{"id":18362,"date":"2018-07-07T12:38:52","date_gmt":"2018-07-07T12:38:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/?p=18346"},"modified":"2019-11-30T17:34:15","modified_gmt":"2019-11-30T17:34:15","slug":"everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/2018\/07\/07\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything to know about digital celebrities and how they could change the world"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"section section--body section--first\">\n<div class=\"section-content\">\n<div class=\"section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn\">\n<p id=\"fdcc\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\">Over the past year Americans have become increasingly aware of the digital celebrities living among us. They\u2019ve infiltrated our social media feeds, twitch streams, advertising campaigns, and even fashion.<\/p>\n<p id=\"de61\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Having been immersed in this space for some time now, I figured it would be helpful to break down this developing market by talking through some of the history of digital celebrities, what\u2019s happening&nbsp;<span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"fe79f49c0df9\">now<\/span>, and how they could change our world.<\/p>\n<p id=\"2df7\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\">I broke this into four parts:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"postList\">\n<li id=\"a3fe\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--li-strong\">Part I: A primer on digital celebrities<\/strong><\/li>\n<li id=\"f771\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--li\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--li-strong\">Part II: How do digital celebrities progress?<\/strong><\/li>\n<li id=\"cb61\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--li\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--li-strong\">Part III: The Cascading Effects of Digital Celebrities<\/strong><\/li>\n<li id=\"9cee\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--li\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--li-strong\">Part IV: Remaining Questions and Decisions<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"4f68\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf-after--li\">Part I: A primer on digital celebrities<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"c0c7\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf-after--h3\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked\">\n<div class=\"progressiveMedia js-progressiveMedia graf-image is-canvasLoaded is-imageLoaded\" data-image-id=\"0*RwwvWA52YtuHOgKy.jpg\" data-width=\"1280\" data-height=\"1024\" data-action=\"zoom\" data-action-value=\"0*RwwvWA52YtuHOgKy.jpg\" data-scroll=\"native\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1280px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"progressiveMedia-image js-progressiveMedia-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1440\/0*RwwvWA52YtuHOgKy.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1024\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1440\/0*RwwvWA52YtuHOgKy.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">S1mOne was a 2002 film about a digital celebrity, Simone.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h4 id=\"d992\" class=\"graf graf--h4 graf-after--figure\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--h4-strong\">What is a digital celebrity?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p id=\"ebcc\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h4\">A digital celebrity is a digitally created avatar\/character that is made initially for entertainment purposes. You could call them fake influencers or fake celebrities, but in my mind, because of how inauthentic human celebrities can be, a more precise term is required. I particularly love this quote by Cameron James-Wilson, a famous fashion photographer who we\u2019ll hear more about soon:<\/p>\n<blockquote id=\"53d2\" class=\"graf graf--blockquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote graf-after--p\"><p><span class=\"markup--quote markup--blockquote-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"65629d68a395 7c4c82328202\">\u201c<\/span><span class=\"markup--quote markup--blockquote-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"65629d68a395 7c4c82328202 5cd7a4712d97\">As soon as you start to retouch a photo, it becomes fantasy, it\u2019s not real,\u201d he says. \u201cWe need to get it out of our heads that just because something is labeled as a photo makes it any more real than a digital creation<\/span><span class=\"markup--quote markup--blockquote-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"65629d68a395 7c4c82328202\">. In some ways, digital creations can be more accurate to real life\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4 id=\"39bd\" class=\"graf graf--h4 graf-after--blockquote\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--h4-strong\">Who are&nbsp;they?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p id=\"7368\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h4\">A relatively in-depth list of these characters can be found&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/dailymirage.co\/list\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"http:\/\/dailymirage.co\/list\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"6f0c\" class=\"graf graf--h4 graf-after--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--h4-strong\">What do they&nbsp;do?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p id=\"8597\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h4\">The vast majority of these characters today live on social media and post their day-to-day lives and thoughts with the world. Miquela (one of the most famous) has done&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.highsnobiety.com\/p\/lil-miquela-thedropla-barneys-tshirt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.highsnobiety.com\/p\/lil-miquela-thedropla-barneys-tshirt\/\">a shirt collab<\/a>,&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/lilmiquela\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\" data-href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/lilmiquela\">released music,<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thecut.com\/2018\/04\/lil-miquela-hack-instagram.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.thecut.com\/2018\/04\/lil-miquela-hack-instagram.html\">gotten in fights with other digital celebrities<\/a>.