A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF VIRTUALHUMANS.ORG AND ITS ROLE IN VIRTUAL INFLUENCER RESEARCH, 2019 TO PRESENT

Abstract

In this paper, I conduct a systematic review of the use of VirtualHumans.org in academic studies of the virtual influencer industry. To do this, I analyze all references to and use of content from the Virtual Humans website in relevant published research from 2019 to 2024 (n=189), including the website’s database of existing virtual influencers, interviews with virtual influencer creators and virtual influencer characters themselves, articles on the state of the virtual influencer industry, and profiles of each listed virtual influencer. I pair this analysis with a brief history of VirtualHumans.org from a political economy perspective, noting the factors which went into the website’s creation; its acquisition by Offbeat Media Group, a digital marketing agency; and its organizational shifts following the sudden departure of its founder in 2023. Ultimately, I question whether academic viewpoints of the emergent virtual influencer industry, many which refer to the Virtual Humans website as a valuable resource for grasping a sense of the size and scope of the virtual influencer phenomenon, adequately consider the rooted biases and commercial interests represented by the website as not only a database but a powerful broker within the industry. Moreover, by narrating the organizational development of VirtualHumans.org as an enterprise, I contribute detailed context into the formation of these biases and commercial interests which inform its position in the virtual influencer scene.