Virtual Beings: A New Internet-Native Medium for Shared Storytelling

Virtual beings, characters that exist entirely in the digital domain, are expected to multiply over the next few decades, and the author argues Web3 tools could accelerate this and suit them well. The article surveys VTubers, virtual influencers and distributed personas such as Hatsune Miku, whose community-created content has reportedly earned over $120M in total revenue in her first five years. It also cites Kizuna AI, who grew to two million YouTube subscribers within ten months, and Lil Miquela, whose parent studio Brud made approximately $12M in 2020. The piece suggests NFTs and DAOs could improve rights management and revenue sharing for these characters.