 1.73
N = 179
aI ems measu ed on a 7- poin Like scale anging om 1 = “Comple ely Disag ee” o 7 = “Comple ely Ag ee.”
bIn an addi ional ee- ex box, pa icipan s could olun a ily speci y easons. 45 pa icipan s used his unc ion and named he ollowing easons: 47% men ioned he
a i icial na u e o IVIs, 23% an in e es misma ch, 23% pe sonal easons, and 7% da a secu i y.
TABLE 4 | Compa ison o expe iences be ween PUs and IUs.
Type o expe ience PUs IUs
P io expe ience wi h VIs on
social media
Yes Yes
P io imme si e pla o m
expe ience
Pa ly (only
second- hand)
Yes
P io expe ience wi h IVI- like
a a a s
Pa ly (only
second- hand)
Yes
P io expe ience wi h IVIs No No
2604 Jou nal o Consume Beha iou , 2025
To analyze ou esul s, we used he coding app oach p o ided
by Gioia e  al. (2013) and cons uc ed i s - o de cons uc s,
second- o de hemes, and agg ega e dimensions. Fi s - o de
cons uc s a e he ini ial, undamen al elemen s de i ed om
he da a analysis, ep esen ing he basic building blocks o un-
de s anding. Second- o de hemes a e highe - le el ca ego ies
ha eme ge om o ganizing and g ouping he i s - o de con-
s uc s, p o iding a mo e abs ac and comp ehensi e unde -
s anding. Agg ega e dimensions syn hesize he second- o de
hemes in o o e a ching dimensions, embodying b oade and
mo e holis ic aspec s o he phenomenon unde in es iga ion.
To ensu e in e - code eliabili y h ough his p ocess, he cod-
e s c i ically discussed hei ini ial coding esul s un il he i s -
o de codes we e su icien ly e iewed, and a second i e a ion
could s a ha led o a de ailed desc ip ion o ou second- o de
hemes. Du ing he coding, we aimed o he codes o be on a
simila le el o abs ac ion while main aining each in o man 's
nuanced e lec ions. Sa u a ion was eached by he 10 h (PUs)
and 13 h (IUs) in e iews wi h 96% and 95% o he codes iden-
i ied by hose poin s, espec i ely. This is consis en wi h p e-
ious s udies on he me hod (e.g., F ancis e  al. 2010; Gues
e al.2006; Hennink e al.2017), exis ing s udies in ma ke ing
TABLE 5 | Demog aphic da a o in e iew pa icipan s.
ID Gende Age Coun y o o igin
In e iew
language
Regula access
o VR headse
In e iew
du a ion
In e iew
medium
PU1 F26 Ge many DE No 35 min Zoom
PU2 M34 Ge many DE No 39 min Zoom
PU3 F26 B azil EN No 36 min Zoom
PU4 M35 New Zealand EN No 48 min Zoom
PU5 M20 Uni ed S a es EN No 47 min Zoom
PU6 F25 Ge many DE No 44 min Zoom
PU7 M32 Ge many DE No 59 min Zoom
PU8 F25 Ge many DE No 31 min Zoom
PU9 M27 Ge many DE No 51 min Zoom
PU10 M26 Ge many DE No 31 min Zoom
PU11 M27 Ge many DE No 53 min Zoom
PU12 M30 Ge many DE No 32 min Zoom
PU13 F29 Ge many DE No 32 min Zoom
PU14 F29 Ge many DE No 47 min Zoom
PU15 F27 Ge many DE No 33 min Zoom
IU1 M27 B azil EN No 70 min Zoom
IU2 F27 Se bia EN No 52 min Zoom
IU3 M16 Ge many DE No 49 min Zoom
IU4 F14 Ge many DE No 19 min Zoom
IU5 M26 Ge many DE Yes 23 min VR
IU6 F43 Uni ed S a es EN No 21 min Zoom
IU7 M30 Ge many DE Yes 23 min VR
IU8 M25 Aus ia DE No 24 min Zoom
IU9 M32 Ge many DE No 30 min Zoom
IU10 M45 Ge many DE Yes 19 min VR
IU11 F26 Ge many DE Yes 27 min VR
IU12 M24 Ge many DE Yes 40 min VR
IU13 M28 Ge many DE Yes 42 min VR
IU14 F29 Ge many DE Yes 38 min VR
IU15 M26 Ge many DE Yes 37 min VR
2611
Design elemen s ad ancing emo ional unc ions.
Mo emen could help posi ion IVIs as sou ces o suppo . Non-
e bal ges u es like a shoulde ouch can con ey ca e (Maloney
e al.2020), po en ially assis ing consume s o eel suppo ed,
as men ioned by PU6. Addi ionally, mo emen appea s o play
an essen ial ole in making IVIs sou ces o enjoymen , leading
consume s o spend mo e ime explo ing imme si e pla o ms
(Wongki ung ueng and Sup awan 2024). As PU9 imagines,
“The IVI could p o ide in o ma ion abou a olcano and i ually
anspo me he e, making i enjoyable and keeping me engaged
o longe .”
