you look lonely, i can fix that.

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Loneliness is the epidemic of our modern society - are livestreams becoming the answer?
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
2:29 China's exploitative virtual girlfriend industry
19:30 Korea's then comforting, now controversial mukbang genre
29:16 Japan's vtubers - a fantasy come to life
40:37 Conclusion
--xxx--
my gear!
note: below links contain affiliate links that help me out but come at no extra cost to you :)
- camera: sony a6400 amzn.to/3wqidQF
- mic: audio technica atr2100x amzn.to/4b1Y0Q9
- teleprompter: neewer amzn.to/3QAVhVC
- tripod: bosch amzn.to/44Icxyc
- editing software: final cut pro
--xxx--
Sources referenced
Academic papers
Kircaburun, K., Harris, A., Calado, F. and Griffiths, M.D. (2020). The psychology of mukbang watching: A scoping review of the academic and non-academic literature. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, [online] 19(1190-1213 (2021)). doi:doi.org/10.1007/s11469-019-00....
Lee, H., Oh, Se-Young. (2004). A Thought On Korea Food Culture and Collectivity. Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture, 19(5). Available online at: jfc.or.kr/AboutUs/04.php
Lu, Z., Shen, C., Li, J., Shen, H. and Wigdor, D. (2021). More Kawaii than a Real-Person Live Streamer: Understanding How the Otaku Community Engages with and Perceives Virtual KZbinrs. Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. doi:doi.org/10.1145/3411764.3445660.
Song, H. (2018). The Making of Microcelebrity: AfreecaTV and the Younger Generation in Neoliberal South Korea. Social Media + Society, 4(4), p.205630511881490. doi:doi.org/10.1177/2056305118814906.
Strand, M. and Gustafsson, S.A. (2020). Mukbang and Disordered Eating: A Netnographic Analysis of Online Eating Broadcasts. Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry, 44. doi:doi.org/10.1007/s11013-020-09....
Turner, A. B., (2022). Streaming as a Virtual Being: The Complex Relationship Between VTubers and Identity. Thesis, Maimo University. Available online at: www.diva-portal.org/smash/rec...
Wang, Y. (2021). Playing live-streaming ‘love games’: mediated intimacy and desperational labour in digital China. Journal of Gender Studies, pp.1-12. doi:doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2021....
Zhang, G. and Hjorth, L. (2017). Live-streaming, games and politics of gender performance: The case of Nüzhubo in China. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 25(5-6), pp.807-825. doi:doi.org/10.1177/1354856517738160.
Web articles
Mitsunori, I. (2021). A Society with No One to Turn To. [online] nippon.com. Available at: www.nippon.com/en/in-depth/d0....
Pena, A.M. (2021). Jeong: a concept to be experienced, not defined [online] www.korea.net. Available at: www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Honor....
Story FM. (2021). Selling My Soul for Views: Breaking in as a Female Livestreamer [online] Available at: www.theworldofchinese.com/202...
Understanding Asian Culture in the Workplace. (n.d.) [online] www.3cslondon.com. Available at: www.3cslondon.com/en/newslett....
吾邻文化 (n.d.). 陌陌新人主播怎么PK [A guide on how to participate in PK's as a new nuzhubo on the Momo platform]. [online] Available at: zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/350124034
‌
BGM references & others
Doja Cat - Agora Hills (instrumental)
Massobeats - midnight • massobeats - midnight ...
Lukrembo - onion • (no copyright music) l...
gura my dog died edit lol by cbo • gura my dog died
Anime used for transition slides: Serial Experiments Lain
Thanks for watching! :)
tags: video essay, cultural commentary, social commentary, internet analysis, analysis video, livestreaming, streamers, virtual youtubers, vtubers, vtuber, mukbang, nvzhubo, female streamer, virtual girlfriend, virtual industry, live, live chat, super chat, parasocial relationships, parasocial interactions, one sided relationship, societal pressure, china, korea, japan, east asia, east asia, loneliness, masculinity, anime, otaku, online friends, companionship, dating simulation, online, tzuyang, eat with boki, ludwig, gawr gura, hololive, nijisanji, vshojo, douyin, momo, bilibili, douyu, afreecatv, streaming, games, PK, twitch, twitch subs, twitch donations, madisyn brown, shanspeare, jordan teresa, withcindy, dark asia with megan, stephanie soo, edvasian, aini

[@aini_]

Go to ground.news/aini to expand your perspective beyond the algorithm-driven content. Subscribe through my link for as little as $1/month or get 30% off unlimited access before October 31.

[@oskar2126]

good video

[@Arminoderso]

ratio

[@josueveguilla9069]

Orwellian algorithm. 'Nuff said.

[@sm1purplmurderedme583]

i love u, but no

[@itchylol742]

no thanks, id rather have propaganda and biased news (but at least its free)

[@simon_777]

Only 5 years in prison for selling a whole human being is crazy

[@k.c1126]

They save the real punishments for tax evasion crimes.

[@katgreer6113]

thats what im saying like WTF?! It's supposed to be 30 years to LIFE!

[@tbk2010]

Yeah they should definetely get more, depending on who they sold it to.

[@ratatouillepg3135]

I'm sure they told him not to do it again as well though

[@davidk.d.7591]

I thought so too. You'd be surprised at how low some sentences are though

[@philip7922]

I am chinese but grew up in the western world. I recall once walking into my uncle's house and he was watching a female streamer on his phone. He was saying something creepy like "I won't let you rest hahaha!" and constantly spamming the like/donate button. I assume the streamer was doing some challenge per donation or something. I understand a bit more of what I saw now. My uncle was apparently a Da ge. He was like 50-60 and had 3 adult children and a wife still. He is quite wealthy so I dont think it affected him financially. But also I found it kind of weird he was doing it so publicly. He wasn't in his room or anything he was just sitting in the kitchen for anyone to pass by. So I guess its a normalized concept to chinese.

[@pulzewidth]

Spent 10 years of my life living in China, and I can tell you that livestreaming is not only about donations but promoting their own brand products. Like imagine Twitch had small scale family run business showing you how their products are made. It’s kinda crazy

[@Axrector]

After working his ass off for 30 years providing for his family, I don't think he gives a damn what people think, or at least that's my mentality right now

[@automatic5]

​@@Axrector🤮

[@Gray_Nerd]

It's not an awkward thing at all in China nowadays. Everyone including many young people deem it an ordinary thing. Maybe we won't watch or donate at all but nobody think the guys diving themselves into livestream are bad or slothful. There is one of my friend who is really open-minded and clever also spending his time watching livestream just killing time before going to bed. What's more nowadays there are lots of memes spreading in "Simplified Chinese Internet" coming from some tremendously funny streamers such as "溜了溜了" （ meaning go go literally） means one should go as soon as possible before something going into really awkward mess figuratively, "我当场把电脑屏幕吃掉" (means I'll swallow the screen of my computer literally) happened when a streamer called Benwei Lu boasted himself in a Chinese card game and eventually he made an exhibition of oneself for losing the game, and nowadays lots of young people in China will say so as a joke under scene everybody know it's an impossible thing. (e.g. Tomorrow is the deadline of summer holiday's school homework and I haven't written even an letter, I know I fucked it up and tell my friend maybe it can be finished it in a minute then my friend can say "if so he'll swallow the screen of my computer" for knowing I was just joking and as a response to my self-deprecating) btw the video coming from streamer Benwei Lu's card game kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKvOfZaGacagg6Msi=FRjy540uqZEU7Yt9 It's in Chinese but I believe you can also get fun with subtitles.

