What dreams of electric sheep – analysing public perception of synthetic influencers

Abstract

Synthetic Influencers are a relatively new kind of influencers who have been introduced online. They emulate human influencers with their massive online fanbases, use of selfies and opinions on current trends. As a technology innovation, prominent companies have shown interest in them, as have the audiences, apparently: Miquela Sousa, one of the more prominent synthetic influencers has over 3 million followers. The existence of these influencers raises complex and interesting questions about digital representation, power, and profit, anonymity and accountability. This thesis explores the domain of ‘synthetic influencers’ through the lens of panfictionality and posthumanism in order to determine the ways in which they are changing the sphere of digital culture, especially in terms of parasocial interactions with audiences. This research addresses the question of whether synthetic influencers have a similar impact on people as their human counterparts, and how audiences perceive them in today’s landscape. Further, this thesis analyses the terms currently being used to describe synthetic influencers and determine whether they are representative of them or not. The research focuses on specific influencer profiles and does a deep dive into the content that they post and the audience response they garner. For this purpose, two synthetic influencers and two human influencers have been selected based on similar niches that they represent, hence allowing for comparisons between the synthetic and human influencers through a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodology. Analysis of their content and the reaction of the audience towards them highlights the differences between synthetic and human influencers, thereby negating the idea that theories that have been predominantly used for humans in the digital space can also be applicable on them. This research thus aims to contribute towards future scholarship on this phenomenon and its social impact, and potentially provide a starting point for describing and developing truly artificially intelligent social media influencers.