Miku: Virtual Idol as Media Platform

Miku Hatsune is Japan’s number one virtual idol. Her songs are sold online, she is one of the most requested karaoke downloads, she promotes Toyota in TV commercials, she performs concerts with live bands – and she doesn’t exist. Miku is a voice in music synthesizer software, and her community of users have created something new in the world of popular culture: a crowd-sourced celebrity. Based on fieldwork in Japan and the US, this talk will explore the dynamics of the social in media and the value of collaborative creativity.

发言人详细信息

Ian Condry is a cultural anthropologist and associate professor of Comparative Media Studies at MIT. His forthcoming book The Soul of Anime: Collaborative Creativity and Japan’s Media Success Story (January 2013, Duke University Press) focuses on Japan’s anime creators including participant-observation in studios, fan conventions and toy companies. His first book, Hip-Hop Japan: Rap and the Paths of Cultural Globalization (2006) is based on fieldwork in Tokyo nightclubs and recording studios. More info:

日期：
演讲者：
Ian Condry
所属机构：
MIT