Highe a a a exp essi eness, including acial and body
anima ion, can inc ease he enjoymen o VR in e ac ions
(F ase e  al. 2022). PU7 sha es his pe spec i e, s a ing,
“To enjoy in e ac ing wi h he IVI, i needs o mo e lexibly.”
Supe na u al elemen s, including a is ic design ea u es, may
also enhance eelings o joy o bo h g oups (Wu e al.2022).
Re lec ing his, PU14 men ioned, “An imagina i e appea ance
can be pa icula ly en e aining,” e e ing o su eal s ylis ic
aspec s, such as anime- like aes he ics. Such elemen s could
also educe he Uncanny Valley e ec (Gu uleac e al.2024),
as PU15 explained: “Noonoou i's su eal appea ance makes i
clea she's no eal, which makes me less uncom o able.” By
aligning wi h hese expec a ions, IVIs can os e enjoyable ex-
pe iences likely o p olong ImT (Kau e al.2024). Howe e , as
IU9 s a ed, “When I spend ime in hese i ual en i onmen s, I
like o engage wi h i ual cha ac e s like IVIs.” This highligh s
ha , in addi ion o isual appeal, he in e ac i e elemen s os-
e ing engagemen play a c i ical ole in cul i a ing posi i e
in e ac ions.
Design elemen s ad ancing social unc ions. Humanoid
design elemen s could os e social unc ions by enhancing
social p esence (Ahn, Cho, and Sunny Tsai2022; Kang and
Wa 2013). PU6 sugges ed ha an IVI's “human- like appea -
ance can make i eel like i 's eally p esen .” Because social
p esence depends on he eeling o in e ac ing wi h a “ eal
pe son,” equipping IVIs wi h iden i y cues (e.g., name, gen-
de ) could s eng hen his imp ession (Choi and Kwak2017).
Ou IPs also emphasized ha beha io al ealism, including
communica ion modali ies such as speech (Appel e al.2012)
and esponse ypes like nodding ( on de Pü en e al.2010)
and eye con ac (Ben e e al.2008), can enhance social p es-
ence by mimicking human in e ac ion. This posi ions IVIs as
po en ial sou ces o in e pe sonal ela ionships, a key ac o
in sus aining in e es in imme si e pla o ms (Kuma and
Shanka 2024).
Fo bo h g oups, disclosu e seems c ucial, as PU14 highligh ed:
“The i s ques ion I [would] ask mysel is whe he he IVI's op-
e a ing en i y is a compu e o a pe son. I [would] expec ull
anspa ency.” A lack o anspa ency abou an IVI's con olling
en i y could hinde genuine connec ions (F anke e al. 2023),
nega i ely impac a ec ion—an essen ial d i e o ImT (Cheung
e al.2024)—and possibly lead consume s o seek al e na i es
(Kau e al. 2024). Mul imodal communica ion, such as com-
bining speech wi h exp essi e body mo emen s, may suppo
collabo a i e expe iences (F eeman e al.2022) and encou age
pa icipa ion, ano he key d i e o ImT (Cheung e al.2024).
This could posi ion IVIs as sou ces o communi y building by
“e ec i ely communica ing hei messages in communi y mee -
ings, o example, by encou aging use s o pa icipa e in sha ed
ac i i ies” (IU10). Du ing IVI inac i i y, allowing consume s o
lea e messages migh sus ain in e es and encou age u u e ImT
(F eeman and Acena2021).
Design elemen s ad ancing epis emic unc ions. IVIs
migh se e as sou ces o escapism and explo a ion by d awing
consume s in o e ol ing na a i es h ough s o y elling ha
can keep hem engaged o e ime (Bilgihan e  al. 2024). As
PU3 specula ed, “Wi h an IVI, a con inuous s o y is c ea ed ha
should exis o e a long pe iod.” Ges u es like “shaking hands”
could d aw consume s in o hese na a i es, making in e ac-
ions mo e na u al (PU6, IU10). PU6 added, “Explo ing new
i ual wo lds [would] inhe en ly inc ease he ime I in es ,” un-
de sco ing how IVIs could encou age ImT h ough explo a ion.
Simila ly, IU2 e lec ed, “I can escape om eali y o hou s on
imme si e pla o ms wi hou no icing how ime lies.” PU9 u -
he emphasized his sen imen , saying, “The oppo uni y o
escape om eali y—s epping in o new en i onmen s and expe i-
encing hings beyond e e yday li e is a majo eason o spending
ime on imme si e pla o ms,” highligh ing escapism as ano he
c i ical ImT d i e (Mogaji e al.2023, 2024).
