CGI- computer generated images are one biggest hits of the century. However, in recent discoveries, CGI individuals seem to be taking over the jobs of social media influencers. Social media influencers are individuals who use social media and establish credibility in their industry or for a company's product. These individuals usually have a high number of followers and reach.
A study shows that 42 percent of Gen Z and millennial have followed one of these CGI influencers without realizing that they were not real. A Northwestern University professor, Frank Mulhern states," It's unsure if CGI influencers are just a phase or a trend that's going to stick around for a while. As more time passes by it may become harder to distinguish them from actual human beings with the upgrade in technology."
Brud, the mystery company behind the creation of Miquela isn't too known among the public,but this mystery helps to enhance the excitement about Miquela.
Miquela Sousa is a fictionalized social media influencer. With almost 2 million followers on Instagram, Miquela has the appearance of a 19 year old female. At a quick glance at her photos, she could be passed off as a real life person. Her Instagram post follows her lifestyle. She interacts with real-life musicians, artist, influencers, and attends all kinds of events and places.
Debuted in 2016, after a few months of posting photos on Instagram, she revealed herself to be "fake". Experts say, " Through their presence on social media, these account have potential to not only change the landscape of digital marketing but to also surface serious problems for the real world."
Even their are avatars created by real people, their influence is still making an impact on social media platforms and Miquela isn't the only one of her kind.
There are other social media influencers who are CGI as well. Instagram influencer Bermuda, Blawko, Lil Wavi, and Shudu are grabbing the attention of viewers on Instagram. With CGI rising in the future of using social media, where does this lead using real humans in the future?
Dr Mike Varshavski, a Instagram influencer with over 3.3 million followers believes that there's no real threat to human influencers. He states, " There's something magical and interesting watching a human live their lives because humans are imprefect, and that sort of imperfection is really what makes being human special."