[@Axrector]

@@automatic5 Judge me however you want, I legit watched Vtuber at work, I didn't do any weird shit though

[@aygulmemet4201]

My uncle used to do the same in his 40s. He wasted money on gambling and streamers. Now he's 50 and completely switched his attention to traveling instead. Good for him.

[@oskar5709]

Classic midlife crisis

[@ramielle300]

Uruha Rushia was not terminated because of a relationship but because she shared internal company information with outside parties. In fact, the company came out and supported her when the "scandal" happened.

[@Meon]

Yeah, Hololive has a long history of protecting their talent over potential monetary gains. Such as when they instantly cancelled all their business in China after two of their talents got hatemobbed over mentioning Taiwan. Rushia shared internal company information with a japanese drama youtuber and then he livestreamed that info WITHOUT her consent. The fact that she broke NDA was the problem that got her terminated. Not that there were rumors of dating. Hoshimachi Suisei, another Hololive Vtuber, was at the centre of such rumors recently and the company did nothing to limit her activities.

[@AdamOwenBrowning]

@@Meon imagine running defense for giant corpos. Ofc they do nothing to limit the activities of people who make them money with zero effort on their end because it's 100% Suisei's work.

[@Meon]

@@AdamOwenBrowning Mate, if you watched the video, you know that doing the bare minimum of not responding to stupid drama is honestly a bar set too high for asian idol corporations.

[@timoth4529]

Hololive or Cover corp has a pretty good track reckord in regards to how they treat their Talents. Iam not saying they are a good semerati but they act in a way that actually makes people want to work for them wich does make sense in terms a Coorparation wanting to make money.@@AdamOwenBrowning

[@troykv96]

Yeah, though aini is right that all of this started because of the scandal and that scandal was made worse for her GFE focus; if Rushia had remained calm, things could have be fixed eventually (As far as I remember, something similar happened with Towa), but Rushia was a bit too depended in maintaining that illussion that she broke.

[@arpan9937]

As an Indian, I will say that it's the same case in the subcontinent. I myself, due to my ongoing preparations for competitive exams, have reduced my physical interaction to zero, as they are more time consuming, instead whenever I need some refreshment, instead of dialing my friends, I just scroll a bit of reddit or watch an hour of youtube.

[@devkrat]

Same brother

[@Sam-ui1ll]

this world has become a nightmare

[@BroznikTSOC]

​@@Sam-ui1ll nope, the earth has been generally hellish for the most part, it's just you noticing it as you age and as it effects you

[@BroznikTSOC]

Not that it's a bad thing, the earth is cool too ngl

[@BroznikTSOC]

Cats and all that shit

[@kingjulian1202]

I have to emphasize that Uruha Rushia didn't get terminated because of the text message, but because she turned to a drama youtube to speak up for her and to verify her identity as the vtuber, she disclosed company details that she was contractually forbidden from giving out to third people leading to her termination. I was a huge fan of her, she motivated me to start learning Japanese and now I can speak it quite well

[@JohnSmith-hv6ks]

If she just stayed quiet and lay low.

[@calcilisx]

@@JohnSmith-hv6ks unfortunately she did not.....

[@sadsongs7731]

That's the official reason but you cannot assert that's the true reason she got fired. It seems, judging from the reactions of the other girls, that she was a bit of a thorn on the side of some of their talents. Then there is also the massive backslash she got from her gachikoi fans. I don't think she would have been fired just for the contract stuff considering how popular she was, she was probably terminated because of the fan backslash.

[@LetztezBatallion]

@@sadsongs7731 She was defended by the company at first, telling everyone that "the private life of our talents is not our problem" and this was done after the heaviest backlashes. Then as soon as the leaks happen and the "japanese keemstar" (Korekore) started airing everything the company did a 180º. And thanks to korekore we know that she has been leaking company info for close to a year, not just at the start of the mafumafu situation. No matter how popular you are, you cannot leak NDA protected info for close to a year and then expect the company to go "nah, she's popular, ignore it". So you are correct that we will never know what happened internaly, but we have 2 possibilities. One which is bordering on conspiracy theory (that a company that protected talents from far worse backlash would not only not protect but fire their biggest earner (by a large margin) using this as a cover to the fact that they hated her), and one that is backed by proof from the reciepient of the leaks and even a partial admission by the accused party (the fact that she has been leaking confidential information for close to a year, and at the very least rushia admitted that she leakked info during this mafumafu drama). And I personally know which one I trust more.

[@cookie2324]

I heard that she is nazuna from vshojo now.

[@Kaz7.]

Its so sad how even our emotions and social needs are completey shallow and commodified now, I was born into the internet era and stayed home from school a lot as a kid due to my mental and physical health and I feel like having primarily parasocial relationships to characters (youtubers and media characters) has left a mark on me for life, I still find it so much easier to just put on a video or play a game than to talk to any of my friends even though I know its not really healthy, but when youre tired after school and work its so much easier to rely on something that you can control and thats predictable rather than a complex real person

[@rakino4418]

000⁰⁰0

[@housemana]

homie thats not due to you staying home a lot. it's just harder in general to actually build and maintain human connections - who knew!

[@mordecaiissad8529]

But that's just cause it is easier. It doesn't provide the same needs tho either. Online we get to be passive, we get to completely pick and chose what we want, how much we want to engage or we want to just sit back and be entertained. At basically 0 cost. Real life interactions require for us to be active and we need to think about how we interact and why. You can't just click off a person because you don't feel like listening to this story right now. But were passive in being seen as well, and we kinda need that as humans. You're not really building a community.

[@Kaz7.]

@@mordecaiissad8529 1000% agree, very well said

[@rub9812]

Honestly? At least you're trying. The more you try, the more you will get used to speaking to others. That's not to say that you should feel like you should completely phase out relaxing, because people will always be complex and hard to understand. And also, learning to change what's engrained in you is a hard and non-linear process. But you're very right in how it's sick that we as humans have become both the product and consumer (so just profit regardless of our position), rather than being seen for what we are. That is, inherently needy and emotional beings.

[@maguritang]

As someone who has gotten in Korean livestreams in the past few years, this video is so freaking accurate. The parasocial relationship is on steroids and the "big brother" (or in Korean, "big hand") culture is rife within female streamers' broadcasts. It really is to the point where the main character of the show is the guy with the most money. Afreecatv, a Korean livestreaming service, even had a really messed up situation where a female streamer literally prostituted herself to her 'big brother's. Granted, all these guys had spent upwards of 100,000 USD, and the main objective is money, after all, so I understand why the streamer did it, but the whole situation is incredibly disturbing.

