VTubers and pandemic in China

Abstract

Considering the current landscape of cultural product consumption through digital platforms, this study aimed to understand the exponential growth process of the VTuber segment in China, amidst the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This research revealed the complexity involved in this development due to the intersection of factors unique to China, stemming from a very particular context regarding the degree of participation and the consequent intensity, as well as the networks established, albeit indirectly, by public and private entities. Through a literature review from a narrative perspective, case studies on prominent Chinese VTubers, and an analysis of the breadth of their engagement beyond live interactions with their fans, the study unveiled the emergence of new aesthetics and new possibilities for para-social relationships within this virtual realm. It also indicated a greater involvement in other sectors, such as services and public relations, thereby hybridizing and generating a distinct model for this phenomenon. This led us to conclude that this cultural product has found additional niches in China and is likely to expand into more, especially as the offering of an increasingly potent internet becomes more widespread among the population. Lastly, the unique Chinese context for products in this cultural industry domain underscored the robustness of its hybrid model and points toward a paradigm shift in the creation, performance, and consumption patterns related to VTubers, which may be replicable in other countries.