&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/noonoouri\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/noonoouri\/\">Noonoouri<\/a>&nbsp;has&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vogue.com.au\/vogue-codes\/news\/meet-noonoouri-the-virtual-instagram-influencer-loved-by-kim-kardashian-west-and-dior\/news-story\/dfeb2658e3bbc7b2cfd11d0d26eb5bbc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.vogue.com.au\/vogue-codes\/news\/meet-noonoouri-the-virtual-instagram-influencer-loved-by-kim-kardashian-west-and-dior\/news-story\/dfeb2658e3bbc7b2cfd11d0d26eb5bbc\">worked with Kim Kardashian<\/a>,&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/blawko22\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/blawko22\/\">Blawko<\/a> streamed on Twitch, and a bunch of others post just like your other friends that live on Instagram.<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"d0de\" class=\"graf graf--h4 graf-after--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--h4-strong\">Is this&nbsp;new?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<figure id=\"063d\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf--layoutOutsetLeft graf-after--h4\" data-scroll=\"native\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked\">\n<div class=\"progressiveMedia js-progressiveMedia graf-image is-canvasLoaded is-imageLoaded\" data-image-id=\"0*DwQf19z1gjDvZsj6.jpg\" data-width=\"930\" data-height=\"620\" data-action=\"zoom\" data-action-value=\"0*DwQf19z1gjDvZsj6.jpg\" data-scroll=\"native\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 930px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"progressiveMedia-image js-progressiveMedia-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1080\/0*DwQf19z1gjDvZsj6.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"930\" height=\"620\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1080\/0*DwQf19z1gjDvZsj6.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hatsune Miku<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p id=\"14a8\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure graf--trailing\">The closest thing to these digital celebrities that many point to is Hatsune Miku, with some Americans also mentioning&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gorillaz.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"http:\/\/www.gorillaz.com\/\">Gorillaz<\/a>. Hatsune Miku was created in 2007 and is a Japanese holographic pop star that is powered by her large fanbase and easy to use creation tools. Touted a \u201ccrowdsourced pop star\u201d, she has generated hundreds of millions to billions of dollars in revenue across all of her entities\/merchandise. There are many lessons to be learned from her rise, and a great paper documenting this can be found&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/www.urop.uci.edu\/journal\/journal13\/01_le.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"http:\/\/www.urop.uci.edu\/journal\/journal13\/01_le.pdf\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"section section--body\">\n<div class=\"section-divider\">\n<hr class=\"section-divider\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"section-content\">\n<div class=\"section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn\">\n<h3 id=\"c66a\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf--leading\">Part II: How do digital celebrities progress?<\/h3>\n<h3 id=\"9c60\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf-after--h3\">Monetization<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"d839\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf-after--h3\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked\">\n<div class=\"progressiveMedia js-progressiveMedia graf-image is-canvasLoaded is-imageLoaded\" data-image-id=\"1*bYUXDcEe8o41nXkZ0_uDRg.png\" data-width=\"960\" data-height=\"540\" data-action=\"zoom\" data-action-value=\"1*bYUXDcEe8o41nXkZ0_uDRg.png\" data-scroll=\"native\"><canvas class=\"progressiveMedia-canvas js-progressiveMedia-canvas\" width=\"75\" height=\"41\"><\/canvas><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"progressiveMedia-image js-progressiveMedia-image aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1440\/1*bYUXDcEe8o41nXkZ0_uDRg.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1440\/1*bYUXDcEe8o41nXkZ0_uDRg.png\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p id=\"e813\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\">While a large portion of these celebrities are still in the experimental phase, there is a subset that are clearly pushing to monetize their social media presence in some way. Some may take a vertical focus, like food blogger&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BjqvG_ij5yl\/?taken-by=mcohen77\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BjqvG_ij5yl\/?taken-by=mcohen77\">Melissa Cohen tagging Blue Apron in her posts<\/a>, while others may just try to build a legion of fans and then figure out how to monetize their following. Either way,&nbsp;<span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"4ecd6ed4572e c495b8a42098 6d3266d9a2d7 2229dec1a44f 9e92fd3e2539 65629d68a395\">every major online vertical that is dominated by some type of influencer will eventually be targeted by a digital celebrity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"9287\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Simple markets like food blogging make sense today, however&nbsp;<span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5cd7a4712d97\">as technology infiltrates these markets in a meaningful way, the quality of content will increase, making even more markets quite susceptible to the digital vs. human influence wars<\/span>.<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"34da\" class=\"graf graf--h4 graf-after--p\"><span class=\"markup--quote markup--h4-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"44db9513d0fd 6d3266d9a2d7\">Digital Influencers can scale past&nbsp;humans<\/span><span class=\"markup--quote markup--h4-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"6d3266d9a2d7\">.