Tan, Yee Heng, and Greene, Barbara R. (2025) Can a 2D shark girl be an influencer? uncovering prevailing archetypes in the virtual entertainer industry. Journal of Business Research, 186. 114951.

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Abstract

The rise of virtual technology has served as a catalyst for a new influencer model – one with a crafted persona and an animated avatar. These virtual entertainers excel in engaging audiences and have become increasingly popular as a promising industry with many prospective opportunities. However, research within this industry is limited and lacks consistency. This paper aims to establish an emergent theory for the virtual entertainer industry. First, the concept of a virtual entertainer is introduced and defined along with key developments in the evolution of the industry. Using content analysis on 1189 comments and clustering 293 channels with over 180,000 livestreams, the paper identifies 3 key dimensions of virtual entertainers – (1) Organizational Support, (2) Self Expression and (3) Activity; and 5 distinguishing archetypes for virtual entertainers. The performances of these archetypes were compared across multiple success indicators, providing insights for understanding and developing positioning strategies within this growing industry.

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