5 | Discussion
Ou esul s e eal ha , while a majo i y o pa icipan s exp ess
in e es in spending ime wi h IVIs (84%), only a small pe cen -
age ha e al eady spen subs an ial ImT wi h hem (28%). This
gap be ween in e es and ac ual ime in es men is p ima ily a -
ibu ed o he unappealing design o IVIs (Mean sco e = 4.78/7)
and hei limi ed unc ions, including a lack o expec ed bene-
i s (Mean sco e = 4.82/7) and insu icien ly engaging ac i i ies
(Mean sco e = 4.42/7).
Building on hese quan i a i e indings, we use he a o dance
pe spec i e (Leidne e al.2018; Meske e al.2023) o e eal how
speci ic IVI design elemen s and hei unc ions can po en ially
d i e ImT. Ou quali a i e esul s highligh epis emic unc ions,
including escapism (Mogaji e al.2023, 2024) and explo a ion,
as cen al o encou aging ImT. Fu he mo e, alongside enjoy-
men (Wongki ung ueng and Sup awan2024), suppo unc-
ions as an emo ional d i e , po en ially igge ing posi i e
expe iences ha inc ease ime spen on imme si e pla o ms
(Kau e al.2024). We show ha ace s o pa icipa ion (Cheung
e  al. 2024), including communi y building and a ec ion
(Cheung e al.2024), exp essed h ough in e pe sonal ela ion-
ships, may be impo an social unc ions ha d i e ImT. Finally,
educa ional unc ions, such as p o iding knowledge along wi h
p oduc and b and in o ma ion, also appea o encou age s ay-
ing longe in hese en i onmen s. Toge he , he IVIs' unc ions
a e essen ial d i e s o ImT.
By explo ing hese d i e s, ou indings p o ide a deepe un-
de s anding o “ he mo i a ion o [inc eased] imme si e ime”
(Mogaji e al.2023, 4). Speci ically, ou s udy ocuses on iden-
i ying which a o dances (i.e., design- enabled unc ions) d i e
in ended ImT wi h IVIs o di e en a ge g oups, add essing
Mogaji e al.'s(2023) call o “help b ands concep ualize […] a -
o dances” (p. 4) ha mee consume s' expec a ions, po en ially

2612 Jou nal o Consume Beha iou , 2025
leading o sa is ying ac ualiza ion (Leidne e al.2018). Thus,
ou s udy expands knowledge on how design- enabled unc ions
o IVIs in imme si e en i onmen s can os e he willingness
o spend ime in hese se ings. Conside ing hese insigh s, we
speci y a amewo k on consume - speci ic IVI unc ional expec-
a ions d i ing ImT—building on Mogaji e al.(2023) (Figu e4).
Th ough ou amewo k, we p o ide a mo e comp ehensi e un-
de s anding o how IVI unc ions con ibu e o consume s' ImT
wi h IVIs.
To be e unde s and how hese d i e s mani es , we in es i-
ga ed how PUs and IUs di e in p io i izing he unc ions o
IVI design elemen s ha po en ially d i e hei ImT. Exis ing
esea ch on VIs o e looks di e ences in how di e se a ge
g oups o m a o dances. Ou da a e eal h ee g oup- speci ic
di e ences in he p io i iza ion o design- enabled unc ions:
(1) PUs seek an idealized u opia, while IUs iew imme si e
pla o ms as an ex ension o physical eali y. (2) PUs en ision
one- o- one in e ac ions wi h IVIs, whe eas IUs an icipa e com-
muni y building. (3) PUs a e likely o p e e pe sonalized IVI
con en , while IUs end o p io i ize p ac ical, eali y- based IVI
unc ions du ing hei ImT.
The ounda ion o encou aging ImT wi h IVIs lies in hei
human- like appea ance, bu PUs and IUs di e in hei in e p e-
a ion o his aspec . While p e ious li e a u e on VIs shows ha
di e si y enhances ela abili y by making hese ac o s appea
mo e human (e.g., Fe a o e al.2024), ou indings indica e ha
di e en g oup expec a ions may equi e dis inc app oaches o
di e si y o IVIs. PUs seek immacula e IVIs, ocusing on di e -
si y limi ed o demog aphic ai s like skin colo . This sugges s
ha PUs expec hei ime spen wi h IVIs o e lec a glo i ied
u opia—a pe ec wo ld—p ima ily explained by idealized
po ayals on social media. In con as , IUs emb ace a b oade
in e p e a ion o di e si y, including impe ec ions like acne,
and iew imme si e pla o ms as an ex ension o hei eali y.
Fu he mo e, in e ms o social unc ions, IUs seek mo e p o-
ound ela ionships wi h IVIs, likely in luenced by he o ma-
ion o i ual iendships ha mi o physical- wo ld social
in e ac ions (F eeman and Acena2021). While PUs a e d awn
o ic ional na a i es, posi i e eal- li e expe iences wi h happy
IVIs also align wi h hei idealized expec a ions.
PUs appea o p io i ize he undi ided a en ion o IVIs, aluing
one- o- one in e ac ions a he han g oup se ings o d i e hei
ImT. Simila o new membe s in online communi ies, PUs may
bene i om ocused a en ion o sus ain pa icipa ion (Pe hig
e al.2024).