<\/span><\/h4>\n<figure id=\"6a36\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf-after--h4\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder-fill\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"progressiveMedia js-progressiveMedia graf-image is-canvasLoaded is-imageLoaded\" data-image-id=\"1*RDfpJoLmTupv9lUXqhz-Xw.png\" data-width=\"960\" data-height=\"478\" data-action=\"zoom\" data-action-value=\"1*RDfpJoLmTupv9lUXqhz-Xw.png\" data-scroll=\"native\"><canvas class=\"progressiveMedia-canvas js-progressiveMedia-canvas\" width=\"75\" height=\"36\"><\/canvas><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"progressiveMedia-image js-progressiveMedia-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1440\/1*RDfpJoLmTupv9lUXqhz-Xw.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1440\/1*RDfpJoLmTupv9lUXqhz-Xw.png\"><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"imageCaption\"><a class=\"markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/perl.www\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/perl.www\">Perl<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"85cf\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\">Many influencers or social media personalities have attempted to break out of their domain and into the mainstream areas of music, TV, or film. Few have succeeded.<\/p>\n<p id=\"a2b5\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Often the talent agencies tell me that the level of talent\/skill set to achieve stardom in these areas is a difficult barrier to entry, along with the strong brand association and fanbase of a given character that may make it hard for them to work within a larger portfolio of brands.<\/p>\n<p id=\"b0f0\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\"><span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"870fd022d8ea ed6179cf242d 1bf91b878618 9dd75b150789 7c4c82328202 13eabe28407b c495b8a42098 6d3266d9a2d7 anon f9c7cca03dcb 130e398496 65629d68a395 2229dec1a44f\">With digital celebrities, no longer can you age out of your demographic.<\/span><span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"ed6179cf242d 1bf91b878618 9dd75b150789 7c4c82328202 13eabe28407b c495b8a42098 6d3266d9a2d7 anon f9c7cca03dcb 130e398496 65629d68a395 2229dec1a44f\">&nbsp;You can freeze time<\/span><span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"9dd75b150789 7c4c82328202 13eabe28407b c495b8a42098 6d3266d9a2d7 anon f9c7cca03dcb 1bf91b878618 130e398496 65629d68a395 2229dec1a44f\">, fast forward, or rewind, creating both a more relatable character as well as a much more in-depth storytelling mechanism where history, present, and future are all available for creation<\/span><span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"7c4c82328202 13eabe28407b c495b8a42098 6d3266d9a2d7 anon f9c7cca03dcb 1bf91b878618 130e398496 65629d68a395 2229dec1a44f\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"c141\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\"><span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"65629d68a395 13eabe28407b\">With potentially different humans controlling different skillsets of your celebrity, you then have the potential to close the gap from influencer\/social media personality to mainstream talent.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"a157\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Miquela\u2019s pop album was an example of this and others will certainly follow suit over the next few years.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Wanna know the struggles of streaming over other jobs? I left for less than 48 hours and lost 40,000 subscribers on twitch. I\u2019ll be back today (Wednesday) grinding again.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ninja (@Ninja) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Ninja\/status\/1006871220065746944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 13, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p id=\"c0ff\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\"><span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5cd7a4712d97\">In addition to having the ability to scale talents,&nbsp;<\/span><span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5cd7a4712d97 4ecd6ed4572e\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\">digital celebrities can scale utilization<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5cd7a4712d97\">. While scarcity can drive the price of services up for a celebrity, there are some where volume is what creates revenue<\/span>.&nbsp;<span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"65629d68a395\">A recent example of this is when famous Twitch streamer&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/ninja\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/ninja\">Ninja<\/a>&nbsp;took 2 days off from streaming and thus lost 40,000 subscribers, costing him over $100k.&nbsp;<\/span><span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"65629d68a395 5cd7a4712d97\">When multiple people can utilize a likeness across different talent classes, you can imagine the possibilities that are unlocked by removing the volatility and deficiencies of humans<\/span><span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"65629d68a395\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"2e77\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Now these celebrities can be on tour, while filming commercials, modeling their new fashion line, or even starring in&nbsp;<em class=\"markup--em markup--p-em\">their own<\/em>&nbsp;TV show or movie.<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"37e2\" class=\"graf graf--h4 graf-after--p\">Building your own&nbsp;universe<\/h4>\n<p id=\"c451\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h4\">In addition to&nbsp;<span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"c5ee67c4a68\">creating a single character that can be monetized as an entity, another strategy will be telling a multi-character story and building your own universe.<\/span>&nbsp;The lowered barriers of social media allow a cadence of storytelling to happen on a daily or even hourly basis, even if done just through photos (as mostly occurs today). I view this similar to popular text storytelling platforms such as&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/app\/hooked\/id1024818709?mt=8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/app\/hooked\/id1024818709?mt=8\">Hooked<\/a>, but instead there are characters with a&nbsp;<em class=\"markup--em markup--p-em\">physical&nbsp;<\/em>manifestation, living on the same platforms as your friends, that can further connect the audience to their story.