VIRTUAL CELEBRITY INDUSTRIES IN EAST ASIA

Abstract

The concept of virtual celebrity realises the ambition of manufactured pop idols that inspired Japan’s idol industry in the 1970s, and spread across East Asia soon thereafter. Today, the term encompasses a variety of genres with local histories and applications, including Vocaloids, virtual idols, vTubers, virtual anchors, and virtual influencers. Although virtual celebrity was once considered a niche interest reserved for $2 and dedicated fans of ACG (Anime, Comics and Games), recent shifts in government priorities, technological innovations, and heightened capital investment have brought virtual celebrity into mainstream view. This panel considers the various organisations, technologies, platforms, labour, and stakeholders involved in East Asia’s flourishing virtual celebrity industries. Its five papers explore the commercial, cultural, and symbolic value of virtual celebrities across and beyond East Asia, examining historical antecedents; cross-industry collaborations; processes of cultural commodification; industrial practices; and emergent media discourses. Introducing cases from Japan, Korea, and China, the panel's regional focus draws attention to the “transnational” (Iwabuchi, 2014) flows of virtual celebrity across borders, languages, industries, platforms, and technologies.