IUs p io i ize communi y building in i ual wo lds, seeking
sha ed expe iences (e.g., dancing) and collec i e pa icipa ion
(e.g., gaming), o en based on p e ious VR expe iences ha
b idge i ual and physical- wo ld connec ions (F eeman and
Acena2021). In addi ion o hei desi e o ImT wi h an IVI,
hey also exp ess in e es in spending ime wi h o he commu-
ni y membe s.
Beyond social unc ions, he e a e di e ences in he educa ional
unc ions equi ed by he wo g oups. Fo PUs, concise in o ma-
ion deli e ed quickly is c ucial (Zhang e al.2024). In con as ,
IUs p e e de ailed, in e ac i e p oduc demons a ions (e.g.,
IVI- led u o ials).
Addi ionally, PUs look o IVIs ha adap o hei emo ional s a e
and ac as guides, p o iding pe sonalized ecommenda ions.
TABLE 8 | How in e iewees unde s ood imme si e ime—exempla y quo es.
Exempla y quo es PUs IUs
“I will spend my ime on imme si e pla o ms by pu ing on a VR headse o in e ac wi h an IVI, making i he
new way o engage wi h b ands.”
PU4
“Spending ime imme sed in hese wo lds, a leas o me, will also be abou de ining my own limi s – deciding
how much I wan o engage, wha I le in, and wha I il e ou .”
PU6
“Fo me, spending ime he e will in ol e ac i ely engaging wi h he i ual en i onmen – pa icipa ing in
sha ed ac i i ies wi h o he s and uly imme sing mysel in he expe ience.”
PU7
“One eason I'll spend ime on imme si e pla o ms is he oppo uni y o escape om eali y – s epping in o
new en i onmen s and expe iencing hings beyond e e yday li e.”
PU9
“When I pu on a VR headse , I'll be spending ime mo ing h ough di e en i ual ooms – explo ing
p oduc s, in e ac ing wi h o he s, and accessing de ailed in o ma ion on di e en hings in a ully imme si e
way.”
PU14
“I can escape om eali y o hou s on imme si e pla o ms wi hou no icing how ime lies.” IU2
“Pu ing on a VR headse o spend ime on imme si e pla o ms, I uly imme se mysel in he en i onmen and
ake some hing meaning ul away om i .”
IU5
“When I spend ime in hese i ual en i onmen s, I like o engage wi h i ual cha ac e s like IVIs.” IU9
“Fo me, spending ime on imme si e pla o ms means escaping o a wo ld wi hou bounda ies – disconnec ing
om eali y o expe ience hings beyond wha 's possible in he eal wo ld.”
IU13
“The way I spend my ime in hese i ual spaces will also be a conscious decision – choosing who I engage
wi h, e lec ing on how he con en impac s me, and knowing when o s ep back i needed.”
IU14
2613
Con e sely, IUs p io i ize p ac ical bene i s (e.g., discoun
codes), e lec ing hei p e e ence o use ul ea u es in bo h i -
ual and eal li e.
These g oup- speci ic di e ences in he equi emen s ega ding
IVI unc ions highligh he need o a mo e comp ehensi e ap-
p oach o unde s anding hei impac on ImT. While p e ious
s udies ocus p ima ily on linking a single VI design elemen
(e.g., humanoid design) o one speci ic VI unc ion (e.g., pa a-
social ela ionship building) (e.g., Dabi an e al.2024; Liu and
Wang2024; Ma and Li2024; M ad e al.2024), we demons a e
how mul iple IVI design elemen s a e in e ela ed wi h a ious
unc ional expec a ions, including educa ional, emo ional, so-
cial, and epis emic aspec s. No ably, hese design elemen s do
no solely suppo one unc ion bu can collec i ely se e mul-
iple pu poses, ul illing he di e se needs o he di e en con-
sume g oups.
5.1 | Theo e ical Implica ions
Ou con ibu ion o ma ke ing and consume beha io esea ch
is h ee old: Fi s , we explo e he d i e s o ImT wi h IVIs,
p o iding no el insigh s in o hei design- enabled unc ions.
Second, we examine g oup di e ences in how PUs and IUs p io -
i ize hese d i e s, e ealing impo an dis inc ions in consume
beha io . Finally, we con ibu e o es ablishing he a o dance
pe spec i e in he ( i ual) in luence li e a u e by demons a -
ing i s use ulness o unde s anding how IVIs' design elemen s
can shape consume s' unc ional expec a ions.