[@henrytep8884]

That’s actually a symptom of the moral malaise that have captured the western world. It’s creepy as hell but its not going away without fixing the underlying societal and moral issues that may be the root cause for it to exist in the first place. That’s a hard task though and might be impossible. The crazy thing is these people are the apex of streaming right now might get utterly destroyed when ai and deep fakes become accessible to the public at large and high quality. Then the money is going to be shuffled to some even more awkward places😂. What a future…

[@frogsty1764]

People want big bros. Big bros keep the streamer streaming. Hopefully big bro lifts up the community rather than being cringy

[@maguritang]

@@frogsty1764 I'll admit some of them can be cool people, but a lot of them are just not. When it gets to the point where they're abusing the streamer (and it happens very frequently), it's just disgusting. These days, I steer clear of streams that have big bros for this exact reason. Not fun at all watching someone get humiliated and degraded. That being said, it is definitely not always the case that the big bro is abusive, but it is also definitely way more common than anyone should be comfortable with.

[@scriptshamanji5400]

Thats crazy. Could be a movie. Whats the name of the streamer who prostituted herself? I want to read more about it.

[@valentinli332]

@@scriptshamanji5400 "For Research Purposes" I'm sure.

[@PanickinSkywalker]

Retired long time live streamer/virtual gf checking in! Absolutely love hearing your thoughts and perspectives on these subjects and reading peoples comments. I started “camming” in 2008 and recently retired from doing any online persona work in 2021. The industry has changed a lot over the years, but it’s also still the same. Even VTubing doesn’t feel foreign to me, even though I used my real face, I was still playing a character and creating a fantasy world for people. There’s a lot of fun to be had and from a financial perspective I definitely benefited, but I’ve also had to have years of therapy to deal with some of the effects it had on my mental health. So for the people wanting to get into streaming/content creation/influencing/online sw/etc, just proceed with caution. ♥︎♥︎♥︎

[@ray_anyway]

So I know this might be a sensitive question so you don't have to answer if you don't want to but in what ways did streaming affect your mental health? Just want to know more since I am interested in content creation as well!

[@PanickinSkywalker]

⁠@@ray_anywaySo to try to be concise and not too ramble-y, here are the big issues that I personally had : - mirroring people and people pleasing constantly to my own detriment. - trust issues with people irl/paranoid that everyone wanted something out of me. - the opposite of the above; I myself started objectifying people and seeing everyone as a “number” or a subscriber/follower. - hitting milestones then never feeling like it was enough. - constant creative burnout. Or having a new idea, but your community hates it. - body dysmorphia. 🫠 There are other things as well, but some of those only apply to the nsfw online creator community. I hope that helps give you some clarification! I’m always happy to answer questions. Best wishes on your journey ♥︎

[@_.ffischll._]

I want to be a virtual ytuber or vtuber soon, so this really helped! Thank you~

[@longiusaescius2537]

@-keira- nice pfp! Did you draw it?

[@yanum5242]

I‘m in the camming industry as a virtual gf and porn actress since 2015 and I have noticed how much more people tend to be lonely ever since the pandemic. My salary has skyrocketted in 2020 and I‘m able to travel and cam wherever I am which is awesome. But god this job made me so burnt out when it comes to dating in real life, almost no one seems interesting enough anymore since I already talk to men on my plattforms on a daily basis. It is mentally really draining always being nice to men just for the money lol It looks easy from the outside but from the inside I‘m empty. If you don’t mind sacrificing your private life like me you won’t have any problems but I personally don’t recommend it. The money is hella worth it for me. I was underpaid and bullied in my previous office job and now I‘m living my best life haha

[@Kalitayy]

As an Asian, the more I learn about Asian culture in general, the more I realize how depressing, dehumanizing and dystopian the whole thing is. When I was a kid, my mom went through a lot of bullying from her peers for raising me like a Western kid. It's not perfect, but that simply means that I felt genuine love and care from a mother, gave me guidance while also provide me the freedom of speech and expression, freedom to choose which goals to pursue, freedom to think for myself, and freedom to choose which people to form relationships with. I may not be well off right now, I feel blessed because I realized that every single positive things I experienced in my childhood is essentially a luxury. I even came to a realization that my mom was the only parent who treat her child like an actual human being, instead of a property like most Asian parents do. She never put too much pressure on what I should do and what I should be, therefore I never put any pressure on anyone. She was an introvert so she noticed that I'm also an introvert, therefore she never put any expectations on me to form a relationship only for the sake of it. She believed that I was smart and would never be close to someone who could potentially harm me. As a result, I'm able to live and feel good about myself without having to put myself in a one-sided relationship. I'm also able to form genuine relationships whenever I want to, with whoever I want to. Sure, I feel bad about myself for not being able to achieve my goals or maintaining a meaningful relationship with someone, but that's all on me. People come and go, but that's just life. Never have I ever been in a parasocial relationship and I feel thankful about it.

[@IshtarNike]

Wonderful insight. I like to view it as traditional/conservative cultures instead of Eastern and Western. Most of the stuff that we see as Eastern parenting culture was the same in Europe and America until very recently. And some things from traditional cultures are still better. For example there's no stigma to living with your parents into your twenties in Asia as long as you have a job. But some places, particularly America, had parents kicking their kids out just because they were 18 and the culture said you need to "stand on your own two feet" and all that bullshit. So it's good people aren't forced out before they're ready. But yeah a lot of the social competition isn't good or healthy.

[@Korodarn]

​@@IshtarNikeI've known no one who was kicked out at 18 because of "the culture." I think thinking of people's actions in terms like "society" and "culture" takes responsibility and agency away from people and puts it at the feet of something that "doesn't exist" (in the sense of being an acting agent). I'm not saying culture isn't an occasionally useful construct to analyze patterns of behavior, but when people start blaming culture or thinking that the solution to fixing problems is a matter of improving culture they are unlikely to effect real change. The reason they are lost is that you cannot make a meaningful impact on "culture" as an individual on your own. Sure, people can cite influencers of various kinds as changing culture, but they certainly don't do it by themselves. The seeds for their effectiveness were laid well before they started, and there is a lot of "luck" involved (for luck to be meaningful, people need to have the skills to take advantage of the opportunities they get, but the opportunities are not predictable in scale or type at an individual level). Often the reason parents are kicking out their kids at 18 is that frankly they don't like them that much relative to their perceived cost. I knew a dad like this, told his son he had to leave at 18, and I this was a friend of mine. He was a decent guy but he could also be a pain to deal with even as someone who wasn't his parent. His dad was single, so he was done wanting to continue those expenses, he'd rather spend his money in other ways.

[@frogsty1764]

But your parents need their love nest back, the baby bird has to leave@@IshtarNike

[@nunyabeeswax3936]

As a westerner I empathise with you and hope the best for you. Hope you know Jesus!

[@defenestratorX]

In America is common for parents to tell their kids you need a wife and a house by early 20s or else they consider you a failure

[@ddeathshade]

That segment on China was downright horrifying. It's like hitting the bottom and breaking through it to fall into an endless abyss.

[@frogsty1764]

Everything will evolve. It’s just the next step. Tesla VT is next lol

[@normanclatcher]

​@@frogsty1764 First V-Tuber on Mars by 2035.

[@Xind0898]

all three genre of livestream exist in all coutries mentioned: China has 'sell out' type of female livestreams, as well as food based livesteam akin to the korea one, as well as v-tubers. and korea has all three type Japan has all three type.

