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Angela Zhang
Professor Haley
ENGL 137H
6 December 2013
Acceptance and Popularity of Virtual Idols
Science fiction's useful and brainy androids are the aloof and fantastical. Take Philip
Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? featuring the human struggle in drawing the line
between themselves and the androids the more lifelike their mechanical counterparts become.
Although todays advancements have yet to satisfy the high level of sci-fi's futuristic conceptions,
it at least scratches the surface in the form of the entertainment industry's holographic idols.
Virtualization gives creators a new medium with which to produce their work, resulting in a shift
away from the necessity of direct human involvement and presence in the creative culture. This
manifestation and proliferation of humanoid technology subsequently shape the audience's view
on an artists individual worth and value.
A prominent example of seeing your favorite virtual diva lies in Japan, which currently
holds holographic concerts for Vocaloids. The idea of a virtual diva proves integral to the
concept of Vocaloid, for it is actually a voice bank software provided for compositional use.
Therefore, it offers flexibility both in genre and range otherwise limited by human singers: fans
can enjoy the notion of a single persona capable of essentially any type of music. In other words,
an "omni-talented" figure. The personas themselves have another appeal fans prefer over actual
singers the freedom to dictate personality. For example, although Hatsune Miku one of the
most popular Vocaloids is a musical sensation, her official profile offers a scant amount of
information on the sixteen-year old girl, including less relevant facts such as weight and best
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vocal range ("About Hatsune Miku"). Yet little information on her character actually provides
the flexibility to construct any type of star, allowing devotees to design their own vision of a
celebrity. The ability of a computer-generated singer to remove limitations from scope of talent
to personality is an appeal of removing the human presence.
Thus, in reference to character, fans can fashion these fictionalized idols to represent
greater levels of morality; one Miku enthusiast states that when "compared to other human
singers who are drunks, drug addicts, or often under police suspicion she [Miku] is a much more
'real' singer than they are" (Johnson). In the context of many emerging figures such as Miley
Cyrus, whose 2013 VMA performance caused much backlash, a hologram not only severs
presence but also establishes a fine line between the crudeness of famous artists lack of
principles and at the very least, the lack of vulgarity in cybernetic divas themselves (which again,
devotees can design to their liking).
Despite the lack of a human presence, the surrounding ideology frames Vocaloid not as a
hologram (much less at its base software), but as a sensational idol. It incites a modern-day
paragone with idols in truly live concerts: the need for followers to connect with the singer as an
individual degrades to a superfluous aspect of personality worship. This changing sentiment
becomes apparent as one supporter claims, It doesnt take a human to sing a good song
(Johnson). This bold statement indicate the increasingly popular status of such concerts capable
of emulating the real deal; putting them on an equal level to that of a preprogrammed visual
projection also challenges the worth of an entertainers extemporaneous performance. Natural
talent in spontaneity and rhetorical sensitivity to the audience, voice talent, and other faculties
inherent to live acts are undermined.
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The popularity of these holographic concerts illustrates the growing acceptance of virtual
celebrities throughout the globe. The Vocaloid phenomenon spread to America, where the 2011
Los Angeles anime conventions name, Mikunopolis, demonstrates her monumentality as an
innovative diva ("Concert Information"). In 2013, Los Angeles theatres welcomed her sixth
birthday concert screened from Japan, with New York City, France, and Mexico theatres joining
in as well (Loo). The broadening range of areas outside of its conception and the fact that
Vocaloid has a worldwide fan base shows its charm as a new medium of creative performance
despite its detraction from physical presence.
The use of holographic technologies to give life to cybernetic celebrity culture not only
challenges the need to reveal those behind the creative process, but also tests the value of the
celebrities themselves. Virtualization can extend to actual entertainers. It compares an
individuals worth with a fictionalized persona and questions the value of appearing in a live gig
at all. In America, the posthumous 2012 Tupac hologram concert features the rapper in
unprecedented likeness (Ganz). Because a live show has the inherent intention to focus on the
ability of the artist and their unique abilities, such a representation incites doubt over the
necessity of their presence. The fact that producers decided to project the deceased rapper, and
that there was a ready audience, affirms a growing acceptance of removing the tangible
experience of an artist actually performing live using technological facades. Instead of seeing
someone with dimension and personality, these virtual concerts promote more so an image than a
talented entity. As it becomes less and less necessary for stars themselves to partake in order for
celebrity culture to flourish, fans also come to accept this disconnect. To portray people as well
via hologram changes the way viewers comes to understand the meaning of performance.