Kau e al.'s(2024) indings indica e ha consume s pe cei e
imme si e pla o ms as o e ing limi ed oppo uni ies o en-
gage wi h b ands, hus cons aining ImT. Con e sely, ou s udy
p o oundly in es iga es how b ands can use IVIs as a key op-
po uni y o in e ac wi h consume s on hese pla o ms. We
demons a e ha , despi e he po en ial o IVIs, disc epancies
exis in consume beha io ega ding hese cha ac e s. These
con ibu e o he limi ed ime spen wi h IVIs, hinde ing sus-
ained engagemen . We highligh how IVI design and unc ions
may ail o os e he consume engagemen necessa y o en-
cou age sus ained ImT.
Building on his, ou esea ch explo es he quali a i e aspec s
o consume beha io in he con ex o IVIs, indica ing which
IVI design elemen s and unc ions d i e ImT. By deepening he
unde s anding o ImT in his con ex , we unco e how he ou
d i e s—epis emic, emo ional, social, and educa ional—can
encou age consume s o spend mo e ime wi h IVIs. P e ious
s udies ha e p edominan ly ocused on single d i e s o ImT
ela ed o imme si e pla o ms. Ou esea ch p o ides an in-
eg a ed pe spec i e by highligh ing how mul iple d i e s can
be ac i a ed h ough a a a design. This comp ehensi e iew
b oadens he unde s anding o how IVIs can encou age con-
sume s o spend ImT, o e ing a key con ibu ion o he li e a-
u e. Explo ing he po en ial in luence o mul iple IVI unc ions
on ImT p o ides mo e conc e e insigh s in o consume beha -
io and he a o dances (i.e., design- enabled unc ions) ha can
d i e sus ained engagemen .
Ou indings also con ibu e o he concep ual unde s anding
o how “ adi ional” VIs can be ans o med in o IVIs. We il-
lus a e how VI design elemen s (e.g., s o y elling) can be ad-
anced h ough a a a - speci ic elemen s (e.g., mo emen )
o enable exis ing VIs o ully le e age he unique imme si e
pla o m cha ac e is ics. Pas a a a esea ch p edominan ly in-
es iga ed sel - ocused measu es, examining use s' a a a s' sel -
ela ed pe cep ions (e.g., Kim e al.2025; Taylo e  al.2024).
Howe e , ecen wo k by Chae e al.(2025) has explo ed how
use s pe cei e o he a a a s ega ding human likeness. Ou
s udy expands his pe spec i e by conside ing a ious design
elemen s, including s o y elling, mo emen , and o he a a a -
speci ic a ibu es. We explo e how hese elemen s shape con-
sume s' expec a ions and in luence hei beha io al in en ions
in e ms o spending ImT.
In addi ion, his s udy e eals ha di e en consume ypes ex-
pec dis inc IVI unc ions, which, in u n, encou age beha io s
such as spending ImT. Ou da a highligh h ee g oup- speci ic
di e ences in luencing IVI design, e lec ing how PUs and
IUs p io i ize a ious aspec s o d i e hei ImT. No ably, bo h
g oups iew IVIs as ele an p oduc and b and in o ma ion
sou ces, wi h anspa ency encou aging ImT.
Las ly, deploying he a o dance pe spec i e o suppo ing he-
o y building in ma ke ing and consume beha io esea ch is
limi ed, wi h a ew ecen excep ions (i.e., Pa k and Yap2024).
We achie e his by applying he pe spec i e o a new ac o , IVIs.
While p io esea ch has ocused on he digi al capabili ies o im-
me si e pla o ms (Shin2022; Xun and Zheng2023), we b oaden
his iew by iden i ying a o dances unique o pla o m ac o s,
emphasizing he social in e ac ions hey can os e (Hennig-
Thu au e al.2022). This app oach o e s aluable insigh s in o
how IVIs, as media o s o consume - b and in e ac ions, can in-
luence consume beha io in imme si e en i onmen s, pa icu-
la ly by d i ing ImT.
5.2 | Manage ial Implica ions
Wi h mo e b ands pa ne ing wi h IVIs (e.g., Maybelline New
Yo k wi h Kai) and some e en c ea ing hei own (e.g., Louis
Vui on wi h Li i) (LVMH2022; McDowell2024), his esea ch
o e s key manage ial insigh s o shaping cu en ma ke ing
s a egies. Based on ou amewo k (Figu e4), ma ke e s should
a ge wo g oups o d i e ImT wi h IVIs, each p io i izing di -
e en design- enabled unc ions: PUs, who ha e ye o s a hei
“imme si e pla o m jou ney,” and IUs, al eady ad anced in
his jou ney.
Fi s , b ands a ge ing PUs should c ea e an idealized u opia by
designing immacula e IVIs ha appea happy and calm, wi h
di e si y limi ed o ai s like skin colo . This g oup is d awn
o ic ional na a i es bu also app ecia es posi i e eal- li e el-
emen s ha ma ch hei idealized expec a ions. In con as , o
d i e ImT wi h IUs, companies should posi ion IVIs as an ex en-
sion o physical eali y, inco po a ing b oade di e si y, includ-
ing ealis ic ai s (e.g., acne), and blending ic ion wi h eal- li e
e en s in hei s o ylines.
