Virtual influencer

{{Short description|Computer generated character used for social media marketing}}

File:Kizuna AI artwork.png, a Japanese virtual YouTube host, or VTuber for short|alt=Kizuna AI]]

A virtual influencer, at times described as a virtual persona or virtual model, is a computer-generated fictional character that can be used for a variety of marketing-related purposes, but most frequently for social media marketing, in lieu of online human "influencers". Most virtual influencers are designed using computer graphics and motion capture technology to resemble real people in realistic situations.{{cite news|last=Hsu|first=Tiffany|date=2019-06-17|title=These Influencers Aren't Flesh and Blood, Yet Millions Follow Them|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/17/business/media/miquela-virtual-influencer.html|access-date=2021-01-13}}{{Cite web|last=Tayenaka|first=Torrey|date=2020-07-31|title=CGI-Created Virtual Influencers Are the New Trend in Social Media Marketing|url=https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/352937|access-date=2021-01-13|website=Entrepreneur|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Inside the mind of virtual influencer Rae: "If I want, almost everything I imagine can become a reality"|url=https://sg.news.yahoo.com/inside-the-mind-of-virtual-influencer-rae-sbtg-singapore-reality-032439601.html|access-date=2021-01-13|website=sg.news.yahoo.com|date=30 December 2020 |language=en-SG}}{{Cite magazine|title=The Rise of the Virtual Being|language=en-us|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/story/get-wired-podcast-3-virtual-beings/|access-date=2021-01-13|issn=1059-1028}}{{Cite web|title=Fixing Social Media – MAS S.67 // Spring 2020|url=http://index.html/|access-date=2021-01-13|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/sinead-bovell-model-artificial-intelligence|title=I Am a Model and I Know That Artificial Intelligence Will Eventually Take My Job|date=Jul 21, 2020|website=Vogue}} Common derivatives of virtual influencers include VTubers, which broadly refer to online entertainers and YouTubers who represent themselves using virtual avatars instead of their physical selves.

History

Virtual influencers are fundamentally synonymous with virtual idols, which originate from Japan's anime and Japanese idol culture that dates back to the 1980s.{{Cite web|title=The Fictional (Yet Amazingly Popular) Singers of Japan|url=https://kotaku.com/the-fictional-yet-amazingly-popular-singers-of-japan-5940894|access-date=2022-02-04|website=Kotaku|date=7 September 2012 |language=en-us}} The first virtual idol created was Lynn Minmay, a fictional singer and main character of the anime television series Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982) and the animated film adaptation Macross: Do You Remember Love? (1984). Minmay's success led to the production of more Japanese virtual idols, such as EVE from the Japanese cyberpunk anime Megazone 23 (1985), and Sharon Apple in Macross Plus (1994).{{cite book | last1=Clements | first1=Jonathan | last2=McCarthy | first2=Helen | title=The anime encyclopedia : a century of Japanese animation | publication-place=Berkeley, California | date=2015 | isbn=978-1-61172-909-2 | oclc=904144859}}Rattray, Tim (June 25, 2018). "From Macross to Miku: A History of Virtual Idols". Crunchyroll. Virtual idols were not always well received – in 1995, Japanese talent agency Horipro created Kyoko Date, which was inspired by the Macross franchise and dating sim games such as Tokimeki Memorial (1994). Date failed to gain commercial success despite drawing headlines for her debut as a CGI idol, largely due to technical limitations leading to issues such as unnatural movements, an issue also known as the uncanny valley.{{Cite web|last=St. Michel|first=Patrick|date=2016-07-15|title=A Brief History of Virtual Pop Stars|url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1229-a-brief-history-of-virtual-pop-stars/|access-date=2022-02-04|website=Pitchfork|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|title=Japan's Newest Heartthrobs Are Sexy, Talented and Virtual|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/1125date.html|access-date=2022-02-04|website=archive.nytimes.com}}

Since their inception, many virtual idols created have achieved continual success, with notable names including the Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku, and the virtual YouTuber Kizuna AI. Technological advancements have also enabled production teams to use artificial intelligence and advanced techniques to customize the personalities and behavior of virtual idols.{{Cite web|title=Virtual influencers 101: A guide for small and medium business owners|url=https://www.ncr.com/blogs/virtual-influencer|access-date=2021-10-04|website=NCR|language=en}}

Benefits

From a branding perspective, virtual influencers are much less likely to be mired in scandals. In China, celebrities caught in bad publicity such as singer Wang Leehom and entertainer Kris Wu have heightened the appeal of virtual influencers, since their existence relies entirely on computer-generated imagery, and hence are unlikely to cause any damage to a brand's image by association.{{Cite web|date=2022-01-28|title=China's virtual idols are reshaping the ways brands reach Gen Z consumers|url=https://kr-asia.com/chinas-virtual-idols-are-reshaping-the-ways-brands-reach-gen-z-consumers|access-date=2022-02-04|website=KrASIA|language=en}} Some studies have also suggested that Generation Z consumers have a unique appetite for virtual idols and influencers, since they grew up in the age of the internet.{{Cite web|title=艾媒咨询{{!}}2021中国虚拟偶像行业发展及网民调查研究报告(附下载)-艾媒网|url=https://www.iimedia.cn/c400/79469.html|access-date=2022-02-04|website=www.iimedia.cn}} Studies also show that human-like appearance of virtual influencers show higher message credibility than anime-like virtual influencers.{{cite journal | doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1089051 | doi-access=free | title=The next hype in social media advertising: Examining virtual influencers' brand endorsement effectiveness | year=2023 | last1=Kim | first1=Eunjin (Anna) | last2=Kim | first2=Donggyu | last3=E | first3=Zihang | last4=Shoenberger | first4=Heather | journal=Frontiers in Psychology | volume=14 | pmid=36949930 | pmc=10026852 }}

Notable examples

= Virtual bands =

Eternity - A South Korean virtual idol group formed by Pulse9.
Gorillaz - A virtual band formed in 1998.
K/DA - A virtual K-pop girl group created as part of the League of Legends video game franchise.{{Cite web|title=Riot Games adds to its world of virtual influencers who promote 'League of Legends'|url=https://www.engadget.com/seraphine-riot-games-virtual-influencer-200538923.html|access-date=2021-10-04|website=Engadget|date=4 September 2020 |language=en-US}}
MAVE: - A South Korean virtual girl group formed in 2023 by Metaverse Entertainment.
Pentakill - A virtual heavy metal band created as part of the League of Legends video game franchise.
Plave (band) - A South Korean virtual boy band formed by VLast.
Squid Sisters and Off the Hook - Two virtual pop idol duos as part of the Splatoon series.
Studio Killers - A Finnish-Danish-British virtual band formed in 2011.