<\/p>\n<p id=\"567a\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">By building a character universe, you allow for some form of virality to emerge via word of mouth growth of a given character, and thus the IP value of the universe.<\/p>\n<p id=\"3858\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Example: If I follow an Instagram account that details the life of a scientist named Rick Sanchez, but my friend follows his grandson Morty, we inherently will want to talk more about the other people showing up in their stories despite our affinities for different characters. We\u2019re invested into the Rick &amp; Morty universe and once Morty\u2019s dad, Jerry creates an Instagram account, we\u2019ll&nbsp;<em class=\"markup--em markup--p-em\">both<\/em>&nbsp;likely follow it.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"2303\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf--layoutOutsetLeft graf-after--p\" data-scroll=\"native\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked\">\n<div class=\"progressiveMedia js-progressiveMedia graf-image is-canvasLoaded is-imageLoaded\" data-image-id=\"0*JP0E-nj81QPHW8Hd\" data-width=\"897\" data-height=\"504\" data-action=\"zoom\" data-action-value=\"0*JP0E-nj81QPHW8Hd\" data-scroll=\"native\"><canvas class=\"progressiveMedia-canvas js-progressiveMedia-canvas\" width=\"75\" height=\"41\"><\/canvas><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"progressiveMedia-image js-progressiveMedia-image aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1080\/0*JP0E-nj81QPHW8Hd\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1080\/0*JP0E-nj81QPHW8Hd\"><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"imageCaption\">Bermuda (left) &amp; Miquela (right) are both created by&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/brud.fyi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"http:\/\/brud.fyi\">Brud<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"2582\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\">A more specific example of this is the ongoing interactions of&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/brud.fyi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"http:\/\/brud.fyi\">Brud<\/a>&nbsp;creations, Miquela, Bermuda, and Blawko. This allows you build a flagship character (in this case, Miquela) and then spin up multiple characters with a much faster ramp time than an entirely new account.&nbsp;<span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"c5ee67c4a68\">Similar to how Marvel has created what feels like 100 movies about different Avengers characters in the past 3 years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"4cd3\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\"><a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/crypttv.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"http:\/\/crypttv.com\/\">CryptTV <\/a>&nbsp;is a tangential example of this as well. CryptTV uses rapid iteration and the lowered barrier of online distribution to test and expand upon universes and characters focused on horror.<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"fef6\" class=\"graf graf--h4 graf-after--p\">Digital Celebrities must get more innovative<\/h4>\n<p id=\"7131\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h4\">While many are running today\u2019s playbook of simple storytelling one photo, inspirational quote, or anecdote at a time, there has been very little innovation on how to utilize the digital component to create a truly unique product.&nbsp;<span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"c5ee67c4a68\">Creators must innovate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Virtual Supermodel Stars in a Real Fashion Photoshoot: The Making of Shudu\u2019s First-Ever Shoot | WWD\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Dyhp8E4WcLM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<figure id=\"36c9\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf--iframe graf-after--p\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked\">\n<div class=\"progressiveMedia js-progressiveMedia is-canvasLoaded is-imageLoaded\" data-scroll=\"native\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Cameron-James Wilson is showing early signs of this with&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thediigitals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thediigitals\/\">The Diigitals<\/a>, an all-digital modeling agency. He began by creating a black supermodel,&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/shudu.gram\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/shudu.gram\">Shudu<\/a>, and recently released two new models for his digital agency in&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/brenn.gram\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/brenn.gram\">Brenn<\/a>, a plus-sized model, and&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/galaxia.gram\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/galaxia.gram\">Galaxia<\/a>, the world\u2019s first alien model.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">And it&#39;s here. Two more models including one non-humanoid. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HeZPA0VXZl\">pic.twitter.com\/HeZPA0VXZl<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Michael Dempsey (@mhdempsey) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mhdempsey\/status\/1014128085971718144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 3, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p id=\"2a8c\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\">Shudu, originally created as a commentary on minority representation within the modeling industry, has created&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/wwd.com\/eye\/people\/shudu-digital-fashion-model-avatar-1202683320\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"https:\/\/wwd.com\/eye\/people\/shudu-digital-fashion-model-avatar-1202683320\/\">a fair amount of controversy<\/a>, but Galaxia could be part of a different thought experiment.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ec68\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Could an Alien supermodel help us identify what we care about as humans when it comes to the personas we let influence us? Could it perhaps even change how we define beauty?