Warning: This page contains material that may be disturbing including cyberbullying, sexual harassment, and stalking. Reader discretion is advised.
Why It Matters
I felt like I needed to create this section due to high-profile graduations that I’ve seen in both the corporate and indie VTuber space due to unhealthy parasocial relationships by both the viewer base and the VTuber.
Since being a content creator is inherently parasocial in nature, it is important to set clear boundaries to protect both yourself and your audience.
What is Being “Parasocial”?
Being “parasocial” is often used as an umbrella term for unhealthy relationships between an entertainer and their audience. