Read the original article here.

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Okay, here is the educational resource on virtual influencers, framed within the context of "The Dead Internet Files: How Bots Silently Replaced Us."

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Virtual Influencers: Synthetic Personas in the Digital Age

Context: The Dead Internet Files

The concept of "The Dead Internet Files" posits a theory that the internet, particularly social media, is increasingly populated by automated activity, bots, and curated non-human content, leading to a decline in genuine human interaction and organic content creation. In this context, the rise of virtual influencers serves as a compelling case study. These entities are explicitly non-human creations designed to occupy online spaces and fulfill roles traditionally held by people, offering a tangible example of how synthetic presences are becoming prominent online. Studying virtual influencers helps us understand the motivations, mechanisms, and implications of populating the internet with controlled, digital entities.

1. What is a Virtual Influencer?

At its core, a virtual influencer is a non-human, computer-generated character designed to function similarly to a human influencer on digital platforms, primarily social media. They are created using sophisticated computer graphics and animation techniques to resemble real people, often placed in realistic or stylized situations.

Definition: Virtual Influencer A computer-generated fictional character created using computer graphics (CGI) and often motion capture technology, designed to emulate a human online personality or influencer for purposes such as marketing, entertainment, and brand promotion. They act "in lieu of online human 'influencers'."

These synthetic personas build followings, engage with audiences, and partner with brands, mirroring the activities of their human counterparts. Their existence highlights a shift towards manufactured online presence, directly relevant to the "Dead Internet" discussion regarding authenticity and the prevalence of non-human activity.

2. Origins and Evolution: From Virtual Idols to Online Personas

The concept of a popular, non-human persona is not new. The roots of virtual influencers can be traced back to Japan's "virtual idol" culture, which emerged in the 1980s within the anime and Japanese idol industries.

Definition: Virtual Idol A fictional, often animated, character designed to be a pop music performer or entertainment figure, originating primarily from Japanese media like anime and manga. Early virtual idols existed within fictional narratives but later evolved into performing entities outside those narratives.

• Early Examples: Characters like Lynn Minmay (from Super Dimension Fortress Macross, 1982) and EVE (Megazone 23, 1985) were popular fictional singers within their animated worlds. Sharon Apple (Macross Plus, 1994) was notable as a purely virtual entity within the narrative.

• Challenges and the Uncanny Valley: Attempts to bring these concepts into the "real world" faced technical hurdles. Kyoko Date, a CGI idol launched in 1995, struggled due to limitations in graphics and animation, resulting in unnatural movements. This often led to the "uncanny valley" effect.

  Definition: Uncanny Valley A phenomenon in which humanoid objects or replicas that appear very similar to but not exactly like real human beings evoke feelings of eeriness and revulsion in observers. The concept suggests that as robots or animated characters become more realistic, the positive emotional response increases until a point where subtle imperfections create a sense of unease.

• Technological Advancement and Online Convergence: Significant progress in CGI, motion capture, and real-time rendering technologies, coupled with the rise of pervasive internet and social media, allowed for more convincing and interactive virtual characters. This paved the way for entities that could exist as online personalities and performers. Successful virtual idols like Hatsune Miku (a Vocaloid character performing concerts via projection) and early virtual YouTubers (VTubers) like Kizuna AI demonstrated the viability and appeal of these synthetic personas in the digital age. Furthermore, advancements in artificial intelligence are starting to be used to influence the personalities and behaviors of some virtual characters, making them potentially more autonomous or responsive.

This evolution shows a clear trajectory: from fictional characters within media to synthetic entities designed to be media figures on the internet, blurring the lines between reality and digital creation – a core theme in "The Dead Internet Files."

3. Types and Manifestations

Virtual influencers appear in various forms, reflecting their diverse applications:

• General Virtual Influencers/Models: Characters designed to appear as lifestyle figures, fashion models, or commentators on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. Examples include Lil Miquela or Shudu Gram. They post photos, videos, and captions simulating the life and thoughts of a human influencer.
• VTubers (Virtual YouTubers/Streamers): Online entertainers and content creators who use a virtual avatar (typically anime-inspired but not always) to represent themselves instead of showing their physical body. The performance (voice, movement) is usually driven by a human operator using motion capture technology. They engage in streaming, vlogging, gaming, and interacting with chat audiences. Prominent examples include Kizuna AI and popular VTuber agencies like Hololive and Nijisanji.

  Explanation: VTuber Technology VTubers use technology ranging from simple face-tracking software using a webcam to full-body motion capture suits. A human performer provides the voice and movements, which are then mapped in real-time onto the virtual avatar. This allows for dynamic, interactive performances while maintaining the virtual identity.

• Virtual Bands/Musical Artists: Music groups or solo artists whose members are fictional characters. While some are purely animated (like Gorillaz), others might perform live via projections (like Hatsune Miku) or exist primarily as digital entities releasing music and engaging with fans online (like K/DA or Eternity).

  Use Case: Virtual Music Groups Virtual bands like Gorillaz or K/DA leverage their fictional nature for unique storytelling, visual aesthetics, and creative freedom not bound by the physical limitations or public image risks of human performers. Their online presence allows them to build global fanbases digitally.

• Vocaloids: Not strictly influencers themselves, but synthetic voice software characters (like Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Rin/Len) who are often given personas and used by human creators to produce music, which then gains popularity online. Their popularity has spawned concerts and merchandise, turning the software's mascots into virtual idols/performers.

4. Why Use Virtual Influencers? (Motivations & Benefits)

From a strategic perspective, particularly for brands and creators, virtual influencers offer distinct advantages that align with objectives relevant to a controlled digital environment.

• Control and Predictability: Unlike human influencers, virtual influencers are entirely controlled by their creators (companies, agencies). Their appearance, personality, schedule, and messaging are meticulously crafted and managed. This eliminates human unpredictability, personal scandals, and off-message behavior – a major appeal highlighted by incidents involving human celebrities damaging brand image. This level of control feeds directly into the "Dead Internet" idea where manufactured, predictable content may be prioritized over organic, spontaneous human activity.

  Example: Scandal Avoidance In countries like China, where celebrity scandals can severely impact brand endorsements, virtual influencers offer a "safe" alternative. Their manufactured nature means they won't have personal controversies that could alienate customers or violate social norms.

• Always Available, Globally Accessible: Virtual influencers don't need sleep, travel, or days off. They can theoretically post and interact 24/7, appear in multiple places at once (virtually), and operate seamlessly across international borders without physical constraints.
• Complete Brand Alignment: A virtual influencer can be designed specifically for a brand or campaign, embodying its values, aesthetics, and target audience perfectly from inception. They can wear digital clothing that doesn't yet exist or promote products in fantastical digital environments.
• Cost-Effectiveness (Potentially): While initial creation can be expensive, maintaining a virtual influencer might become more cost-effective over time compared to continuous fees, travel, and management complexities of multiple human talents. Their digital nature allows for easier replication and adaptation across different platforms and campaigns.
• Appeal to Specific Demographics: Studies suggest younger generations, particularly Gen Z, who grew up with the internet, gaming, and digital avatars, are often receptive to virtual influencers. Their comfort with digital identities makes these synthetic personas seem less alien and more engaging.
• Creative Flexibility: Virtual influencers can exist in any setting, perform any action (within the limits of animation), and collaborate with other virtual or real entities in ways that might be impossible or prohibitively expensive for humans.

These benefits paint a picture of virtual influencers as highly optimized, low-risk, and infinitely pliable digital assets. Their attractiveness to brands and creators underscores a potential drive towards populating the online world with controllable, synthetic entities, which is a core concern within the "Dead Internet Files" narrative.

5. Implications in the "Dead Internet" Context

The proliferation of virtual influencers raises significant questions about the nature of online presence and interaction, resonating strongly with the themes of "The Dead Internet Files":

• Authenticity vs. Simulation: As virtual influencers become more sophisticated and indistinguishable from human influencers in terms of their online activity (posting, interacting, endorsing), they challenge our perception of authenticity online. Are we interacting with real minds or sophisticated simulations?
• The Nature of "Influence": If influence can be exerted by a manufactured entity, does it change the meaning of genuine connection or trust online? Is engagement with a virtual influencer a form of parasocial relationship with a digital construct?
• Displacement of Human Creators: As brands increasingly opt for controllable virtual influencers, could this reduce opportunities for human content creators and influencers? This aligns with the "Dead Internet" fear that human expression is being sidelined by automated or manufactured content.
• Control Over Narrative: Virtual influencers are puppets controlled by their creators. This centralizes power over messaging and trends, contrasting with the idea of a decentralized internet where diverse human voices contribute organically.
• Measuring "Real" Engagement: When a significant portion of online activity might involve interactions between humans and bots (or virtual influencers) or even between bots themselves, how do we measure genuine human engagement or understand true online community sentiment?

Virtual influencers, while presented as innovative marketing tools or entertainment figures, serve as concrete examples of the internet becoming populated by synthetic, controlled presences. Their rise provides evidence for the underlying concerns of "The Dead Internet Files" – that the online world is silently but steadily being transformed by non-human entities designed to mimic, influence, and potentially replace organic human activity.

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