Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Management
Program Name/Specialization
Marketing
Faculty/School
Lazaridis School of Business and Economics
First Advisor
Dr. Ammara Mahmood
Advisor Role
Supervision of the work
Abstract
Digital technologies have become central to contemporary consumption environments, functioning not merely as transactional channels but as contexts that shape how consumers discover, evaluate, and choose products. This dissertation advances the central proposition that technology-mediated consumer interactions systematically influence consumer self-perception and that these alterations in self-perception have a significant effect on consumer engagement, persuasion, and decision-making. Across three essays, I develop and test theoretical mechanisms that explain how virtual influencers, digital avatars, and algorithmic language cues alter consumers’ emotional appraisals, enable identity alignment, and evoke metacognitive judgments, thereby shaping marketplace outcomes.
Essay 1 examines the emotional response to social comparison of the self with virtual influencers (vs. humans). Drawing on cognitive appraisal theory, I theorize that virtual influencers are perceived as less deserving of their success, which attenuates envy, an emotion that drives engagement and downstream consumer behavior. Consequently, virtual influencers typically generate weaker engagement and brand impact. I also identify a boundary condition under which virtual agents are effective product endorsers. When partnered with futuristic brands, perceived congruence between the brand and virtual influencers increases perceptions of deservingness and restores envy, strengthening engagement and brand outcomes. Eight experiments, including four pre-registered studies, provide causal evidence for these effects.
Essay 2 investigates self-representation in virtual environments. I propose that situational alignment between consumers’ avatars and the brand enhances consumer engagement by increasing self–brand connection. Across five experiments, I show that alignment between consumer avatars and the brand context increases engagement and purchase intentions in virtual retail spaces. Notably, this positive effect of alignment is stronger in luxury brand contexts than in non-luxury settings, where identity signaling and aspirational meaning are central. These findings position avatar choices as a strategic lever for influencing consumer–brand relationships in virtual spaces.
Essay 3 explores how the framing of product descriptions in recommendation lists shapes perceptions of being understood by the source and their effects on persuasion and consumer decision-making. I introduce the construct of perceived consumer understanding, a meta-cognitive belief that a recommender understands one’s preferences and identity, and show that persona framing (where in the product is described in terms of “who” the product is for, example: for fitness enthusiasts who value comfort) increases persuasion, decision confidence, purchase intentions and willingness to pay a premium cost relative to feature framing as opposed to feature framing (wherein the product is described in terms of product features, example: show soles with shock absorbers) by elevating perceived consumer understanding. Nine (6 pre-registered and 2 supplementary studies) establish mediation, rule out alternative explanations, and demonstrate generalizability across human and algorithmic sources, product types (High vs. Low domain knowledge), and sponsorship disclosure. I also demonstrate that the positive effects of persona framing are attenuated when personas used in recommendation lists do not match consumers' product-relevant identities, as well as when those personas are perceived as stigmatized.
Collectively, my dissertation integrates research on virtual influencers, virtual environments, and digital recommendation lists to show that consumers respond not only to what technologies communicate, but also to how those technologies affect consumers' self-perceptions. These findings advance understanding of identity-based processes in technology-mediated consumer interaction and offer managerial implications for designing more effective technology-enabled consumer experiences.
Recommended Citation
Korde, Sakshi, "Technology and the Self: Three Essays on Digital Interaction and Self-Perception" (2026). Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive). 2919.
https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/2919
Convocation Year
2026
Convocation Season
Fall