• Information Systems Review
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.205-227
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• 2023

Recently, Virtual Human(VH) has begun to appear in various media, not only on social media, but also in advertisements, music sources, and dramas. Virtual human has become a primary marketing tool for companies, but there also exist concerns when the companies do not disclose the identities of virtual humans. Accordingly, it is necessary to examine users' responses toward content that features virtual humans. This study aimed to examine how the exposure of virtual humans in the content affects users' perceptions. Therefore, the study defined the concept of 'VH Disclosure(VHD)', referring to the exposure of the virtual human's identity, and explored the impact of VH disclosure on attitude toward the ad (Hedonism, Utilitarianism, and Interestingness) and source credibility (Trustworthiness and Expertise). The study conducted an experimental survey with 302 respondents. Regardless of when the ad featured a VH or a human, the results showed that there was no significant difference between users' attitudes and source credibility. The results revealed that it was more effective to disclose the VH in social media feeds than directly reveal the VH's identity in the content. Therefore, this study utilizes a new concept of 'VH Disclosure(VHD)' to enhance the understanding of VH and contributes to establishing marketing strategies optimized for consumers in the creation of virtual human-related content.