This systematic literature review (SLR) delves into the realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered virtual influencers (VIs) in social media, examining trust factors, engagement strategies, VI efficacy compared to human influencers, ethical considerations, and future trends. Analyzing 60 academic articles from 2012 to 2024, drawn from reputable databases, the study applies specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Both automated and manual searches ensure a comprehensive review. Findings reveal a surge in VI research post-2012, primarily in journals, with quantitative methods prevailing. Geographically, research focuses on Europe, Asia Pacific, and North America, indicating gaps in representation from other regions. Key themes highlight trust and engagement’s critical role in VI marketing, navigating the balance between consistency and authenticity. Challenges persist regarding artificiality and accountability, managed through brand alignment and transparent communication. VIs offers advantages, including control and cost efficiencies, yet grapple with authenticity issues, addressed through human-like features. Ethically, VI emergence demands stringent guidelines and industry cooperation to safeguard consumer well-being. Looking ahead, VIs promises transformative storytelling, necessitating vigilance in ethical considerations. This study advocates for continued scholarly inquiry and industry reflection to navigate VI marketing evolution responsibly, shaping the future influencer marketing landscape.

The widespread adoption of digital technologies in tourism has transformed the data privacy landscape, necessitating stronger safeguards. This study examines the evolving research environment of digital privacy in tourism management, focusing on publication trends, collaborative networks, and social contract theory. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining bibliometric analysis, social contract theory, and qualitative content analysis. Data from 2004 to 2023 were analyzed using network visualization tools to identify key researchers and trends. The study highlights a significant increase in academic attention after 2015, reflecting the industry's growing recognition of digital privacy as crucial. Social contract theory provided a framework emphasizing transparency, consent, and accountability. The study also examined high-impact articles and the role of publishers like Elsevier and Wiley. The findings offer practical insights for policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers, advocating for ongoing collaboration to address privacy challenges in tourism.

The increasing use of social media has played a prominent role in shaping opinions and forming attitudes, especially among university students. They use them increasingly to transfer information, exchange data, and disseminate topics among students and all members of society. Therefore, this study aims to examine these networks and their role in public life, especially in shaping public opinion among university students. The study adopted a descriptive survey approach to achieve its objectives. The study was conducted on a sample of undergraduate students from four Jordanian universities, totaling 832 participants selected through purposive sampling and using the equal distribution method according to variables (gender, university, specialization). The study relied on a questionnaire as a method of data collection and filling out the data from the respondents in the questionnaire. The study found that social media plays a significant role in shaping opinions, beliefs, and ideas, and that its role is unparalleled. Also, the study showed that social media had a significant impact on shaping public opinion in Jordan among university students who use social media extensively and exchange opinions, ideas, and information, contributing to shaping a series of opinions among young people and contributing to their adoption of new ideas or changing their old ones through the dialogue facilitated by these networks, as users exchange and adopt ideas, contributing to shaping a public opinion on an issue. These findings underscore the importance of understanding and leveraging social media and online platforms to effectively communicate with and engage students.

Edible cutlery is a safe alternative that, if adopted, can act as a panacea to plastic pollution. Consumers who believe in a lifestyle of health and sustainability (LOHAS) can motivate others by taking the lead in this direction. This study has explored the psychological variables associated with LOHAS consumers in conjunction with the product attributes of edible cutlery to check whether these variables can influence lifestyle of health and sustainability (LOHAS) consumers to adopt edible cutlery. An empirical study on 210 LOHAS consumers using Partial Least Squares Structure Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) and Importance Performance Matrix Analyses (IPMA) showed that social consciousness and subjective norms motivate them to adopt edible cutlery in restaurants. This finding has an implication for hospitality businesses using edible cutlery that can target LOHAS consumers with strategies that affect their social consciousness and subjective norm belief for better adoption intentions.

In recent years, information technology and social media has developed very rapidly and has had an impact on government services to the public. Social media technology is used hugely by several developing countries to provide services, information and promote information disclosure in its government to improve its performance. This study aims to build role of social media technology concept as a public service delivery facilitator to the public. Furthermore, it discusses the potential impact of social media use on government culture. To achieve the goal, this study combines two theories, namely government public value theory and green smart city with four variables, namely quality of public services, user orientation, openness, and greenness. These variables are used as the foundation for data collection through in-depth interviews and group discussion forums. In-depth interviews are utilized as data search and direct observation. The informants consist of several government elements, including heads of regional apparatus organizations, heads of public service malls and Palembang city government employees. The study revealed that the Palembang government has several social media-based public services that have quality of services, user-orientation, openness, and environmental friendliness.

Social media influencer marketing has emerged as an essential marketing strategy in the online interactive environment. This study investigates the impact of influencer-consumer fit (ICF) on behavioral intentions; intention to co-create brand value (ICC) and purchase intention (PI), with the serial mediation of influencer authenticity (IA) and attitude toward brand (ATB). A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to followers of social media influencers in Pakistan. The data were collected from 421 female followers of social media influencers through survey and partial least squares—structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. The findings reveal that ICF impacts IA, while the latter impacts ATB. ATB in turn impacts behavioral intentions. The direct effects suggest that ICF impacts consumers’ PI but not the ICC. However, with the serial mediation of IA and ATB, the relationship becomes significant. The findings of this study may assist managers in building brand strategies to achieve excellence in a highly dynamic and competitive market by leveraging the power of influencer marketing.