Fan differentiation, platform migration and resistance to mainstreaming of virtual YouTuber core fans in China
The subculture of virtual YouTubers first emerged in 2016. Since then, it has gained significant popularity on various video-sharing and livestreaming platforms, such as YouTube in the west and Bilibili in China. With these VTubers obtaining millions of audiences, the VTuber subculture has become the most popular trend in recent years. This article takes a specific Chinese fan online community of a Japanese VTuber operating agency, Nijisanji, as a research object and conducts a two-year digital ethnographic research. It is aimed to expound on the member characteristics of the community, the contents of their online activities, the creation of various communication symbols in their cultural circle, and the relationship between content creation and group members' identity within the group. Through these investigations, the paper uncovered the epitome of this newly developed subculture in China and how its fans are differentiated and migrated to marginal internet corners due to culture mainstreaming and platform commercialization.
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