#4143. Discordant storytelling, ‘honest fakery’, identity peddling: How uncanny CGI characters are jamming public relations and influencer practices

September 2026publication date
Proposal available till 25-05-2025
4 total number of authors per manuscript0 $

The title of the journal is available only for the authors who have already paid for
Journal’s subject area:
Linguistics and Language;
Communication;
Strategy and Management;
Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management;
Marketing;
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Abstract:
This research critically explores whether and how computer-generated imagery (CGI) characters are jamming public relations and influencer practices. The research analyses a virtual character with 3 million Instagram followers as a case study. We examine communication strategies to identify what makes her so appealing to postmillennial audiences, The online avatar is algorithmically moulded as a fashionista, singer and civil rights warrior to maximise visibility, influence and emotional release. ‘Her’ discordant, uncanny human/nonhuman ethos simultaneously attracts, intrigues and defies. To study the case of online avatar we built a four-tiered theoretical framework (parasocial relations, identity influence, culture jamming, and algorithmic branding) using the Freudian concept of ‘the uncanny’ as connecting thread; and a mixed method that includes digital ethnography, textual and sentiment analysis. We aim to make a contribution to studies on the use of digital media in PR.
Keywords:
algorithmic branding; avatar influencer; CGI influencers; culture jamming; identity peddling; parasocial relations; PR strategies; the uncanny; virtual influencers

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