<\/p>\n<p id=\"b28f\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p graf--trailing\"><span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"2229dec1a44f c495b8a42098\">If an alien-figure can eradicate&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Uncanny_valley\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Uncanny_valley\">the uncanny valley problem<\/a>&nbsp;and rise to prominence, it sets the stage for many other celebrity types, and potentially removes the need to create celebrities in ultra-realistic, humanoid-focused, high-resolution 3D models.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"section section--body\">\n<div class=\"section-divider\">\n<hr class=\"section-divider\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"section-content\">\n<div class=\"section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn\">\n<h3 id=\"edbf\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf--leading\">Part III: The Cascading Effects of Digital Celebrities<\/h3>\n<h4 class=\"graf graf--h4 graf-after--h3\">The New Digital Identity&nbsp;Layer<\/h4>\n<figure style=\"width: 1440px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"progressiveMedia-image js-progressiveMedia-image\" style=\"font-size: 1.4em;\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1440\/0*whEEm4uhtDQfjEr4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1440\" height=\"1323\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1440\/0*whEEm4uhtDQfjEr4.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Samsung AR Emoji (left) vs. Apple\u2019s Memoji&nbsp;(right)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"96f0\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\">One of the interesting takeaways from this wave of both newly created digital characters as well as lowered barrier to digital recreation of human entities is what do humans need in order to create a connection to other intelligent beings?<\/p>\n<p id=\"74ad\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">I\u2019ve already written that&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/notes.michaeldempsey.me\/post\/172866628574\/were-ready-for-ai-friends\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"http:\/\/notes.michaeldempsey.me\/post\/172866628574\/were-ready-for-ai-friends\">we\u2019re ready for AI friends<\/a>&nbsp;and believe that&nbsp;<span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5cd7a4712d97\">digital celebrities could lead to a world where digital identity layers taking on physical traits is more socially accepted<\/span>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"2e7d\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf--layoutOutsetLeft graf-after--p\" data-scroll=\"native\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked\">\n<div class=\"progressiveMedia js-progressiveMedia graf-image is-canvasLoaded is-imageLoaded\" data-image-id=\"0*VwBmYe_mm5BB0PPH.jpg\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" data-action=\"zoom\" data-action-value=\"0*VwBmYe_mm5BB0PPH.jpg\" data-scroll=\"native\"><canvas class=\"progressiveMedia-canvas js-progressiveMedia-canvas\" width=\"75\" height=\"41\"><\/canvas><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"progressiveMedia-image js-progressiveMedia-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1080\/0*VwBmYe_mm5BB0PPH.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1080\/0*VwBmYe_mm5BB0PPH.jpg\"><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"imageCaption\">Rigs used to capture and map facial details have gone from this to a mobile phone. (via Avatar, released in&nbsp;2009)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"ad8a\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\">Bitmojis were a small step towards this future, but now Memojis, AR Emoji, and everything in between have shown the major tech companies beginning to recognize this trend, while startups like&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/facemoji.co\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"https:\/\/facemoji.co\/\">Facemoji<\/a>&nbsp;have their own unique take on this thesis.&nbsp;<span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5cd7a4712d97\">These technologies could allow us to either create entirely new characters\/identities by implementing voice modulation, or build economies on top of this digital identity via avatar layer.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked\">\n<div class=\"progressiveMedia js-progressiveMedia graf-image is-canvasLoaded is-imageLoaded\" data-image-id=\"1*vjAQMm9VoMegOxxHOfcMzw.png\" data-width=\"2424\" data-height=\"1024\" data-action=\"zoom\" data-action-value=\"1*vjAQMm9VoMegOxxHOfcMzw.png\" data-scroll=\"native\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"progressiveMedia-image js-progressiveMedia-image alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1080\/1*vjAQMm9VoMegOxxHOfcMzw.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1080\/1*vjAQMm9VoMegOxxHOfcMzw.png\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Via&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--figure-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/facemoji.co\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"http:\/\/facemoji.co\">Facemoji<\/a><\/p>\n<h4 id=\"7a96\" class=\"graf graf--h4 graf-after--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--h4-strong\">Human celebrities becoming digital celebrities<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p id=\"799b\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h4\">Human celebrities could also utilize their likeness to create new alter-egos or digital manifestations of themselves that live online.&nbsp;<span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"2229dec1a44f c495b8a42098\">In a world where many stars are seeing their appeal to younger generations fade vs. those on social media consistently \u201cconnecting with their fans\u201d, a digital persona could be the perfect balance between connection, effort, and privacy.<\/span>&nbsp;Some celebrities like Daft Punk and Marshmello have managed to maintain relative privacy by doing this in an analog way already. There are issues to be hashed out around verification, but that is another topic&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mhdempsey\/status\/851476978519744515\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mhdempsey\/status\/851476978519744515\">I\u2019ve covered ad nauseum<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"5967\" class=\"graf graf--h4 graf-after--p\">The Displacement of Human Celebrities and influencer economies<\/h4>\n<p id=\"5766\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h4\">As this segment of the market matures, I do believe the idea of \u201cdigital vs. human influence wars\u201d will become more of a reality. Some have expressed concern that these celebrities could take the jobs of humans, and that is likely true in some cases.