[@williamzhang-ml5py]

but they need this consciousless high, life is tough for almost all of them…

[@ZooeyIsComfy]

As someone who spends about 80% of my time on youtube watching Vtubers, I wanted to comment on the point about having a "set personality", and I think fans who follow a Vtuber for a long time would agree with me here: It's quite common for a Vtuber who've been active for a while to break the mould initially set for them and behave in a manner that they feel more comfortable with. Long time Vtubers especially feel much more like traditional streamers, foregoing much of the personality given to them in the "lore" since their debut. Not everyone's a fan of that, obviously, but I think many in the community do welcome the change. And speaking of community, that's another aspect of watching Vtubers, particularly hololive, that I enjoy. Due to the nature of these streams (cute anime girls doing cute things), the stream chat and the community around them are often quite wholesome and positive. Weird and angry people exist everywhere of course, but I find myself having a much better time in chat here, compared to traditional streamers on Twitch, for example.

[@user-nv7uq3zj5e]

i have a genuine question, what is the appeal of 'cute anime girls doing cute things' to grown lonely men? this seems pedophilic to me and literally every non-asian, non-weeb person ever

[@ZooeyIsComfy]

​@@user-nv7uq3zj5e Can't speak for everyone else, but for me, I just like the anime aesthetic. I've been into anime since middle school and just never fell out of it I guess. On the pedo part, as much as I want to say "not all anime fan", I have to admit that yeah, a lot of people are into that kinda thing. People mostly focus on the more extreme cases where these girls (both anime and vtubers) act like literal children. And yup, those exist in hololive too. But outside of that, there are plenty of mature streamers who act their age (and don't have avatars that look like children), but the stigma of the whole genre means many people will be turned off about the whole idea before finding them. Like you said, I think a big part is the cultural difference. Just in terms of how "young" a character looks and acts, asians, and east asians specifically and those in the West have completely different views. I watch a lot of content creators from the west, and 80% of anime characters look like they're 12 to them. Conversely, when I look at western teenagers I always think they're in their twenties. Regardless, I'm sad that the oversexualization of underaged characters have basically overshadowed everything good and wholesome about anime and vtubing, to the point where most people won't give it a second look.

[@kingsonsofaru423]

@@user-nv7uq3zj5e Not OP, but I'd like to answer too. First off, CGDCT (Cute Girls Doing Cute Things) is pretty much related to the slice of life genre. Albeit when it comes to VTubers, there's the streamer element mixed in with the concept of kayfabe (like in wrestling). The escapism is constructed and enjoyed mutually by both the VTuber and their audience. This doesn't have to be limited to female VTubers, mind you, as there are popular male VTubers as well. Nor are they solely catering to 'lonely adult men', but rather a diverse audience of all ages and backgrounds. It's also misleading to call VTuber culture "pedophilic" as if VTubers as a whole are designed a particular way to attract a specific kind of audience. It's ignorant at best. While there are VTubers with loli-esque appearances, there are also many other VTuber models that take all different shapes and forms, some not even human! The role of their model is to allow the streamer to give their specific flavor of entertainment to their audience, which sets them apart from non-VTuber streamers. While "flesh-Tubers" may play a character on-screen, VTubers do the same but with the added benefit of anonymity.

[@Falllll]

@@user-nv7uq3zj5e I'm a bit late and I definitely don't speak for everyone, some of these do definitely just lean toward the whole pedophilia thing, but I think part of the appeal is that because there's a slight disconnect with the characters that vtubers portray from actual humans, they can portray slightly more exaggerated personalities that would be seen as extremely unappealing or strange on an actual human being. Various behaviors might be "cute" from a child or childlike character, but only appealing to a very small subset of the population when it's a grown man or woman acting that way. With the suspension of disbelief granted by not tying the character portrayed on screen to an actual human body but rather say, an anime styled girl, raging at a game might come off as more of an entertaining thing than "wtf is wrong with this person." I don't really want to imply that it's at all the same as a cute animal, but sort of how you might find it cute that a dog is doing something or other a certain way, you might find that a cute anime girl doing something is cute and entertaining. It doesn't have to be sexual per se. I think a good number of vtubers also do a lot of collaborations with others, which then the entertainment can be more like watching an interesting friend group hang out. The vtuber space is huge at this point, so you'd definitely find stuff geared toward what you're describing, as well as toward pretty much anything else you can think of. It's also probably worth pointing out that while some avatars are somewhat underaged looking, others look like actual adults, but might still be afforded a "cute" description.

[@user-pt1re4qp1r]

@@user-nv7uq3zj5e As someone who you decided to speak for (non-asian, non-weeb), I'm not sure why you think you represent the thoughts of everyone else, but I can assure you that most people do not consider watching an adult woman play a videogame pedophilic. The line gets dicey if it's someone who heavily supports a vtuber who codes themselves as a child, same as the people who are into "lolis", but those are the minority of vtubers and the vast majority (from my understanding) of vtubers are adults who try to look like adults. You clearly weren't asking a genuine question, you were just being a dickhead and trying to insult op for some reason. Not sure what inspired such insecurity in you that you felt the need to try and pick an internet fight, but you may want to reflect on it.

[@jamesjan381]

amazingly researched video. there isnt an expectation for videos like this to have citations and precise, topic specific language but you went out of your way and were informative throughout the whole 43 mins with 3 well researched case studies 🥶🥶 youre cold with it girl

[@aini_]

compliment of the highest tier 😭thank you for watching !! ❤

[@newempire158]

​@aini_ Absolutely excellent video. You could've easily chosen 'life on easy mode' like alot of female content creators do but chose integrity instead 🫡

[@EmL-kg5gn]

Yes this was the first thing I noticed about her videos!!! It’s so helpful if you ever want to learn more about something or understand what perspective a particular idea is coming from

[@jiewolf]

The references are all cited and listed like a research paper! kudos~

[@k.c1126]

This IS a research paper ... just presented on video. I love this format....

[@BioMatic2]

slight correction 33:35 while the escandal was the inciting incident, it was not the stated reason for her termination. The stated reason was a breach of contract for disclosing sentive information to a third party, wich aparently happened when Rushia talkied to a japanese dramatuber. Cover even made a public statement saying that they wouldnt meddle in their livers private life.

[@thexenoist3493]

I was about to comment that when I got to that part of the video

[@Tannebi]

I know we are talking about livestreaming here but I want to bring out my experiences as a kpop fan when I was young. To be honest, para social relationship did made me feel good about myself as I didn't had friends growing up. My whole life revolve around my idol and if I missed any update from any of them, I would feel so guilty for not being a good fan. I was this close of being a delulu sasaeng but thank god I didn't had the financial condition to do it. I so feel strange on how I was able to bring myself back up from that state. Now I am much more in a healthy position with my love for kpop, like I was their videos and stuffs once in a while but I don't feel bad for not liking their post daily or skipping their insta live. But I do like to buy album for my collection but I don't feel like selling my kidney for it. I'll just wait when I get enough money.

[@jaded_tofu]

I share this sentiment. I used to be so obsessed I couldn't miss a single concert performance, short video, Live stream or even just a picture post. My kpop group meant everything to me. I still like them because they were a significant part of my youth and I still like their music. But I'm not personally attached to them as much as I used to be. Especially now that the members aren't in that phase anymore where they live together and don't do anything in life other than their group stuff. Now that everyone seems to have matured and gone their own way, I feel like I should, too. I had friends who were so obsessed they'd get very irritated or even violent if someone made fun of them for liking kpop. Those people eventually tapped out of the fandom forcibly because they didn't like the person they were while being obsessed. It can be a dangerous thing. Kpop thrives on parasocial relationships, and ultimately creates people who get too attached to them.

