Jeongmin Ham
Assistant Professor University of Florida
- Gainesville FL
Jeongmin Ham studies how emerging technologies and digital media shape advertising, brand communication, and consumer responses.
Biography
Areas of Expertise
Social
Articles
From Toddler to Teen: A Virtual Influencer’s Bit to Byte Growing-up Narrative Effect on Ad Engagement and Consumer Perceptions and Brand Choice Behavior
Journal of AdvertisingEastin, et al.
2025-10-17
This research investigates parasocial interaction and consumer engagement with virtual influencers on social media, targeting Generation Z and Millennial consumers. Through a content analysis and two empirical studies, this research examines social media engagement behavior as well as the mechanisms underlying consumer involvement with a virtual influencer’s human-like narratives and their subsequent impact on brand engagement and consumer behavior.
Virtual humans as social actors: Investigating user perceptions of virtual humans’ emotional expression on social media
Computers in Human BehaviorHam, et al.
2024-06-01
Virtual influencers, digitally-created characters with realistic human-like appearances, have emerged as a distinctive type of virtual humans prominently featured in various virtual environments, with a notable presence on social media. They emulate human behaviors, including displaying emotions, to enrich their narratives. Yet, limited research has assessed how users interpret these virtual influencers' emotions as well as whether these emotional cues affect users' perceptions and attitude towards these virtual entities. To address these research gaps this research draws upon the Computers as Social Actors (CASA) paradigm.
The “Mixed” Reality of Virtual Brand Endorsers: Understanding the Effect of Brand Engagement and Social Cues on Technological Perceptions and Advertising Effectiveness
Journal of Interactive AdvertisingHam, et al.
2023-03-27
Within the context of virtual human influencers, the current study adds to the growing literature examining the impact of a social media–based mix of reality and virtuality on perceived anthropomorphism and authenticity, in addition to the subsequent effects on advertising perceptions and implicit behavior.
