The Splice 🧬 China's Virtual Influencers are Thriving
Good afternoon!
Welcome back to The Splice 🧬 by VirtualHumans.org: a weekly newsletter curating the latest news, developments, and insights in the virtual influencer space.
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🧬 Core Strands from This Week
Why Diversity and Inclusivity in Virtual Influencers Matter
🔎 The Synopsis: The world of virtual influencers isn't limited to just perfect digital supermodels, but more diverse virtual beings who reflect our real-world experiences. For today's article, Astrid Hiort chose to shine a light on the virtual influencers who defy popular notions of what an "influencer" has to look like.
🧬 The Splice: People of all walks of life need to feel welcomed in the Metaverse, and these virtual influencers are cultivating new digital spaces where followers can feel safe and see themselves represented on-screen.
China's Top Virtual Influencers on Social Media
🔎 The Synopsis: The first Chinese Vocaloid, Luo Tianyi, started the trend of virtual pop stars in China nearly ten years ago. Since then, the industry has continued growing and evolving as more virtual influencers step onto the scene.
🧬 The Splice: You may not be able to find these virtual influencers on Instagram or TikTok easily. However, they've found success on Chinese social media platforms like Weibo and Douyin instead. They don't have to compete with international virtual influencers on these platforms and can instead cater to a Chinese audience specifically.
🔭 What We’re Looking at This Week
A 28-year-old on Asia's top metaverse platform makes six figures as a virtual fashion influencer
🔑 Key Quote: "There are clothes that I cannot afford to wear in real life but in the digital world, I can buy all of them," Louise told the BBC. "I think that's one huge factor why I'm really drawn into this."
🧬 The Splice: As more avatar-based platforms such as ZEPETO emerge, there will also be more opportunities for virtual influencers to become micro-celebrities within that app specifically. The possibilities for digital fashion campaigns and collaborations are endless.
Best,
VirtualHumans.org
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Insights by Makena Rasmussen, Christopher Travers, Astrid Hiort, and Pablo Lorenza