[@CheapSushi]

Just curious, I guess this can happen with all kinds of other things but why did you get this kind of attachment to kpop? instead of american pop or other music scenes or movie stars or some other kind of thing?

[@jaded_tofu]

@@CheapSushi like I mentioned, kpop groups THRIVE on parasocial relationships. They look attractive so you like them. They want to create a familiar relationship with their fans so they don't only listen to the songs but also buy their albums. Buy different versions of the same albums. The albums include photocards of them, you'll want to have their faces on everything you buy. You'll want to follow their daily posts, their selfies, the fancams, they do a shit ton of interviews and variety shows to present their personalities because it lets them market themselves to their audience (even have literal lists with their height, shoe size, likes, favorite food. You need to know this otherwise you're a fake fan). They want you to pick a favourite (think, the cute one of the group, the stoic one, the funny one etc. to target people's specific preferences). They'll give their fandoms names so you feel like you're even closer to them. They'll constantly shower their fans with compliments and how much they care about them, they'll do regular lives and game shows, fan signing events, keep people on their toes about comebacks at all times with teasers, photoshoots all that jazz before an album drops, to the point where even airport photos (literally just pictures of a group arriving at an airport of the city they'll perform in) are a whole genre on their own. Sure, American pop singers also post about their lives, post pictures, hype up their content. But kpop just does it on a much larger scale. Not only to differentiate themselves from other groups/competition, but also to create a regular and "loyal" fan base, not casual listeners.

[@jaded_tofu]

@@CheapSushi I'm not saying this is horrible and people shouldn't stan their groups though !! But I think it's healthy for people to be aware that all of these are tactics. Of course they're grateful for their fans, but they don't actually consider you family. This type of marketing is sadly what often enables crazy obsessive behavior. You're not a fake fan if you don't know what Jimin wore in the airport on a particular date, or if you don't buy every single album. Stan culture can be dangerous.

[@CheapSushi]

it's like they got it down to a science, pretty scary. Sucks cuz especially when you're younger you don't really see it as a form of manipulation because you just want to feel like you're part of something. Thanks for the explanation. @@jaded_tofu

[@KMO325]

I have to say that this channel becoming one the best underrated commentary channels on (North) East Asian culture has been an amazing process.

[@lampdevil]

I was happy to see you add at the end of the VTubing segment that it's still new and developing, because that's true! In even just the past year or two, the tech and resources to start off as a VTuber have become considerably more accessible so prospective VTubers don't need to rely on the corporate path to even begin with it. A pleasant-looking pre-made customizable model can be had for around $50 USD, there are creators that provide free options, and if you're just excited to start streaming without showing your face there are multiple free software solutions that just require a microphone and a few still images of your character that'll do simple animations for you. We're going to see even more interesting things in the space, and it's already a pretty interesting space if you look outside the big agencies! I love Peanuts-kun's music and comedy, and he's just a little yellow peanut-looking guy.

[@Nikkles5247]

The connection with VTubers and Japanese puppetry was so fascinating and kind of blew my mind. It was like a “history is a poem that rhymes” https of moment 😂 Thanks for the video. The effects of technology on our societies is fascinating no doubt

[@sumansaha295]

That is exactly how I have seen Vtubers for a while now, I guess Vtubing can also be seen as a modern version of the Geisha subculture in Japan, so it's even more natural to them.

[@randomaether]

Online Social Media is the same as a picture of a nice warm comfy campfire, but without the heat, you cannot touch it afterall. This makes the coldness of loneliness even more palpable, how it creeps and hugs even tighter than before we could notice it there, we cannot subtitute the warmth of each other, unless we can stand this freezing wave and live on with the jails we made for each other. TLDR without the pedantry: Being online, makes it even easier to notice how lonely we are.

[@furuyawn]

41:25 i think that sums up my feelings as a vtuber fan. i love my oshi as an entertainer, but i stick around for the community. even though i'm one of the few english speaking regulars, the community has been so extremely open and welcoming to me. i've made friends and celebrated milestones and joined creative projects and collabs despite not fully speaking the same language solely through the power of sharing a common interest. if you want to be less lonely by watching vtubers, seek out the community. that's where it's at.

[@a-human-interface4991]

The HoloEN community holds a special place in my heart. Just look a Myth's Bad End. Its top teir animation and lore made by a small team of dedicated fans. IMO it's a high point of Vtuber subculture.

[@Demotruk]

It is really enlightening to see how these cultural practices, which from a Western perspective seem extremely weird, manage to emerge as somewhat 'normal' or 'mainstream' in East Asian cultures. (I find even watching people play video games to be weird, but that is normal here too now). Your video essays are really interesting, I've binge watched them all recently and had to watch this one as soon as it came up on my feed.

[@Sambroke]

Famously livestreaming is considered weird in the west true

[@PanickinSkywalker]

We have the same “practices” in the west, but since they’re taboo here it’s seen as weird/shameful. We definitely have it though! I was a live streamer/virtual gf for almost 13 years in the US. While I did have some international followers, most were in the states or from a western country.

[@rw5622]

It's definitely common here in the west too, it's just not as mainstream or accepted.

[@longiusaescius2537]

@PanickinSkywalker are you Spanish or from a hispanophone country?

[@PanickinSkywalker]

@@longiusaescius2537 I’m from the states.

[@souths.5065]

Love the videos, your voice is so calming and your commentary is so insightful!! I used to be really into mukbangs back in like 2016/2017 because I loved eating along with the streamers. Last year I started living alone and I was absolutely appalled by how hard it was to find the same kind of mukbang that I used to watch initially. I really miss that sense of community and chill time I got with eating along with the streamers, I really think the edited videos, lack of commentary, and overly large portion sizes are incredibly off-putting to me, not to mention a bunch of people eat really messily which I find kind of gross. Feels like these days a lot of livestreaming and online content are about catching your attention as much as possible by going to higher and higher extremes and it's pretty exhausting to navigate.

[@jwadehoogie]

Love these videos. I’m always learning something new from them. Aini also brings so much compassion to these topics. A lot of her videos touch on some tough topics but she never looks down on others. She does such a good job of putting us in the shoes of the people she is discussing. Really great work.

[@ishike5449]

I'm quite close to a number of very successful streamers. It gets really whacky when the relationship gets closer to a two sided 1.5 way relationship. One streamer I know would sometimes trauma dump/emotion dump onto their audience and they would get a lot of validation and donos in return. It wasn't concerning at first, but that changed when this streamer started to withdraw from their real life relationships because they wanted to "go all in on their stream and work harder on their stream". It was really rough for the boyfriend in that situation. A lot of people like to focus on the viewers and the amount of coping that they do, but surprisingly, there are a lot of streamers who partake in just as unhealthy amounts of coping as well.

