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Meike Müller, MA

Lecturer and researcher at the Institute for Sociocultural Development at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. She has a Master of Arts in Sociology and Media Science. In her projects, she utilizes qualitative, ethnographic, visual, and quantitative methods, as well as mixed-methods approaches. Her research focuses on settlement and urban development, and on inclusion and exclusion in public spaces, neighborhoods, and housing.

 
DOI: 10.33226/1231-7853.2025.10.4
JEL: M31, M37, Z32

Virtual influencers are non-human, digitally created with human-like qualities. This study investigates the visual self-presentation and branding strategies of Esther Olofsson on Instagram using systematic visual content analysis. Thereby exploring how Esther is visually constructed as a digital persona and how elements of tourism, human likeness and influencer aesthetics are integrated into her online representation. A sample of 107 pictures from 94 posts published between October 2022 and October 2023 was selected. Tourism is a key theme, particularly urban and cultural settings, positioning Esther as an aspiring travel figure. The study also highlights how virtual influencer challenge traditional notions of identity, presence, and trust in digital marketing. Overall, the study shows how visual cues are strategically used to construct a coherent yet ambiguous digital self that bridges human and virtual identities. It contributes to research on influencer cultures, visual communication, and the aesthetics of virtual entities in tourism and branding.

Keywords: virtual influencers; social media influencers; social media; tourism marketing; visual content analysis