2614 Jou nal o Consume Beha iou , 2025
Second, PUs p e e one- o- one IVI in e ac ions. Companies
should ocus on indi idual in e ac ions, using elemen s like di-
ec esponses o nodding o ca e o his. To ease PUs' ansi-
ion in o i ual (b and) communi ies, IVIs can in i e hem o
e en s. Con e sely, IUs expec communi y building, which can
be add essed h ough IVI- led e en s (e.g., wo kshops).
Thi d, PUs en ision pe sonalized IVI con en . Companies can
le e age AI- suppo ed IVIs o deli e a ge ed ad e ising, con-
cise con en , and guidance. In con as , IUs p io i ize p ac ical,
eali y- based IVI unc ions. B ands should p o ide eal- wo ld
bene i s, such as discoun codes o in eg a e “play- o- ea n” mod-
els. Mo eo e , de ailed con en , like IVI- led p oduc demons a-
ions, is c ucial o IUs o in es mo e ImT.
Fo bo h g oups, aligning IVI a ibu es wi h he p oduc and
ensu ing anspa ency abou he con olling en i y is i al.
B ands should also inco po a e beha io al ealism, use supe -
na u al elemen s o a oid he Uncanny Valley e ec , and design
esponsi e, lexible IVIs wi h engaging na a i es ea u ing
“lea e- a- message” op ions o d i e ImT.
In conclusion, by le e aging IVIs wi h ca e ully conside ed de-
sign elemen s, b ands can d i e ImT wi h PUs and IUs, enabling
hem o h i e in he dynamic ield o IVI ma ke ing.
5.3 | Limi a ions and Fu he Resea ch
Ou wo k has some limi a ions ha emphasize he need o u -
he esea ch on IVIs. Ou mixed- me hod app oach p o ides
in- dep h insigh s in o IVIs' design elemen s and unc ions ha
a e impo an o consume s' decision o spend mo e ImT wi h
IVIs in he u u e and o which consume s a e likely o exhibi
ele a ed expec a ions. Howe e , i is up o u u e esea ch o de-
sign di e en IVIs and analyze consume s' ImT, wi h a pa icu-
la ocus on how consume s ac i ely engage wi h speci ic design
elemen s and expe ience hem, and how hese in e ac ions al e
hei ini ial expec a ions and p e e ences. Addi ionally, u u e
s udies should ex end he s udy's ex e nal alidi y ac oss a di-
e se demog aphic and cul u al audience. Pe sonali y ai s
(e.g., pe sonal inno a i eness) may also shape consume s' ex-
pec a ions o IVIs, and hei impac on ImT should be in es i-
ga ed. Du ing ou in e iews, we no iced ha consume s may
pe cei e some IVI design aspec s nega i ely. Fu u e esea ch
should iden i y hese po en ially p oblema ic elemen s, assess
hei impac on consume expec a ions, and de elop mi iga ion
s a egies (Tingelho and Ma ga2025). In addi ion o he cos
o acqui ing a VR headse , mo ion sickness du ing ini ial use
(Hennig- Thu au e al.2024) p esen s a limi a ion o PUs' ImT.
Fu u e s udies could explo e IVI design solu ions o educe his
e ec , p o iding a mo e seamless en y o PUs in o imme si e
en i onmen s while mo i a ing hem o in es ime wi h IVIs.
Addi ionally, esea ch should in es iga e o he ways o os e
ini ial adop ion o PUs.
In con as , o IUs, who a e al eady accus omed o using im-
me si e pla o ms, u u e s udies should ocus mo e on ma ke -
ing s a egies o p olong hei ImT. Mo eo e , u u e esea ch
could explo e when PUs ansi ion in o he s age o IUs based on
accumula ed ImT, p o iding insigh s in o long- e m consume
beha io . By add essing hese gaps, u u e s udies can build on
ou indings and con ibu e o a mo e comp ehensi e amewo k
ha accoun s o bo h he d i e s and ba ie s o ImT wi h IVIs.
6 | Conclusion
As imme si e pla o ms con inue o ans o m social and busi-
ness in e ac ions, IVIs play an inc easingly c ucial ole. As i -
ual b and “ambassado s,” hey can d i e consume s o spend
ImT and engage wi h b anded con en . Despi e his po en ial,
how IVIs can d i e ImT and in luence consume beha io e-
mains unde explo ed. This pape con ibu es o closing his gap
FIGURE 4 | F amewo k on consume - speci ic expec a ions ega ding IVI unc ions d i ing ImT.