[@frogsty1764]

How you know so much… the secret to streaming is… drama… and flirting

[@PanickinSkywalker]

As a retired live streamer, you’re absolutely right. Some streamers/influencers see those numbers start rising and act like they’ve won the lottery. Their egos inflate, they blow through money and people. It’s not pretty. It takes a special kind of crazy to want to be on live stream 24/7. …I would know 🤝🙃

[@MrAjking808]

Close lol probably in a parasocial relationship

[@cooltwittertag]

streamers like Ludwig have talked about how easy it is to build a parasocial relationship with your viewers, not just the other way around

[@grayshadow2597]

it goes both way

[@frogsty1764]

Great video. As a prior vtuber fan, it really helped me in a difficult time that was full of secrecy and not feeling supported to be part of a community. As my life has improved, I now realize it was incredible helpful to lift me out of a hole and helped me realize thru online friends that I need to find closer real friends by trying to build more irl friendships, and it has happened. I hope it happens to those who are in a rough spot because sometimes a vtuber is the only light we can see in a dark deep well.

[@tucosalamanca5818]

just go gym

[@StultusXu]

Find friends in a gym? Do you mean acquaintances?

[@rw5622]

No he's giving unhelpful advice that he got from gigachad memes. These kids grew up on the internet and think the solution to mental health problems is to just go to the f gym lol

[@pitju99]

​​​@@rw5622There's a clear positive correlation between physical and mental health, but it's when people are mislead to believe that excercise by itself can solve those problems, then they learn to know better, which is why people feel betrayed and discouraged and usually come to the wrong conclusion, that being physically active has no mental health benefits at all. The answer is always somewhere in the middle. Though comments like "just do x" certainly have that same vibe to them, it's not necessarily useless advice, just phrased terribly.

[@CheapSushi]

it's not a total solution, nothing is but it's easy to dismiss rather than actually trying it and making it part of a healthy routine to make some kind of positive changes @@rw5622

[@MilkTeaSept]

THIS IS SO COMPRENEHSIVE AND DETAILED!!! I can't believe how much actual research you've put into this, as well as how well thought-out everything is...!! On top of that, it's super entertaining! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

[@NiruReghu]

I am so here for the story time in essays type content!!!! The GOAT has delivered again

[@Zei33]

Omg you are so switched on it’s amazing. Your knowledge is so complete, it’s truly impressive.

[@tle90]

Your video essays never miss. Another super interesting and surprisingly insidious and devastating topic.

[@jba52000]

I always love you how present your topics in your videos, simple but so academic and thorough, great job! I've heard about mukbangs and vtubers but never really took the effort to understand they are about but watching this video, I really learned a lot

[@tuvstar]

I RACE to my computer when I see you've posted a new video and I keep coming back to watch the old ones.... honestly some of the best video essays being put out on this platform right now. always so well researched and clearly put and interesting... love you so much!!!

[@_aiborie]

Omg aini dropped a video, I'm so ready for it

[@kakarottto5]

Another great video. I find the topics that you talk about very interesting and thought-provoking. I'm European, and I'm not as much into social media or internet culture in general as I was back in high school, so I have either never heard about these topics at all or just know them on a surface level. Looking forward to your next essays, and don't worry that we have to wait months for videos; it's totally worth it.

[@illtima]

That was a very solid video! I thought that I already knew a lot about vtubers, and idols, and parasocial relationships, but some of the topics you talked about really blew my mind. I had no idea the streaming environment in China was that crazy.

[@SillyWillyFan47]

That 40 minutes was non-stop intense! And enlightening! Thanks!

[@olasarcasm]

I love your deep dives into social issues. It's very nice to have someone who can explain complicated social structures and exploitations and make is digestible for people like me who don't have the intellectual bandwidth to understand these topics without someone talking about it like you do.

[@patriceesela5000]

Another excellent informative video, Aini...learned a lot about the different aspects of loneliness and the many different ways people cope with it for better or worse, thank you and keep up the good work

[@k.c1126]

Just came back to add that I really appreciate your quality commentary and the obvious thought and preparation you put into your videos. Hopefully your channel will continue to grow.

[@frogsty1764]

… hmm merch idea, aini ring

[@hannahkohler9998]

That was an amazing video essay! I didn't know any of this information and you do such a great job in explaining the different theories. Thank you for your hard work!

[@firefly618]

I clicked because a vtuber I know was in the thumbnail. I stayed for an amazing and well-researched essay. I learned a lot today, thank you!

[@sasquatchanbearhunter]

Woah the first idea you mentioned where one of the reasons live streaming is so popular in China is because there is a lack of fun in person things to do (plus lack of time) perfectly connects with a recent New Yorker article: Chinas Age Of Malaise. The government has been cracking down and shutting down fun in person things like bookstores, bars, concerts, stand up comedians etc. Combine that with a crack down of the video game industry and after school education industry and you wonder, what do people really do in their freetime? I guess sports but I assume a lot of people default to online content like tiktok and livestreaming. Curious to see when the people get fed up or if they ever will.

[@peterwang5660]

That article is full of shit. Chinese people are busy and the work life balance in urban life is terrible like the rest of East Asia. Nuff said. The proximity that Age of Malaise has to Sick Man of Asia should have tipped off the Orientalist biases in that article. The atomization and isolation that is created by the neoliberal world order is the worst in Asia. And the only government in any position to change that is China’s. But oh no, Xi made a billionaire shut up, China is hell on earth now apparently.

[@frogsty1764]

The most fun I see other people ahve is doom scrolling on TikTok

[@frogsty1764]

For some not all, but dalm people be tiktoking all the time

[@IshtarNike]

They probably have no time for sports. They're doing 9-9-6 or whatever it is, where they work 12 hours a day six days a week. At least the millennials in the big companies are. Sounds absolutely shit.

[@Kburn1985]

CCP is like a Chinese parent amplified. Can't play vidya, can't have sleepovers, must study and play the piano. CCP is can't do in person fun, either work, read the little red book or glorify the nation. So you end up with everyone double stunted, first by their parents, then by the government. Intention is supposedly good, but not humanly possible.

[@just1desi]

Your videos are so in depth well researched and with such nuggets about other cultures. You're doing a fantastic job. Love the academic references too.

[@jacsickels7597]

I am so blown away by your channel. I love that you cite sources and the way craft content. Excited to learn more!

[@yuelu5694]

Hey Aini great content! focused and informative as always!

[@purutan709]

Also something about rushia is that her agency didn't terminated her because she was dating someone! The company originally said that they'll stand by her and will not allow any harrasement of her private live, but she ended up getting fired because she leaked private company information with drama channels during the controversy.

[@directtoanne]

i know it's a small thing and overshadowed by the content itself but i really adore ur editing style -- the small tilts you do, the tiny shifts, the slight zooms to emphasize certain things... it's all done perfectly and aligns so well with what ur videos are like --- it's like * chefs kiss * it does its job to highlight what you're saying without being too distracting.. it might seem small on the huge scale but i appreciate that u included it!!! legit great work!

[@Teapottedplant]

Banger after banger. great video. Thank you for making it.

[@Stephshouse23]

I really love your discussion of types of labor, it is so important to know why people do the things they do and poverty is the biggest motivation.

[@NoMoreCrumbs]

Monetizing labor is one thing, but streamers also monetize their personalities. I have a hard time believing that giving more of yourself over to a market will somehow liberate you from it. Reminds me of the Marx quote "the worker sinks to the level of a commodity and becomes indeed the most wretched of commodities"

[@frogsty1764]

Big brain

[@frogsty1764]

Sus

[@IshtarNike]

​@@frogsty1764nothing sus about it. It's spot on!

