# VTubers Virtual Influencers, also known as VTubers, are computer-generated characters that moved from 1980s British television to online stardom when Hatsune Miku debuted in 2007. CGI Instagram model Lil Miquela launched in April 2016 and gathered over 1.9 million followers across four years. By February 2020, virtual webcam model ProjektMelody was live streaming adult content on Chaturbate. ## Origin Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future first aired on UK television on April 4th, 1985, with Matt Frewer under heavy prosthetic makeup playing the stuttering computer-generated journalist Max Headroom[1]. Set in a near-future dystopia where corporations control broadcast media, the show launched a franchise where Max hosted music video shows, interviewed celebrities, and advertised New Coke across US network television[1]. Crypton Future Media released Hatsune Miku on August 31st, 2007, using Yamaha's Vocaloid 2 engine and voice samples from Japanese actress Saki Fujita[3]. The software shipped with an official anime character design and reached viral status on Nico Nico Douga when user Otomania posted a Leekspin-based remix on September 4th, 2007, featuring a heavily deformed version nicknamed Hachune Miku[6]. - **Platform:** UK television (1985 prelude) / Nico Nico Douga (2007 online debut) / Instagram (2016 viral spread) - **Creator:** Various (format pioneered online by Crypton Future Media's Hatsune Miku, 2007) - **Date:** 2007 ## Overview Virtual Influencers span anime-style animated hosts, photorealistic CGI Instagram models, and audio-only AI acts[3]. Lil Miquela's account presented her as a Spanish-Brazilian American pop star from Downey, California, who frequents Los Angeles nightclubs, art galleries, and designer fashion events[2]. Her feed placed the character in real-world locations beside human influencers, creating the illusion that she could pose for a photographer the same way a human model could[4]. Japanese Virtual YouTubers lean toward Let's Play uploads and vlogging content. Kizuna AI's A.I. Channel streams gameplay and casual chat videos through a character model developed by Project A.I. with illustrators Morikura Yen, Tomitake, and Td[3]. FN Meka took the template into music, with his SoundCloud debut earning early traction before his animated TikTok clips attracted a wider audience[5]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is VTubers? VTubers, short for Virtual YouTubers, are computer-generated characters that build audiences on YouTube, Instagram, Twitch, and TikTok, from anime hosts like Kizuna AI to photorealistic CGI models like Lil Miquela[3]. ### Where did VTubers come from? Max Headroom debuted on UK television in April 1985[1], and the online version took off after Crypton Future Media released the Vocaloid Hatsune Miku on August 31st, 2007[3]. ### What does VTubers mean? Virtual YouTubers, shortened to VTubers, originally described anime-style animated hosts streaming to YouTube, with Kizuna AI's A.I. Channel as an early anchor for the format[3]. ### How do you use VTubers? Creators control a 2D or 3D character model and stream gameplay, vlogs, or music under that persona, matching the pattern Lil Miquela set on Instagram starting April 22nd, 2016[2]. ### Is VTubers still popular? Virtual Influencers hit mainstream US coverage in 2019, with The New York Times[2] and USA Today[5] profiling the trend as Lil Miquela gathered more than 1.9 million Instagram followers. ## References 1. [https://www.theverge.com/2015/4/2/8285139/max-headroom-oral-history-80s-cyberpunk-interview]() 2. [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/17/business/media/miquela-virtual-influencer.html]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/vtubers-virtual-influencers]() 4. [https://www.insider.com/cgi-influencers-you-should-be-following-instagram-2019-9#miquela-1]() 5. [https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2019/10/16/cgi-influencers-blur-line-between-reality-and-fantasy-instagram-advertising/3790471002/]() 6. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrgO_9ey53M]() 7. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An3fxESOZ4E]() 8. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoPFGj3uuYo]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/vtubers-virtual-influencers Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library