Po enal Use s Incumben Use s
Imme si e Vi ual
In luence s (IVIs)
•an idealized u opia
•one- o-one in e acons
•pe sonalized IVI con en
Po enal Use s' Funconal
Expec aons o IVIs
elying on secondhand
in o maon ega ding hei
expec aons o IVIs
elying on i s hand expe ience
wi h IVI-like ac o s ega ding
hei expec aons o IVIs
Imme si e Time
(ImT)
d i en by educaonal.
emoonal, escapis ,
and social uncons
•an ex ension o eali y
•communi y building
•p accal eali y-based IVI
uncons
Incumben Use s' Funconal
Expec aons o IVIs
2615
by ex ending he li e a u e on (imme si e) VIs, ImT, and imme -
si e pla o ms, o e ing new insigh s in o IVIs' ole in shaping
consume beha io in imme si e en i onmen s. I sys ema i-
cally e eals he (limi ed) amoun o ImT consume s cu en ly
spend wi h IVIs and in es iga es he design- enabled unc ions
o IVIs ha can enhance his amoun o ime.
No ably, we di e en ia e be ween wo consume g oups o a y-
ing exposu e o imme si e pla o ms (i.e., PUs and IUs), ai-
lo ing ou insigh s and ecommenda ions o hei needs. This
di e en ia ion led o no el indings. We unco e consume
beha io pa e ns dis inc o each g oup, pa icula ly how PUs
and IUs p io i ize di e en aspec s o IVI design. As ou s udy
highligh s he impo ance o aligning IVI design wi h consume
expec a ions, we show how IVI design elemen s can ac i a e
mul iple d i e s o ImT, namely educa ional, emo ional, social,
and epis emic d i e s. By explo ing hese, we de elop a ame-
wo k ha de ails he unc ional expec a ions o bo h consume
g oups. Thus, ou indings o e aluable insigh s in o how IVI
design and unc ions can be s a egically ailo ed o c ea e mo e
engaging and p olonged i ual expe iences ac oss bo h con-
sume segmen s.
Mo eo e , ou insigh s di ec u u e esea ch on o pi o al a e-
nues. Fi s , u u e s udies should in es iga e po en ial nega i e
pe cep ions o ce ain IVI design elemen s, as hese could dis-
cou age consume s om spending ImT and may p omp hem
o explo e al e na i e op ions (Kau e al.2024). Addi ionally,
esea ch should explo e s a egies o os e ing ini ial adop ion
o PUs and ways o p olong ImT o IUs. Unde s anding how
PUs ansi ion in o he s age o IUs based on accumula ed ImT
wi h IVIs will p o ide aluable insigh s in o long- e m con-
sume beha io . Building on ou own esea ch and answe ing
hese ques ions will enable us o comp ehensi ely unde s and
IVIs' pi o al ole as i ual b and “ambassado s” and ha ness
hei ull po en ial.
Acknowledgmen s
Fo his esea ch, Fabian Tingelho ecei ed unding om he Kon ad-
Adenaue Founda ion (KAS). Open Access unding enabled and o ga-
nized by P ojek DEAL.
Con lic s o In e es
The au ho s decla e no con lic s o in e es .
Da a A ailabili y S a emen
The da a ha suppo he indings o his s udy a e a ailable on eques
om he co esponding au ho . The da a a e no publicly a ailable due
o p i acy o e hical es ic ions.
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2619
Appendix A
Summa y o Rele an Li e a u e on Imme si e Time
Au ho (s) Resea ch design Focus Summa y o indings
Cheung e al.(2024) Empi ical, quan i a i e s udy
(n = 267)
Da a om Asian consume s using
VR echnologies o pa icipa e
in MICE (mee ings, incen i es,
con e ences, and exhibi ions)
ac i i ies on imme si e pla o ms
In es iga ed mechanisms d i ing
consume pa icipa ion in MICE
ac i i ies on imme si e pla o ms
h ough he lenses o media
ichness, pe cei ed ealism, and
engagemen , as well as he impac
on consume s' ImT and u u e
isi in en ion
Found ha media ichness
dimensions, such as mul iple
cues, immedia e eedback, and
pe sonal ocus, enhance pe cei ed
imme si e pla o m ealism,
which in u n d i es consume
engagemen in MICE ac i i ies
Demons a ed ha highe
le els o pe cei ed ealism and
engagemen inc ease consume s'
ImT and u u e isi in en ion
Showed ha among consume
engagemen dimensions,
pa icipa ion had he s onges
impac on ImT, ollowed by
a ec ion and abso p ion
Kau e al.(2024) Empi ical, quali a i e s udy
(n = 63)
In- dep h, semi- s uc u ed
in e iews wi h Gene a ion Z
Indian consume s
Examined consume beha io on
imme si e pla o ms, using he
Engel- Kolla - Blackwell model as a
heo e ical amewo k
Re ealed ha consume
beha io on imme si e pla o ms
ollows he s ages o awa eness,
in o ma ion sea ch, e alua ion
o al e na i es, engagemen , and