[@XVa-uj8m]

Bleh I think Marx's inspiration has more thoughtful and more promising insights to add. Marx's fatal flaws have been pointed out, I just can't remember them as it has been a while since that course.

[@plasmabat718]

@@XVa-uj8m "Marx's inspiration"? Christianity?

[@ezracramer1370]

You are so smart. I like how you cite papers to go with your analysis. Especially thank you for covering VTubers, I have seen it many times but never figured out who is intended target audience.

[@divkachan]

MY GOD! I am so glad that I clicked in this video! So first of all, Aini, YOU ARE AMAZING! The editing, the background, the research, the script ... everything is outstanding! The quality and effort you put in this video is something I have never seen in a KZbin video before. All the informations and thoughts that you have put in this documentary are so well delivered and made me aknowloadge a reality that I would never get to know by myself. Really, really thank you. I hope you keep up with this amazing content and I wish all the best regards for you and anyone who is reading this humble comment. Have a nice day! (If there are any mistake I am sorry, English is not my native language)

[@DDDEVILDUCK]

I feel like you are working hard to make your videos be something you have confidence in. In my eyes you have more confidence every time I watch. I think that's why your channel grows in waves rather than a steady river. algorithm be dammed.

[@aespa690]

Aini I really love your content. Nobody else is making such quality videos like this on these topics and I have learned so much about topics I thought I already knew about. Usually these kind of videos with someone talking into a camera I listen to in the background while doing other things but your use of helpful images and graphics with subtle editing keeps me glued to the screen. Also helps that she is pretty! Hope this content can be monetized and she can get paid for these informative videos.

[@hugofernandes5210]

I would like to congratulate you for this channel. Albeit small, it touches a very relevant topic in an enganging way and with impressive depth. Keep up the good work. Cheers.

[@b4mboola]

Thats the most high quality KZbin Video I have seen in a while. Interesting content and nice delivery

[@dummynodepanda]

Great video, love the work and research you put into these! I never watch streamers, I don't know what it is but whenever I attempt to, I always find myself clicking away or closing the tab within 2-3 minutes. I've tried all kinds of genres but the outcome is always the same. I just get bored, I find that nothing really happens. I'm definitely the type where if I consume a piece of media, I'd like it to be dense and concise, where the content shines rather than the personality (sure the personality matters too when it's a vlog/podcast type video, but how good they are at presenting the content matters more). When I get lonely I always go and seek out friends to directly interact with, like maybe trying to play a game with a friend or jumping into a new discord community. I need that direct interaction to alleviate the loneliness. So I've always found it crazy that people fall into these streamer friend/girlfriend traps who don't ever interact with them. Also that story of the man selling his 3 year old to donate to a streamer is absolutely nuts, everyone will jump immediately judge and lash at him (rightfully so), but I also genuinely feel bad for the dude and whatever he's going through and hope he gets help.

[@k.c1126]

Yeah, the guy selling the three year old sounds like an addictive personality. Definitely needed some mental help.

[@frogsty1764]

nodderS is life

[@HeisenbergFam]

Its scary how today paranormal relationships replace real ones, I can imagine in the future it will only get worse

[@josueveguilla9069]

"Paranormal relationships"? LOL. Did you meant to say parasocial relationships?

[@extrabladeworks_]

@@josueveguilla9069 nah he's chilling with ghosts

[@Dave_of_Mordor]

​@@josueveguilla9069I prefer paranormal. It's funnier

[@josueveguilla9069]

@@Dave_of_Mordor Oh.

[@josueveguilla9069]

@@extrabladeworks_ I know, right. LOL

[@valkyria7769]

Thank you for making these videos, my favourite thing to do after a long day of work is to pop on one of your videos on the background as I work around the house🤭💗 Keep up the great work, can't wait for your next video! 💗💗

[@JannesDragon]

wow this video deserves so much more views. Very important topic with nice research and a nice cutting-style c:

[@ThunderHOWL16]

there is something so eerily pathetic about wasting your money on a streamer just to flex on chat

[@floralrainyue]

This made me think of the recent Kdrama called “Mask Girl”. Highly recommended to those who want to dive into the dark side of parasocial relationships and how often neither side is as innocent as they may seem!

[@VanirEnde]

You are alive! Welcome back, Im so happy to be subscribed

[@anbui4552]

this was really well researched, great vid as always.

[@asserm.8047]

the nature of "punishments" seems so different when compared to western streamers. punishments are the same (waxing, for example, other painful activities) but the purpose is merely entertainment, and these [male] streamers are fine with these self imposed punishments. the punishments you described dont always seem to be fully under the control of the streamer, and they evoke much more sinister feelings than straight up laughter, which is the purpose of punishments with western male streamers

[@tbk2010]

I've never seen female streamers in the west doing anything truly humiliating on stream. It's usually just mildly silly or embarrassing.

[@Sz3ntAr]

This video here is part of the 1% highest quality club. Every side of this phenomenon is introduced and some source is also provided as a touch of thorough work. There are a few things left to be unpacked, but the gist is highlighted in a cultural aspect, simply wonderful.

[@Iradicos]

This was very well done and informative. Thank you for doing this!

[@jorahkai]

Always fun to see a new video from you, always thoughtful! 🎉

[@icerabbit225]

I think this might be one of my favorite videos going into online loneliness, and I enjoy how it is done by someone who, um... could definitely initiate that kind of dynamic. It's a really hard thing to talk about I think! And you did a great job.

[@123batina]

This 40 min video explained 5 years of head scratching to a 40 yr old European who still meets ppl irl and even tho I'm high level developer working on big data and new apps, I still can't tell why those virtual social interactions are appealing. To just put things into perspective, I made fb, Twitter and other plug-ins without actually having private account (only fake temp one) on those platforms due to those interfering with my real life. So condensed and informative. Thank you MS Aini

[@PineappleSquuid]

Love your vids, one of the only creators I have post notifications on for

[@StarlightAngel948]

I love your content! Always such good video essay!!!

[@taraskywalker453]

The section around 24:20 is the best explaination of mukbangs to me that I've heard. I think I understand the abstract reason for their popularity now,.

[@alangivre2474]

I think you are a wonderful youtuber!!! Very few people actually delve on the internal cultrue of China, and not just politics. I find your balance between context and theory brilliant. I hope your channel grows!

[@Deathrunaway12]

Une vidéo très intéressante, et le sponsor aussi. Je ne savais pas que ce genre d'application existait. Thanks for your hard work, another great video =)

[@danielkoenen859]

Thank you for your content I really enjoy the video essays on these topics. It looks like a lot of hard work that you make it look easy :)

[@pingpong5877]

If there's one thing I hate from the lonely generation, it's that capitalists will capitalize on people's loneliness. They'll commodify interpersonal relationships and the idea of the individual will be broken down to a simplified archetype.

[@k.c1126]

Why is it that every time you post on a topic, you help me get a deeper understanding of what's happening in Chinese dramaland??? The whole concept of the DaGe and the female streamers as you explain here sheds light on the reason why so many "bad girls" in short dramas [basically those on Douyin] are constantly falling, hurting themselves, or pretending to hurt themselves in very confrontational interactions with the female lead characters.... basically so they can be the one the "da ge" or male protagonist focuses his attention upon. Fascinating!

