A comparative analysis of CGI Instagram influencer, @lilmiquela, and human Instagram influencer, @_emmachamberlain

In an increasingly digital world, the relatively under-researched realm of the social media influencer industry is slowly becoming more pertinent and revealing for academic research areas for media production and representation. In this paper, a comparative visual analysis was undertaken to compare human influencer, Emma Chamberlain, and computer-generated influencer, Lil Miquela through the examination of a total of 16 Instagram posts across the two influencers. These images were further dissected through the use of pre-defined cultural scripts, such as calibrated amateurism, personal branding, being ‘cool’ and selfies. The analysis of the cultural scripts and visuals revealed the two juxtaposed categories of behavior — a traditional celebrity culture of fame, wealth and exclusivity versus a down-to-earth, ‘just like you’ and amateur type of influencer. Both subjects vary their content to suit both categories as if balancing the two opposing versions of their digital personas; this characteristic appears to be distinct to both influencers. Further research could be carried out to examine the generalizability of this finding and to further understand the influence that this might have on media audiences