Post Human in Digital Marketing: A Study on Virtual İnfluencers

Merve Emecen; Dilek Paltun Aydın; Ahmet Can Akgün

Makale detayları

Post Human in Digital Marketing: A Study on Virtual İnfluencers

Yazarlar:

Merve Emecen | Dilek Paltun Aydın | Ahmet Can Akgün

Yayıncı:

Gumushane University

Ana Başlıklar:

İletişim Çalışmaları | İletişim ve Medya Çalışmaları (Diğer)

Dergi:

Gümüşhane Üniversitesi İletişim Fakültesi Elektronik Dergisi Vol.12 Issue 3, pp.1118-1149

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

9/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001328844

pISSN:

2146-3301

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 Realizing that they can reach more audiences with digital marketing, brands have focused on carrying out their activities in this direction and started to exhibit activities in which they can be active. In this respect, brands are looking for different ways to communicate with the masses. Brands prefer the ways they find the least costly and safest. Therefore, influencers have become one of the effective marketing tools through which brands can carry out their marketing activities on social media. Especially today, with the development of metaverse technology, artificial intelligence supported fictional virtual influencers have come to the fore. Virtual influencers, who produce information, experiences and content like real actors, have become important opinion leaders for consumers. Brands try to influence their target audience with virtual influencers who have a large number of followers. Virtual influencers, who appeal to a significant audience on social media, produce content like real actors in the post-human process in digital marketing. In this study, the content of the Instagram posts of Alara X, Türkiyes first virtual influencer selected using purposive sampling method, was first categorized. Then, how she was perceived by her followers and her interaction levels were analyzed through post comments. Digital ethnography method was used in the research. This study is especially important as it will contribute to the field due to the limited number of studies on Turkish fictional virtual influencers. According to the findings of the study, it is seen that Alara Xs Instagram account, which usually includes personal posts, also includes posts with the product ranges of different brands. At the same time, it was concluded that dialogic communication was established between Alara X and her followers with the increase in the number of posts on her Instagram account over time.

 Realizing that they can reach more audiences with digital marketing, brands have focused on carrying out their activities in this direction and started to exhibit activities in which they can be active. In this respect, brands are looking for different ways to communicate with the masses. Brands prefer the ways they find the least costly and safest. Therefore, influencers have become one of the effective marketing tools through which brands can carry out their marketing activities on social media. Especially today, with the development of metaverse technology, artificial intelligence supported fictional virtual influencers have come to the fore. Virtual influencers, who produce information, experiences and content like real actors, have become important opinion leaders for consumers. Brands try to influence their target audience with virtual influencers who have a large number of followers. Virtual influencers, who appeal to a significant audience on social media, produce content like real actors in the post-human process in digital marketing. In this study, the content of the Instagram posts of Alara X, Türkiyes first virtual influencer selected using purposive sampling method, was first categorized. Then, how she was perceived by her followers and her interaction levels were analyzed through post comments. Digital ethnography method was used in the research. This study is especially important as it will contribute to the field due to the limited number of studies on Turkish fictional virtual influencers. According to the findings of the study, it is seen that Alara Xs Instagram account, which usually includes personal posts, also includes posts with the product ranges of different brands. At the same time, it was concluded that dialogic communication was established between Alara X and her followers with the increase in the number of posts on her Instagram account over time.

 Realizing that they can reach more audiences with digital marketing, brands have focused on carrying out their activities in this direction and started to exhibit activities in which they can be active. In this respect, brands are looking for different ways to communicate with the masses. Brands prefer the ways they find the least costly and safest. Therefore, influencers have become one of the effective marketing tools through which brands can carry out their marketing activities on social media. Especially today, with the development of metaverse technology, artificial intelligence supported fictional virtual influencers have come to the fore. Virtual influencers, who produce information, experiences and content like real actors, have become important opinion leaders for consumers. Brands try to influence their target audience with virtual influencers who have a large number of followers. Virtual influencers, who appeal to a significant audience on social media, produce content like real actors in the post-human process in digital marketing. In this study, the content of the Instagram posts of Alara X, Türkiyes first virtual influencer selected using purposive sampling method, was first categorized. Then, how she was perceived by her followers and her interaction levels were analyzed through post comments. Digital ethnography method was used in the research. This study is especially important as it will contribute to the field due to the limited number of studies on Turkish fictional virtual influencers. According to the findings of the study, it is seen that Alara Xs Instagram account, which usually includes personal posts, also includes posts with the product ranges of different brands. At the same time, it was concluded that dialogic communication was established between Alara X and her followers with the increase in the number of posts on her Instagram account over time.