<\/p>\n<p id=\"c268\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\"><span class=\"markup--quote markup--p-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"5cd7a4712d97\">The micro-economies that have emerged within social media are ripe for disruption and digital counterparts have clear competitive advantage<\/span>s.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"b63b\" class=\"graf graf--figure graf--layoutOutsetLeft graf-after--p\" data-scroll=\"native\">\n<div class=\"aspectRatioPlaceholder is-locked\">\n<div class=\"progressiveMedia js-progressiveMedia graf-image is-canvasLoaded is-imageLoaded\" data-image-id=\"1*3DZqs_5-QtLng-x8wS_OhQ.jpeg\" data-width=\"1080\" data-height=\"1350\" data-action=\"zoom\" data-action-value=\"1*3DZqs_5-QtLng-x8wS_OhQ.jpeg\" data-scroll=\"native\"><canvas class=\"progressiveMedia-canvas js-progressiveMedia-canvas\" width=\"60\" height=\"75\"><\/canvas><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"progressiveMedia-image js-progressiveMedia-image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1080\/1*3DZqs_5-QtLng-x8wS_OhQ.jpeg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/1080\/1*3DZqs_5-QtLng-x8wS_OhQ.jpeg\"><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"imageCaption\">Lil Donny Red, created by Jake Paul\u2019s&nbsp;Team10<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"994d\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--figure\">Interestingly enough, we\u2019ve seen famed YouTube star Jake Paul\u2019s Team10 experiment with this by creating&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/lildonnyred\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/lildonnyred\/\">LilDonnyRed<\/a>, a funny red-headed digital celebrity.<\/p>\n<p id=\"91cd\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Cameron James-Wilson, briefly touched on the idea of human displacement when he was criticized for Shudu taking modeling jobs from the underrepresented humans she was originally meant to advocate for:<\/p>\n<blockquote id=\"d4b1\" class=\"graf graf--blockquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote graf-after--p\"><p>\u201cI don\u2019t think Shudu or other 3-D models take anything away\u2026Eventually, if this catches on, people will be more and more employed. OK, one model might not be employed, but maybe 50 other people are [working] in order to take that kind of space. You have to be very lucky to be a model. You have to be born genetically beautiful in every way and pretty much perfect.&nbsp;<span class=\"markup--quote markup--blockquote-quote is-other\" data-creator-ids=\"65629d68a395 7c4c82328202\">What kind of world would be better: one where somebody who works hard, who\u2019s a talented artist can create a model or somebody who\u2019s born lucky?\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4 id=\"b352\" class=\"graf graf--h4 graf-after--blockquote\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--h4-strong\">Proliferation of Celebrities into everyday&nbsp;life<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p id=\"b1fb\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h4\">Digital celebrities will broadly be utilized for entertainment purposes first and then as major media or marketing vehicles, but then what?<\/p>\n<p id=\"5f57\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">With development of machine learning tools we could see the AI friend future I discuss start enabling these beings to scale towards commercial tools and more.<\/p>\n<p id=\"1c34\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p graf--trailing\">Why should your customer service agent not at least sound like your favorite celebrity? Or your digital therapist? There is still the issue around the economics of creating scarcity for your celebrity, however it wouldn\u2019t surprise me to see (or at least hear) some of your favorite celebrities serving you a targeted ad or helping you with a problem, sometime in the future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"section section--body\">\n<div class=\"section-divider\">\n<hr class=\"section-divider\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"section-content\">\n<div class=\"section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn\">\n<h3 id=\"874d\" class=\"graf graf--h3 graf--leading\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--h3-strong\">Part IV: Remaining Questions and Decisions<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p id=\"6dcb\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--h3\">There are multiple open-ended questions left to be answered or that I\u2019ve alluded to in this post.<\/p>\n<p id=\"64cc\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\">In general we must better understand:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"postList\">\n<li id=\"8207\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--li-strong\">Consumption:&nbsp;<\/strong>Are the best mediums to consume this content already built today, or is there a place where these types of celebrities should live on the internet?<\/li>\n<li id=\"e22e\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--li\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--li-strong\">Society:&nbsp;<\/strong>As we\u2019re shifting from a&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--li-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/machinelearnings.co\/moving-from-a-default-trust-to-default-skeptic-society-cbf9adeb4971\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"https:\/\/machinelearnings.co\/moving-from-a-default-trust-to-default-skeptic-society-cbf9adeb4971\">default trust to default skeptic society<\/a>, is now the best time to be flooding our lives with digital characters representing themselves as real? Will consumers grow tired of things they know they have a 0% chance of physically interacting with?<\/li>\n<li id=\"bcfe\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--li\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--li-strong\">Economics:<\/strong>&nbsp;Will the economics of a significantly more scalable celebrity play out in practice and how could they change existing industries? As it is today influencers are largely seen on a different tier from an earnings perspective as mainstream celebrities. Could we be creating another tier that will not be able to monetize at the level that human counterparts can?