Virtual Voices for Sustainable Values: Exploring Content Themes and Advocacy Strategies in the Sustainability Promotion of Virtual Influencers

Abstract

As the concept of sustainability has gained significant attention in recent years as a critical response to escalating environmental challenges and societal shifts, the influence of virtual influencers in promoting sustainability has become a focal point of inquiry. The purpose of this research is to explore the prevalent content themes utilised by virtual influencers to promote sustainability and examine the communication and advocacy strategies they employed in conveying messages related to social and environmental causes. With a qualitative approach and content analysis methodology, the study selects four virtual influencers known for advocating sustainability and analyses a dataset of 137 Instagram posts spanning two years (2022, 2023). Findings indicate that virtual influencers actively engage in advocating for wildlife and nature conservation as the most popular theme, with two distinct communication strategies identified: raising awareness by problematising threats to wildlife and showcasing the beauty of nature and conservation efforts. Additionally, the research uncovers specific tactics employed by virtual influencers, including storytelling, visual content, interactive questions, and inspiring statements, to effectively communicate and advocate for sustainability. This research contributes valuable insights to the dynamic landscape of virtual influencers’ sustainability promotion efforts on social media.