Miquela Sousa, 19, is an Instagram influencer and musical artist from Downey, CA with over 1.4 million followers.

And she’s a robot.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmcJ-ZCF5Zx/?hl=en&taken-by=lilmiquela
Entirely computer generated, the Brazilian/Spanish beauty is revolutionizing social media use as we know it. She portrays the lifestyle of an Instagram it-girl via her photos – dining at actual restaurant locations, getting into expensive cars, and posing next to authentic humans. She endorses real-life brands on her platform such as Supreme, Chanel, and Prada, wearing their clothes in her posts.

Her captions reflect the personality of a young female robot who just wants to be looked at as an individual, despite the fact that her actions and responses are puppeteered by the creators behind her image.

Sousa’s digital existence came to be in 2016 when Trevor McFedries and Sara Decou created her Instagram personality ‘Lil Miquela’ (@lilmiquela). Instagram users are enthralled with Miquela’s airbrushed digital perfection and style.

SMU students and social media users across the board are perplexed by how a fictional celebrity will affect the future.

Olivia Lovoi, an avid Instagram user and senior at SMU, is especially skeptical about Sousa’s social media presence.

“Does this mean we’re going to start scrolling through our feeds wondering who’s real and who isn’t now,” said Lovoi.