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p id=\"24fe\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--li\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--p-strong\">Creators must make decisions related to:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"postList\">\n<li id=\"723f\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--p\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--li-strong\">How the form factor allows a new type of innovative entertainment or experience or connection.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li id=\"4b72\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--li\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--li-strong\">How transparent to be around the \u201cfalse\u201d nature of these characters and their stories.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li id=\"fe3d\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--li\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--li-strong\">Whether to build something hyper-realistic and take aim at the Uncanny Valley effect, or tell stories with clearly non-human entities.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li id=\"b259\" class=\"graf graf--li graf-after--li graf--trailing\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--li-strong\">The overall creation process and how it can be scaled. I have&nbsp;<\/strong><a class=\"markup--anchor markup--li-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mhdempsey\/status\/928342329735475200\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mhdempsey\/status\/928342329735475200\"><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--li-strong\">many thoughts on this<\/strong><\/a><strong class=\"markup--strong markup--li-strong\">. Stay tuned.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"section section--body section--last\">\n<div class=\"section-divider\">\n<hr class=\"section-divider\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"section-content\">\n<div class=\"section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn\">\n<p id=\"e105\" class=\"graf graf--p graf--leading\">While we are still very early in the world of digital celebrities, they will continue to push into many different areas our lives. Digital celebrities may feel like something out of a dystopian sci-fi novel today, but I look forward to seeing how they change how we consume and interact with content and each other moving forward.<\/p>\n<p id=\"3b4c\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">If you\u2019re working on or building anything related to the topics discussed in this post, I\u2019d love to hear from you&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/mhdempsey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\" data-href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/mhdempsey\">on twitter&nbsp;<\/a>or via email.<\/p>\n<p id=\"c74d\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">Stay tuned for a future announcement on something we\u2019ve been working on at Compound with a team of experienced entertainers, content producers, and technologists.<\/p>\n<p id=\"25a7\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p\">\u2014<\/p>\n<p id=\"210b\" class=\"graf graf--p graf-after--p graf--trailing\">Thank you to&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--user markup--p-user\" href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@flinndustries\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@flinndustries\" data-anchor-type=\"2\" data-user-id=\"86aabb3e4f5c\" data-action-value=\"86aabb3e4f5c\" data-action=\"show-user-card\" data-action-type=\"hover\">Dylan Flinn<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--user markup--p-user\" href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@vijaysundaram\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@vijaysundaram\" data-anchor-type=\"2\" data-user-id=\"f9c0c051bfef\" data-action-value=\"f9c0c051bfef\" data-action=\"show-user-card\" data-action-type=\"hover\">Vijay Sundaram<\/a>. Vijay and I discussed this topic at length in&nbsp;<a class=\"markup--anchor markup--p-anchor\" href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/v0concepts\/ai-generative-celebrities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/v0concepts\/ai-generative-celebrities\">a prior audio recording<\/a>. This post originally appeared <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@mhdempsey\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world-7b3bf9806073\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hatsune Miku and Gorillaz were just the beginning of the digital celebrity revolution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18436,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[31,49,78,84,85,163],"class_list":["post-18362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech","tag-ai-ml","tag-avatars","tag-culture","tag-digital-celebrities","tag-digital-influencers","tag-media"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Everything to know about digital celebrities and how they could change the world - Michael Dempsey: Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/2018\/07\/07\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Everything to know about digital celebrities and how they could change the world - Michael Dempsey: Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hatsune Miku and Gorillaz were just the beginning of the digital celebrity revolution.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/2018\/07\/07\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Michael Dempsey: Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-07-07T12:38:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-11-30T17:34:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/digitalcelebs.