About

Virtual Influencers, also known as Virtual YouTubers and VTubers, are computer-generated characters that first appeared on television in the 1980s and then migrated online in 2007 following the success of the Japanese Vocaloid Hatsune Miku. In 2016, the Instagram account for the computer-generated Instagram model Lil Miquela was created which started a trend of Instagram users introducing much more life-like computer-generated influencers in the years following.

Origin

Hatsune Miku (初音ミク) is an application developed by Crypton Future Media. Released on August 31st, 2007, using Yamaha's Vocaloid 2 technology and voice samples of Japanese voice actress Saki Fujita, the program allows the user to synthesize and optimize the singer's voice to sing any tune. It was first introduced to the Japanese market with an official anime character, who has since reached iconic status within Otaku culture as well as mainstream J-pop and online video culture as well. The Japanese video sharing service Nico Nico Douga (NND) became known as the ground zero of Hatsune Miku sensation on September 4th, 2007, when NND user Otomania posted a vocaloid remix of another remix series "Leekspin" featuring a heavily-deformed version of Miku, now known as "Hachune Miku". The video was well received in the video-sharing community, inspiring other NND artists to create and share their own remixes, cover songs, and fan art, as well as original compositions using the software. Since its debut, the original video has gained over 3,250,000 views (as of August 2011).

Precursor

On April 4th, 1985, the UK television series featuring the virtual host character Max Headroom, Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future first aired (shown below, left).^[1] Over the next few years, computer generated hosts like BET's early 2000s character Cita became television icons (shown below, right).

Spread

Lil Miquela

On April 22nd, 2016, the @lilmiquela^[2] Instagram account was launched. Over the next two years, the account published more than 145 posts and gathered upwards of one million followers. Lil Miquela is a 3D computer-generated Instagram model and pop star portrayed as a Spanish-Brazilian American from Downey, California who frequents Los Angeles nightclubs, art galleries and wears designer clothing.

Lil Miquela's popularity over 1.9 million followers on Instagram in nearly four years led to media coverage of emerging virtual influencers. The New York Times,^[4] Insider,^[3] USA Today^[5] and Business of Fashion^[6] all wrote articles on the trend.

FN Meka

On October 4th, 2019, FN Meka released his first track on SoundCloud titled "Internet" which has gained over 150,000 plays in three months (shown below). FN Meka is an AI SoundCloud rapper and TikTok character who has gained a large following on both Instagram and TikTok. In December 2019, FN Meka went viral on TikTok for showing off his animated all Gucci Cybertruck.

AI Kizuna

A.I. Channel is a YouTube channel hosted by the animated character Ai Kizuna, a Japanese "virtual YouTuber" who is best known for uploading various Let's Play and vlogging videos. Her character model was created by Project A.I., Morikura Yen (森倉円), Tomitake (トミタケ) and Td.

ProjektMelody

ProjektMelody, also known as Melody, is a virtual webcam model best known for live streaming hentai content on adult website Chaturbate and creating lewd character models. The virtual character reached explosive popularity online in February 2020, with several Chaturbate models expressing concerns about the character.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References