• Illia Manzan Laura Géraldine

• Giorgi Nicole

Please Note: This seminar is structured around learning blocks rather than traditional themes. There will be four sessions per week, but only during selected weeks of the semester-check the schedule for exact dates.

In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, communication strategies must contend with entirely new phenomena: virtual influencers and their synthetic content. This seminar equips participants with critical frameworks and practical tools to identify, analyse, and strategically engage with the emerging reality of virtual influencers—that is, synthetic personas producing synthetic, and sometimes absurd, content for or about organisations. Through real-world case studies, hands-on analysis, and interactive discussions, the seminar will also address questions of trust, authenticity, and credibility in the age of algorithms.

Key topics

Topic 1: Virtual Influencers vs Human Influencers
This topic explores how virtual influencers compare with human influencers in terms of credibility, authenticity, trust, and persuasive effectiveness. It also introduces a critical perspective on AI-generated communication, focusing on the risks of fabricated authority, misinformation, and misplaced trust in automated agents.

Topic 2: Virtual Influencers and Brand Activism
This topic focuses on the use of virtual influencers to communicate social and political causes. It asks whether artificial characters can credibly support real-world activism and whether brand activism becomes more persuasive or more problematic when communicated by non-human agents. The topic also connects this debate to broader theories of social media activism and stakeholder engagement.

Topic 3: Virtual Influencers and CSR Communication
This topic examines how AI-generated or AI-mediated communication affects perceptions of corporate social responsibility. It focuses on trust, authenticity, sustainability communication, and the risk that CSR messages may appear fabricated or manipulative. The topic also considers how AI and repetition can create an illusion of authenticity in CSR communication.

Topic 4: Virtual Influencers and Reputation
This topic examines reputation, crises, and accountability in relation to virtual influencers. It asks whether virtual influencers can be blamed, forgiven, or trusted after a moral violation, and who is responsible when they damage a brand’s image. The topic also connects virtual-influencer crises to broader debates about fake news, misinformation, and reputational judgements.

The specific objectives of the seminar include:

• Developing the ability to read academic articles critically: Students will learn how to analyze and evaluate scholarly articles critically, considering their validity, relevance, and implications.
   
• Applying theories and concepts to current events: Students will understand how to apply theoretical frameworks and concepts to real-world events and situations, enabling them to gain a deeper understanding of the practical implications of academic theories.
   
• Utilizing theories and concepts for scientific study: Students will learn how to use existing theories and concepts as a basis for conducting scientific research, enabling them to contribute to the field of study through their empirical investigations.
   
• Generating ideas using concepts and theories from articles: Students will learn how to create innovative ideas by leveraging the concepts and theories presented in academic articles, fostering creative and analytical thinking.
   
• Proposing a Study: Students will acquire the skills required to propose a study effectively. This includes defining research questions, selecting suitable methodologies, and articulating the significance and anticipated contributions of their proposed study.
   

By achieving these objectives, students will be equipped with the necessary skills to engage with academic literature critically, apply theoretical frameworks to real-world contexts, and contribute to the body of knowledge through their research endeavors.  To reach this aim, the seminar will be organized into three main blocks: 

• Block 1: Introduction, key concepts, and LAB:  Students will be introduced to the main topics of the seminar and provided the key concepts for approaching the seminar. Participants will explore various theoretical frameworks and practical tools that will be crucial throughout the seminar. Additionally, they will receive an overview of the learning outcomes expected and the critical skills they will develop as they progress through the course.
   
• Block 2: Presentation of readings:  Students will present scientific readings in groups (or individually, depending on the size of the class) as either/or (or both) a presenter and discussant. The readings presented here will be the base upon which they will base their seminar study proposition.
   
• Block 3: Coaching sessions: students will be coached on their seminar proposal work, along with six coaching sessions that alternate between working on theory (on Tuesdays) and method (on Wednesdays) every week. During these sessions, students work independently on their seminar work proposal, with the possibility to ask questions to the instructor. This structured guidance ensures that students can refine their ideas and approaches effectively. The output of these efforts will be a study proposition presented in a video format (proposal video-presentation). 

The seminar will be evaluated using the following criteria:

1. Presentation of readings: 40% of the final grade.
2. Active Participation in Sessions (beyond the presentation): 30% of the final grade.
3. Research Proposal (Video Presentation): 30% of the final grade.

No retake exam

Continuously assessed courses: it will no longer be possible to unregister or withdraw from a course after the registration period (see session calendar on the Faculty website).

If you are writing a seminar paper, you must register separately for the seminar paper. Please register for the seminar paper on MyUnifr under "course registration".