Their bodies make no shadow, their existence does not extend beyond the edges of screens. They have no genetic make-up and feed exclusively on electricity and internet connection. It is difficult to distinguish them from human influencers, not least because they behave in exactly the same way. Virtual influencers: where the digital pupil surpasses the real master.

And on social networks they now number in the hundreds.

Take Rozy, for example: she is a 22-year-old South Korean woman with an Instagram account and more than 140,000 followers. She posts pictures of herself, advertises for fashion and cosmetics brands, shares photos of her trips abroad and receives thousands of likes. All good, except that Rozy does not exist: she is the first South Korean virtual influencer, produced with CGI (computer-generated imagery) technology. 

The phenomenon of virtual influencers (or CGI influencers) has started to spread in Asia in recent years and now accounts for a 14-billion-dollar market. It has been estimated, that by 2025 30% of marketing expenditure will go into the creation and use of virtual influencers. 

But why this interest in virtual influencers? Perhaps because it allows for the modern fulfillment of an ancient human need: fantasizing about interpersonal relationships with imaginary friends.