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VTubers, Their Global Expansion and Impact on Modern Society

An Exploratory and Comparative Study Between Portugal and the USA

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Information Systems and Technologies (WorldCIST 2023)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems ((LNNS,volume 799))

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Abstract

Many companies have been trying to take advantage of the entertainment boom on the internet and are searching for the best ways to make money from content creators. Among these are Virtual YouTubers, who have been growing in English-speaking spaces. This paper compares their popularity and influence in Portugal and the USA, while reflecting on their impact on viewers. To accomplish this, we created a survey, which obtained 102 answers, 46 being from Portuguese people and 44 being from U.S. citizens. We noted that only 37% of Portuguese people had heard of VTubers before and only 13% watch them on a weekly basis. On the other hand, every respondent from the USA was familiar with VTubers, with 86.4% watching them regularly. When asked about how VTubers affected the respondents’ personal lives, some stated that it was merely a form of entertainment, however, many U.S. citizens reported that they watch VTubers to fulfill their need for social interaction or cope with loneliness. Thus, it is evident that these creators are much more popular in the USA. Lastly, we conclude that VTubers can have a positive impact on people's lives, but they also serve as an unhealthy escape from reality at times.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the research unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies (UIDB/04058/2020) + (UIDP/04058/2020), funded by national funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia.

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Correspondence to Manuel Au-Yong-Oliveira .

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Miranda, C., Costa, M., Pereira, M., Almeida, S., Branco, F., Au-Yong-Oliveira, M. (2024). VTubers, Their Global Expansion and Impact on Modern Society. In: Rocha, A., Adeli, H., Dzemyda, G., Moreira, F., Colla, V. (eds) Information Systems and Technologies. WorldCIST 2023. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 799. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-45642-8_22

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