{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,23]],"date-time":"2026-10-23T20:59:06Z","timestamp":1792789146160,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":84,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,20]],"date-time":"2026-09-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789862400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Communication University of Zhejiang","award":["ZC25XJ002"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ZC25XJ002"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04t7gxr16","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Communication University of Zhejiang","award":["26ZCYYZD08"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["26ZCYYZD08"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04t7gxr16","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"award":["ZC25XJ002"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ZC25XJ002"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04t7gxr16","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["26ZCYYZD08"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["26ZCYYZD08"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04t7gxr16","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"the Hangzhou Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences","award":["M26JC173"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["M26JC173"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Behav. Sci.","Behavioral Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Digital humans are emerging as a form of mediated communication, appearing as virtual influencers, virtual agents, avatars, VTubers, AI companions, and other humanlike digital entities across social media, entertainment, commerce, and online communities. Research on how users perceive and respond to these entities remains fragmented across disciplines. This scoping review synthesizes evidence on users\u2019 perceptions of and responses to digital humans. Following established scoping review guidance and PRISMA-ScR reporting principles, we searched Scopus, Web of Science, and EBSCO for English-language, peer-reviewed studies published between 2016 and 2025. Fifty-one studies met the inclusion criteria and were synthesized descriptively and thematically. The synthesis identified three recurring dimensions of user perception (i.e., perceived agency, perceived embodiment, and perceived social role) and three broad response domains: psychological, relational, and behavioral. These findings suggest that users\u2019 responses to digital humans are shaped by more than human-likeness alone, with capability, embodied presence, and social role also emerging as important interpretive dimensions. The evidence base was concentrated in marketing and commerce, with limited attention to broader media contexts, long-term interaction, cultural diversity, and negative or ambivalent responses. Overall, this review provides an evidence-organizing framework for understanding how users interpret, relate to, and act toward digital humans.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/bs16091700","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T09:01:38Z","timestamp":1789981298000},"page":"1700","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["How Users Perceive and Respond to Digital Humans: A Scoping Review of Agency, Embodiment, Social Role, and Response Outcomes"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0866-5608","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Xuandi","family":"Gong","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of International Cultural and Communication, Communication University of Zhejiang, Hangzhou 310018, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-3338-0833","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Li","family":"Zeng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Methodology and Statistics, Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tilburg University, 5037 DB Tilburg, The Netherlands"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103242","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jretconser.2022.103242","article-title":"Trust me, I\u2019m an influencer!-Causal recipes for customer trust in artificial intelligence influencers in the retail industry","volume":"72","author":"Alboqami","year":"2023","journal-title":"Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"19","DOI":"10.1080\/1364557032000119616","article-title":"Scoping studies: Towards a methodological framework","volume":"8","author":"Arksey","year":"2005","journal-title":"International Journal of Social Research Methodology"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"115647","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jbusres.2025.115647","article-title":"Virtual influencers: Definition and future research directions","volume":"200","author":"Audrezet","year":"2025","journal-title":"Journal of Business Research"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"673","DOI":"10.1108\/JCM-06-2024-6944","article-title":"Virtual influencers\u2019 anthropomorphism, consumer engagement and\/or well-being","volume":"42","author":"Barari","year":"2025","journal-title":"Journal of Consumer Marketing"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Barari, M. 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