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The hologram makeover may not stop with Tupac. Projects to resurrect other stars such
as Marilyn Monroe indicate the growing trend to bring back the artists work, and not necessarily
the creators themselves (Makarechi). Thus, Tupacs cyber reincarnation is similar to a Vocaloid
concert because it exposes fans to the product of the idol rather than promoting them as
individuals. Performers are more materialistic and distant than ever. That even living celebrities
such as the Korean girl band 2NE1 and the world-famous PSY appeared in a 2013 "live"
hologram concert featured in London shows the modern-day tendency to use this technology in
order to proliferate the work to fans (Elliefilet).
Holograms in general eliminate overall financial strain in areas such as labor fees.
Ultimately it provides a wider availability for followers to see stars in action, saving the time it
would take for these performers to travel to distant areas like London and downgrading overall
concert expenditures in the long run due to the playback nature of holographic recordings over
live acts. These projections are more accessible. The wider availability creates an opportunity for
audiences to not just get used to, but to also accept as a growing norm, more artistic display than
artistic presence.
The ability to hold preprogrammed concerts for both completely fictionalized characters
like Miku and actual stars as well illustrates a mechanization of an inherently personal and
emotional experience. However, mechanization can clean up the stage and generate a more ideal
experience. Just as Vocaloid is predictable in their actions, incapable of turning into "drunks" or
"drug addicts," virtualizing artists provides the possibility of turning the extemporaneous into a
predictable, comparatively positive and ideal experience. (Bringing up Miley Cyrus again, this
way is much safer.) Resurrection of the dead prevents any future tragedies or scandals from
occurring, while holographic performances for the living provide an insurance against unwanted
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slipups on the stage or a runny mouth. The advantages of hologram concerts, from idealizations
to availability, contribute to both its viewer appeal and the increasing sensation in the
entertainment industry.
Technology has the potential to successfully extend into qualitative processes typically
associated with human talent. The proliferation of celebrity virtualization, even fictional
celebrity worship, indicates shifting creative culture in a realm as subjective as artistic
performance, which involves much talent and labor. However, devaluing human efforts and the
individual itself is a development that prompts the idea of whether a move towards holograms is
enough to reflect aspects such as talent and labor behind the projection. Though the line between
us and technology appear distinct, it is in mindset of the receiving end whether this phenomenon
constitutes as a true experience or not: essentially realism depends on the individual. Fans'
acceptance of hiding the hands of creation, personality, and individuality reveals a shifts in our
perception of a virtual reality. As artistic value in celebrity culture adapts to new technologies, so
does the mentality of the audience.









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Works Cited
"About Hatsune Miku. Crypton Future Media. Crypton Future Media, n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2013.
"Concert Information." MikuStar. Miku Star, 2011. Web. 29 Nov. 2013.
Elliefilet. "Check out highlight clips of 2NE1 & Psy from 'YG Hologram Show'!" 6Theory
Media. allkpop, 5 Nov. 2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2013.
Ganz, Jacob. How That Tupac Hologram At Coachella Worked. NPR. NPR, 17 Apr. 2012.
Web. 3 Nov. 2013.
Johnson, Bailey. Hatsune Miku: The worlds fakest pop star. CBS News. CBS News, 9 Nov.
2012. Web. 8 Nov. 2013.
Loo, Egan. "Hatsune Miku's 6th Birthday Concert to Be Shown in LA/NYC Theaters."
Animenewsnetwork. Anime News Network, 8 Aug. 2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2013.
Makarechi, Kia. "Marilyn Monroe Hologram: Late Actress Is Among Celebrities Who May Be
Digitally Resurrected." TheHuffingtonPost.com. The Huffington Post, 31 May 2012. Web.
29 Nov. 2013.