pos - engagemen e alua ion, as
ou lined by he Engel- Kolla -
Blackwell model
Found ha posi i e expe iences
ex end ImT, while nega i e
expe iences educe i , p omp ing
explo a ion o al e na i es
Quan i ied aspec s o ImT,
highligh ing beha io s like a a a
cus omiza ion, NFT ading o
c ea ion, and in e ac ing wi h
b ands and o he consume s
Mogaji e al.(2023, 2024)Concep ual In oduced he concep o
imme si e ime (ImT) as he
conscious ime consume s spend
using imme si e de ices like
VR headse s o engage wi h
hei en i onmen on imme si e
pla o ms con inually
Emphasized ha unde s anding
he impo ance o ImT has
implica ions o esea che s,
p ac i ione s, echnology
de elope s, b and manage s,
and policymake s who a e
in ol ed in de eloping s a egies
o imme si e pla o ms and
ensu ing consume sa e y wi hin
hese en i onmen s
Wongki ung ueng and
Sup awan(2024)
Empi ical, quan i a i e s udy
(n = 702)
Da a om Thai consume s o
Asia's la ges imme si e pla o m
Examined consume esponses o
b and expe iences on imme si e
pla o ms
Demons a ed ha consume s
who enjoy he b anded i ual
en i onmen a e likely o spend
mo e ime explo ing i
Concluded ha longe
engagemen helps consume s gain
a deepe unde s anding o bo h
he unc ional and symbolic alue
o he i ual en i onmen
2620 Jou nal o Consume Beha iou , 2025
Appendix B
Summa y o Rele an Li e a u e on Vi ual In luence s
Au ho (s) Resea ch design Focus
Design Elemen s/
unc ions Summa y o indings
A senyan and
Mi owska(2021)
Empi ical, quali a i e s udy
(ne nog aphy)
Analyzing 48.827 commen s
om h ee VIs' Ins ag am
pos s o e 11 mon hs
Examined pos ing beha io
and audience eac ions o
HIs and VIs (human- like
and anime- like) on social
media, ocusing on ex and
emoji- based in e ac ions
Design elemen :
Appea ance
Found ha human- like VIs
ecei e ewe posi i e eac ions
compa ed o anima ed VIs and
HIs, highligh ing di e ences
in audience engagemen ac oss
hese pe sonas
Aud eze and
Koles(2023)
Empi ical, quali a i e s udy
(n = 42)
In- dep h, semi- s uc u ed
in e iews om I aly and
F ance
Explo ed young consume s'
o e all pe cep ions o
VIs, emphasizing insigh s
pa icula ly ele an o
b and s a egies
Explo ing a ious
unc ions
Iden i ied h ee consume
pe sonas—passi e bys ande s,
ac i e communi y membe s, and
de o ed con ibu o s—based
on VI ollowing beha io s,
p o iding segmen a ion insigh s
De e mined pa asocial
ela ionships and communi y
building as impo an VI
unc ions
Cheung and
Leung(2021)
Empi ical, quan i a i e
s udy (n = 105)
Da a collec ed om
consume s aged be ween 18
and 27 yea s old ac i e on
Ins ag am
Assessed consume
pe cep ions o VIs, ocusing
on hei a ac i eness,
us wo hiness, and
expe ise
Design elemen :
Appea ance
Found ha ca oonish- designed
VIs a e pe cei ed as mo e
a ac i e and c edible han
human- like VIs
Dabi an
e al.(2024)
Empi ical, quan i a i e
s udy (n = 430)
Da a om Ins ag am use s
aged 18 and olde who
ollow a leas one VI
E alua ed he e ec s
o ou ypes o
an h opomo phism—
appea ance, mo al i ue,
cogni i e expe ience, and
conscious emo ionali y—on
ollowe s' pe cep ions o
VI c edibili y, pa asocial
ela ionships, and pu chase
in en ion
Design elemen :
Appea ance
Func ion: Pa asocial
ela ionships
Found ha mo al i ue and
cogni i e expe ience posi i ely
a ec bo h c edibili y and
pa asocial ela ionships, while
appea ance impac s only
pa asocial ela ionships, and
conscious emo ionali y shows
no signi ican e ec
C edibili y and pa asocial
ela ionships bo h enhance
pu chase in en ion, wi h
pa asocial ela ionships ha ing
a s onge impac
In luence –p oduc cong uence
mode a es he e ec o
c edibili y on pu chase
in en ion
Linked appea ance o pa asocial
ela ionships
Dondapa i and
Dehu y(2024)
Empi ical, quan i a i e
s udy (n = 624)
Da a om uni e si y
s uden s om a ious
academic disciplines
Examined whe he
pe cei ed homophily and
pa asocial ela ionships
media e he e ec o
in luence ype (HI
s. VI) on pu chase
in en , and analyzed he
mode a ing ole o pe cei ed
au hen ici y
Func ion: Pa asocial
ela ionships
Found ha pe cei ed homophily
and pa asocial ela ionships
media e he e ec o in luence
ype (HI s. VI) on pu chase
in en , wi h pe cei ed
au hen ici y mode a ing his
pa hway
The indi ec e ec ia
pa asocial ela ionships and
pe cei ed homophily was
s onge o HIs han VIs