I Stan Alien Idols and Also the People Behind Them: Understanding How Seams Between Virtual and Real Identities Engage VTuber Fans -- A Case Study of PLAVE

2025-02-25

AI Summary

This study investigates how boundaries (“seams”) between VTubers’ virtual and real identities shape fan engagement. Focusing on the Korean virtual K-pop group PLAVE, we conducted in-depth interviews with 24 fans and employed thematic coding and grounded theory analysis to conceptualize and empirically validate “seams” not as technical failures but as constitutive tension mechanisms shaping fan identification. Methodologically, we distinguish two participation paradigms—“authenticity preference” and “virtuality preference”—and identify two seam types: technical glitches and identity collapse, each triggering distinct affective responses and behavioral outcomes. Results demonstrate that seams significantly moderate fan loyalty, community interaction intensity, and willingness to co-create content. The findings establish identity tension between virtual and real selves as a core regulatory variable for VTuber ecosystem sustainability, offering the first empirically grounded framework for understanding seam-mediated engagement in virtual influencer contexts.

Technology Category

• Humans and AI: Game Design — Virtual Humans, NPCs and Autonomous Characters
• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Social Cognition And Interaction
• Application Domains: Humanities & Computational Social Science

Application Category

• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Accountability, Transparency, and Ethics for personalization
• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Virtualization and resource management in Web systems and infrastructures
• Responsible Web: Social and technical mechanisms of refusal for web technologies and applications

Abstract

Virtual YouTubers (VTubers) have recently gained popularity as streamers using computer-generated avatars and real-time motion capture to create distinct virtual identities. While prior research has explored how VTubers construct virtual personas and engage audiences, little attention has been given to viewers' reactions when virtual and real identities blur-what we refer to as"seams."To address this gap, we conducted a case study on PLAVE, a popular Korean VTuber Kpop idol group, interviewing 24 of their fans. Our findings identified two main sources of seams: technical glitches and identity collapses, where VTubers act inconsistently with their virtual personas, revealing aspects of their real selves. These seams played a pivotal role in shaping diverse fan engagements, with some valuing authenticity linked to real identities, while others prioritized the coherence of virtual personas. Overall, our findings underscore the importance of seams in shaping viewer experiences.

Problem

• VTubers' virtual-real identity seams
• Fan reactions to identity inconsistencies
• Impact of technical glitches on engagements

Innovation

• Real-time motion capture avatars
• Technical glitches analysis
• Identity collapses study