[@b30574]

i think that has more to do with them being a “green tea bitch,” or a pick me in english, that seeks ways to catch the male lead’s attention. it’s more a universal concept rather than a cultural thing

[@r.i.rutter1036]

Always such interesting topics, I can't wait for the next vid!

[@atkaro]

I have been watching your channel for a little while so when I saw Mori on the thumbnail of this channel and was kind of surprised lol. I'm happy you didn't misrepresent vtubers and I think you did a really good job explaining everything (besides the one Rushia detail). Keep up the good work!

[@Freeraining-og7uh]

A Virtual girlfriend is one of the most saddest things that I have ever seen

[@blacklight1104]

Well when you compare it to a traditional disastrous relationship, in a sense, a human can do far more damage than an ai in that it can leave you with lifelong trauma if not handled properly. The only silver lining with the former is that you can learn from your mistakes and should rouse you to do better, improving overall. With a parasocial relationship or with AI, however, you are not reproached or get into conflict, hence you will be in a constant bubble, not even questioning how healthy an attachment to a digital entity can create. To me it sounds like a case of opposite extremes, with the ai problem in the opposite direction where you willingly enter into an illusion of a relationship, as compared to a trainwreck that a usual one with a human can have. To me, this only illustrates how important life goals and purpose are. You can still seek out relationships like a normal human but that should come naturally so long as you hold to your purpose. Prioritizing the latter usually means you are at the mercy of the other one in the relationship, which gives them power, a thing that usually corrupts people when given. It also means you have something to fall back on in case the relationship doesn't end well.

[@rokko_hates_japan]

The upside is, if enough men check-out and stop supporting women, it will finally end all this nonsense BS about "strong independent woman's!" And "gurlboss" Women are so entitled and catered to, they have the gall to say they don't need the very men who literally built the modern world and all the comforts they enjoy and continue to enjoy. Even things like running water and food at the grocery store and sanitation, they take Everything for granted. They need a reality check. And the only way that happens is if men stop simping. And ai/robot girls should help with that.

[@sm1purplmurderedme583]

tbh in this day in age, it’s realistic and understandable. but i’d never have one lmao

[@MrVariant]

​@blacklight1104 that's a ton of text you can give to AI 😅 no way vid creator will reply to you let alone streamer. But seriously, and longer answer, it helps what not to do given AI responding to commands is an unrealistic demand, just like expecting "sex workers" to do right by you because you have money, as everyone they're around has money and entitles them. Many streamers bum for money too, with gofundme crises every week. But for the mentally traumatized public, have fun with this drug until the next trending thing like those crazy vtubers.

[@frogsty1764]

I don’t think it’s sad. I think it fills a gap

[@elitsa_nn]

Thank you for a really informative video that puts a lot of things into cultural context! I do wonder where those NPC streams fit into this - the ones where people pay money to react to someone's livestream with a sticker and the streamer reacts to the stickers in realtime, with a set reaction for each sticker... but they're always a real person reacting like an NPC would, often moving like an anime character or a vtuber's avatar would. I think the one best known in the west is the "mmm, ice cream so good" lady (I forget her name!!) but I've seen clips of Japanese and Chinese streamers doing it before she did. I always assumed it came from a combination of wanting to see real people acting like dating sim characters or vtubers, but its popularity feels very odd to me just because it's like the viewers want to see real human beings acting like a fantasy that is not and can not be real (as in, it can be acted out but real humans don't move, speak, or act like that unless being paid to do it on a stream). BUT I wonder if it's because I lack the cultural context - it didn't originate in the west so what HAS made it to us might have lost some of its original meaning and intention the way mukbang has.

[@IzlyeSellos]

I love these video essays so much

[@Voimandiimon]

Your videos are always a delight! I hope life is treating you well and you'll have a lot of energy for more even more awesome content and for smiles in your daily life! :)

[@felixfdrz5870]

I really enjoyed this (and all of your videos), and you bring up really great points but I went back and watched the "China's soft power deficiency" video and I really enjoyed when you spoke on the personal experiences left by commenters, and I believed that along with the anecdotes you highlighted in this video, I for future videos it would be really cool if you gained some personal experiences and stories as well as the more professional examples used in this video. But this was really informative and always get happy when i see you in my subscriptions feed. :D

[@aini_]

👀 I might bring back the community comments/discussions again in some future vids! thank you for watching :)

[@frogsty1764]

Felix’s thoughts: omg my girlfriend replied to me, I mean… my subbed KZbinr video uploader, okay keep it cool bro, she is just a woman… but god is a woman…

[@CheapSushi]

I can't tell if this is irony or not because it's exactly on topic.@@frogsty1764

[@piotrmalewski8178]

Internet is no cure to loneliness.

[@frogsty1764]

But boredom, or chatting, or getting into mischief, welp Mischief managed

[@willvandom5105]

This video was amazing, made me think and reflect so much about our modern world, just wish there were better and healthier resolution to all this loneliness crisis

[@DoktorL0ve]

awesome. been hoping you'd make another video since i found your channel.

[@Kpoping727official]

Yay! A new video

[@lerneanlion]

My first encounter with a VTuber was completely out of boredom. But when I checked her videos out and found out her chat has been bullying her, I cannot helped but wanting to come to her defense. And I still do now. But of course, this led me to be introduced to her friends within her community. And I cannot helped but taking like into a few of them. Heck, I even wanted to write a fanfic about one of her friend and her family due to the lore that is somewhat making it compatible with series such as Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss.

[@vivicries]

hi I missed your videos it's so nice to see you back

[@streetlights3]

you dropped a banger in my recommendeds thank you

[@miwky406]

Loneliness was born when love became material, and in our loneliness, we buy love.

[@pokvirus5705]

wish my family would forgive me for I have formed a parasocial relationship with aini

[@tannietf2]

what can I say, our queen just keep dropping bangers and spit fax!!!

[@socoriosa2423]

this channel is so damn brilliant unironically. i hope your channel grows in the future

[@sliverhalo9286]

You are so pretty! I always love your videos you talk so in depth and intellectually about many topics

[@bobjones2959]

I guess a rough English equivalent to that Korean concept mentioned in the video might be "community?" Not simply referring to a group of people with some arbitrary connection between them as we most commonly use the word nowadays, but it has always carried an additional connotation of interpersonal connection in a broader sense. Just as an example of this, think of the classic post-war "American dream" scenarios: exchanging a quick greeting with the paper boy or milkman as they're delivering to your home; neighbors coming over with some leftover cake they baked over the weekend; going to your local mom & pop store to do your weekly shopping and having the shopkeeper greet you by name and ask about your day as they process your items at the checkout; attending church with your family every Sunday and mingling with the other churchgoers after the sermon; etc. All of these are examples of this abstract concept of social cohesion and interpersonal connection encapsulated in this idea of "community," but it's getting more and more distant from modern culture as we see supermarkets replacing local family-owned stores, people work longer hours to afford bills and mortgages and have less energy for socializing afterwards, etc.

[@abdoufma]

Man, these well-researched, well articulated, and immensely insightful video essays are giving *Depressed Nousagi* and *Lucy Pyre* a run for their money! Great work Aini, you just earned yourself a new subscriber!

[@johnnyj2d3]

Subscribed! I loved your conclusions and remarks, especially about eating disorders and mukbangs