A Study On The Parasocial-Relationship Between Vtuber And Fans

With the rise of the meta-universe concept,the Vtuber industry has reaped a lot of capital attention,and the market size of China’s Vtuber is about 300 million yuan in2021,up 103.1% year-on-year.With the help of capital,the industry chain of Vtuber upstream,midstream and downstream has basically been constructed and entered into a rapid development stage,and the industry has gradually gathered a large number of fan groups.Vtuber are jointly created by companies,platforms and fans,condensing the collective wisdom to create a perfect virtual image.The virtual image is one of the important reasons to attract fans.The interaction between fans and Vtuber is still human interaction,and the relationship is still the Parasocial-relationship,and the intermediary of virtual image intensifies the mimetic nature of this relationship.This paper is divided into five parts,taking the study of the Parasocial-relationship between Vtuber and fans as the starting point,and using participant observation and in-depth interviews to complete the consideration of three major issues: how the proposed Parasocial-relationship between Vtuber and fans is formed,how the Parasocial-relationship is maintained after it is formed,and how the Parasocial-relationship affects both sides of the relationship after it is formed.The introduction mainly discusses the background and significance of the topic,research overview,application theory,research method and research design,and research innovation and difficulties.The first chapter defines and explains the main concepts involved in the thesis.Chapter 2 compares the main roles involved in the formation of Vtuber,the factors that influence the Parasocial-relationship between Vtuber and fans,and the specific manifestations of the Parasocial-relationship between Vtuber and fans.Chapter 3 compares how Vtuber maintain the Parasocial-relationship with their fans,and finds that Vtuber mainly adopt such means as using virtual images to maintain a stable persona,satisfying fans’ emotional needs through interaction with fans,satisfying fans’ material needs through peripheral products,selectively showing their real life,and actively creating a fan community to maintain the Parasocial-relationship with fans.Chapter 4 discusses the positive and negative effects of the formation of the Parasocial-relationship,including reducing fans’ loneliness,over-occupying fans’ energy,making Vtuber more compatible with market demand,and making Vtuber feel burned out.Finally,we conclude and reflect on the Parasocial-relationship between Vtuber and.The discussion of these questions is useful for understanding the reasons for the attention and popularity of the Vtuber industry,as well as reflecting on the impact of Vtuber entering into Parasocial-relationship that combine the virtual and the real:whether fans’ loneliness in real life is exacerbated by their addiction to the virtual world,and what changes Vtuber make in the process of entering into Parasocial-relationship with their fans,and thus making suggestions for the subsequent development of the Vtuber industry.