Immaterial Labour and Precarity in Cultural Industry: The Case of VTuber Live Streams

Yi Cao

doi:10.54254/2753-7048/4/20220478

Research Article

Open access

Published on 17 May 2023

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Cao,Y. (2023).Immaterial Labour and Precarity in Cultural Industry: The Case of VTuber Live Streams.Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,4,1-7.

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Immaterial Labour and Precarity in Cultural Industry: The Case of VTuber Live Streams

Yi Cao *^,1,

¹ Beijing Foreign Studies University, North Xisanhuan Road, Beijing, China

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7048/4/20220478

Abstract

Since the first virtual Youtuber appeared on YouTube in late 2016, the VTuber industry has become increasingly popular in recent years. While most research focuses on the reasons for VTubers’ popularity and the characteristics of virtual YouTubers, this article reveals the possible labour exploitation and the precarious working conditions faced by VTubers. Through the analysis of the immaterial labour produced by the Nakanohitos behind VTubers, this article argues that Vtubers are more likely to suffer from precarious working conditions. With an in-depth case study, it then illustrates the current social context for cultural workers like VTubers, and how precarity is manifested among them.

Keywords

Immaterial labour, Precarity, Virtual Youtuber

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References

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Cite this article

Cao,Y. (2023).Immaterial Labour and Precarity in Cultural Industry: The Case of VTuber Live Streams.Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,4,1-7.

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About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of the International Conference on Interdisciplinary Humanities and Communication Studies (ICIHCS 2022), Part 3

Conference website: https://www.icihcs.org/

ISBN：978-1-915371-33-1(Print) / 978-1-915371-34-8(Online)

Conference date: 18 December 2022

Editor：Muhammad Idrees, Matilde Lafuente-Lechuga

Series: Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media

Volume number: Vol.4

ISSN：2753-7048(Print) / 2753-7056(Online)

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