Leveraging the Technology Acceptance Model to Understand User Adoption of Virtual Influencers: The Role of Perceived Authenticity and Anthropomorphism

Summary

This study applies an extended Technology Acceptance Model to examine virtual influencer adoption on short-video platforms, demonstrating that perceived usefulness, ease of use, authenticity, and anthropomorphism significantly influence user attitudes and behavioral intentions using survey data analyzed with PLS-SEM.

Abstract

Virtual Influencers (VIs) are increasingly becoming pivotal players on short-video applications such as TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels. While previous research has explored VIs in terms of anthropomorphism, authenticity, and consumer interaction, most prior work has focused on Instagram datasets or content analysis without adopting a systematic behavioral framework. To address these limitations, this study utilizes the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to examine how Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) influence user Attitude and Behavioral Intention toward following or interacting with VIs on short-video platforms. The study proposes Perceived Authenticity and Anthropomorphism as moderating variables, extending TAM to capture psychological and social dynamics. A conceptual framework was developed integrating TAM with these moderators. Data was collected through an online survey of 350 short-video users exposed to edited VI content and measured using validated Likert-scale instruments. Participants were first exposed to standardized virtual influencer video stimuli and subsequently completed a structured questionnaire administered via an online survey platform. The dataset was analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to assess measurement reliability, structural relationships, and moderating effects. Prior to analysis, the dataset was screened for incomplete responses, missing values, and response inconsistencies. Results confirm the applicability of TAM in the VI context. PEOU positively influenced PU (β = 0.46, p < 0.001), PU significantly affected Attitude (β = 0.39, p < 0.001), and Attitude strongly predicted Behavioral Intention (β = 0.58, p < 0.001). Perceived Authenticity strengthened the relationship between PU and Attitude, and between Attitude and Behavioral Intention, while Anthropomorphism enhanced the effects of both PU and PEOU on Attitude. Model fit indices (R² = 0.64 for Attitude; R² = 0.57 for Behavioral Intention) indicate strong explanatory power. These findings support the extended TAM in explaining virtual influencer adoption on short-video platforms.

Introduction

In recent years, social media influencers (SMIs) have gained substantial followings by sharing aspects of their lives, knowledge, products, and brands on community broadcasting platforms^1,2. Virtual Influencers (VIs) have attracted considerable attention from both academic and business communities as a novel approach to promoting goods and services across platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok³. In contrast to human influencers (HIs), VIs are not real individuals but computer-generated characters developed by teams of designers to replicate human appearance and behavior or to....

Protocol

This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of AzmanHashim International Business School, UniversitiTeknologi Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Approval No.: UTM.AHIBS/REC/2025/012). All procedures complied with institutional ethical standards and the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to data collection. Participants were informed of the study's purpose, the voluntary nature of their participation, the confidentiality of their responses, and their right to withdraw at any time without penalty. Written consent was also obtained for the use of anonymized survey data in academic publications.....

Results

A total of 350 usable responses were obtained from active users of short-video applications (Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok). The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 4.0, following preprocessing and the exclusion of incomplete responses. This approach enabled the evaluation of both measurement and structural models, as well as moderation effects.

The results confirmed the validity of the proposed extended TAM framework........

Discussion

To validate the constructs, the measurement model was assessed for reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity^39,40. The study’s findings provide important insights into the factors influencing user adoption of Virtual Influencers (VIs) on short-video platforms. The results indicate that both technological (Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use) and psychological (Perceived Authenticity and Anthropomorphism) factors significantly in.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Computer System (PC/Laptop)	Generic (HP/Dell/Lenovo or equivalent)	N/A	Used for data collection and analysis
Google Forms	Google LLC	N/A / https://forms.google.com	Used for survey design and data collection
Instagram Reels	Meta Platforms Inc.	N/A / https://www.instagram.com/reels/	Platform for virtual influencer video stimuli
Internet Connection	Local Internet Service Provider	N/A	Required for accessing survey and platforms
Microsoft Excel	Microsoft Corporation	365 / https://www.microsoft.com/excel	Used for data preprocessing and organization
Python	Python Software Foundation	3.x / https://www.python.org	Used for optional preprocessing and data handling
SmartPLS	SmartPLS GmbH	4.0 / https://www.smartpls.com	Used for PLS-SEM analysis including HTMT, Q² (blindfolding), and f² effect size
TikTok	TikTok Inc.	N/A / https://www.tiktok.com	Platform for virtual influencer video stimuli
Virtual Influencer Video Clips	Author-generated dataset	N/A	Standardized video stimuli presented to participants
YouTube Shorts	Google LLC	N/A / https://www.youtube.com/shorts	Platform for virtual influencer video stimuli