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"540\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michael Dempsey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Michael Dempsey\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"13 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/07\\\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/07\\\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michael Dempsey\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9433ab961aef909d748bebb5eead6589\"},\"headline\":\"Everything to know about digital celebrities and how they could change the world\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-07-07T12:38:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-11-30T17:34:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/07\\\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2535,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/07\\\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/digitalcelebs.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"AI\\\/ML\",\"avatars\",\"Culture\",\"digital celebrities\",\"digital influencers\",\"Media\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Tech\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/07\\\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/07\\\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\\\/\",\"name\":\"Everything to know about digital celebrities and how they could change the world - Michael Dempsey: Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/07\\\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/07\\\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/digitalcelebs.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-07-07T12:38:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-11-30T17:34:15+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9433ab961aef909d748bebb5eead6589\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/07\\\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/07\\\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/07\\\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/digitalcelebs.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/digitalcelebs.jpeg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":540},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/07\\\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Everything to know about digital celebrities and how they could change the world\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Michael Dempsey: Blog\",\"description\":\"read, listen, speak, write\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9433ab961aef909d748bebb5eead6589\",\"name\":\"Michael Dempsey\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/michaeldempsey.me\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.michaeldempsey.me\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/michaeldempsey_vpwk4i\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Everything to know about digital celebrities and how they could change the world - Michael Dempsey: Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/2018\/07\/07\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Everything to know about digital celebrities and how they could change the world - Michael Dempsey: Blog","og_description":"Hatsune Miku and Gorillaz were just the beginning of the digital celebrity revolution.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/2018\/07\/07\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\/","og_site_name":"Michael Dempsey: Blog","article_published_time":"2018-07-07T12:38:52+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-11-30T17:34:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":960,"height":540,"url":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/digitalcelebs.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Michael Dempsey","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Michael Dempsey","Est. reading time":"13 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/2018\/07\/07\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/2018\/07\/07\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\/"},"author":{"name":"Michael Dempsey","@id":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9433ab961aef909d748bebb5eead6589"},"headline":"Everything to know about digital celebrities and how they could change the world","datePublished":"2018-07-07T12:38:52+00:00","dateModified":"2019-11-30T17:34:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/2018\/07\/07\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\/"},"wordCount":2535,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/2018\/07\/07\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/digitalcelebs.jpeg","keywords":["AI\/ML","avatars","Culture","digital celebrities","digital influencers","Media"],"articleSection":["Tech"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/2018\/07\/07\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\/","url":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/2018\/07\/07\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\/","name":"Everything to know about digital celebrities and how they could change the world - Michael Dempsey: Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/2018\/07\/07\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/2018\/07\/07\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/digitalcelebs.jpeg","datePublished":"2018-07-07T12:38:52+00:00","dateModified":"2019-11-30T17:34:15+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9433ab961aef909d748bebb5eead6589"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/2018\/07\/07\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/2018\/07\/07\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/2018\/07\/07\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/digitalcelebs.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/digitalcelebs.jpeg","width":960,"height":540},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/2018\/07\/07\/everything-to-know-about-digital-celebrities-and-how-they-could-change-the-world\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Everything to know about digital celebrities and how they could change the world"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/","name":"Michael Dempsey: Blog","description":"read, listen, speak, write","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9433ab961aef909d748bebb5eead6589","name":"Michael Dempsey","sameAs":["http:\/\/michaeldempsey.me"],"url":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/author\/michaeldempsey_vpwk4i\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/digitalcelebs.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18362"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18437,"href":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18362\/revisions\/18437"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.michaeldempsey.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}