 Dijital pazarlama ile birlikte daha fazla kitleye ulaşabileceğini fark eden markalar bu yönde faaliyetlerini gerçekleştirmeye ağırlık vermiş ve aktif olabilecekleri çalışmalar sergilemeye başlamıştır. Bu açıdan markalar kitlelerle iletişim kurmanın değişik yollarını aramaktadırlar. Markalar, maliyetin en az olduğu ve en güvenli buldukları yolları tercih etmektedir. Dolayısıyla etkileyiciler sosyal mecralar üzerinde markaların pazarlama faaliyetlerini yürütebileceği etkili pazarlama araçlarından biri haline gelmiştir. Özellikle günümüzde metaverse teknolojisinin gelişimiyle yapay zekâ destekli kurgusal sanal etkileyiciler ön plana çıkmıştır. Gerçek aktörler gibi bilgiyi, deneyimleri ve içerikleri üreten sanal etkileyiciler, günümüzde tüketiciler için önemli kanaat önderlerine dönüşmüştür. Markalar ise çok sayıda takipçisi bulunan sanal etkileyicilerle hedef kitlesini etkilemeye çalışmaktadır. Sosyal medyada önemli bir kitleye hitap eden sanal etkileyiciler, dijital pazarlamada insan sonrası süreçte gerçek aktörler gibi içerikler üretmektedir. Bu çalışmada amaçlı örneklem yöntemi kullanılarak seçilen ve Türkiyenin ilk sanal etkileyicisi olan Alara Xin öncelikle Instagram gönderilerinin içeriği kategorize edilmiştir. Ardından takipçileri tarafından nasıl algılandığı ve etkileşim düzeyleri gönderi yorumları üzerinden analiz edilmiştir. Araştırmada dijital etnografi yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Bu çalışma özellikle Türk kurgusal sanal etkileyiciler özelinde sınırlı sayıda çalışma olmasından dolayı alana katkı sağlayacağı için önem taşımaktadır. Araştırmanın bulgularına göre Alara Xin genellikle kişisel paylaşımlarına yer verdiği Instagram hesabında farklı markaların ürün gamları ile de paylaşımlara yer verdiği görülmektedir. Aynı zamanda Alara X ile takipçileri arasında zaman içerisinde Instagram hesabındaki paylaşımların da artması ile diyalojik iletişim kurulduğu sonucuna varılmıştır.

Makale detayları

Post Human in Digital Marketing: A Study on Virtual İnfluencers

Yazarlar:

Merve Emecen | Dilek Paltun Aydın | Ahmet Can Akgün

Yayıncı:

Gumushane University

Ana Başlıklar:

İletişim Çalışmaları | İletişim ve Medya Çalışmaları (Diğer)

Dergi:

Gümüşhane Üniversitesi İletişim Fakültesi Elektronik Dergisi Vol.12 Issue 3, pp.1118-1149

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

9/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001328844

pISSN:

2146-3301

Digital Marketing

Digital Ethnography

Virtual Influencer

Alara XDijital Pazarlama

Sanal Etkileyiciler

Dijital Etnografi

Alara X

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Merve Emecen | Dilek Paltun Aydın | Ahmet Can Akgün

Yayıncı: Gumushane University

Ana Başlıklar: İletişim Çalışmaları | İletişim ve Medya Çalışmaları (Diğer)

Dergi: Gümüşhane Üniversitesi İletişim Fakültesi Elektronik Dergisi Vol.12 Issue 3, pp.1118-1149

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 9/2024

Belge Dili: Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.): 2001328844

pISSN: 2146-3301

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Merve Emecen | Dilek Paltun Aydın | Ahmet Can Akgün

Yayıncı:

Gumushane University

Ana Başlıklar:

İletişim Çalışmaları | İletişim ve Medya Çalışmaları (Diğer)

Dergi:

Gümüşhane Üniversitesi İletişim Fakültesi Elektronik Dergisi Vol.12 Issue 3, pp.1118-1149

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

9/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001328844

pISSN:

2146-3301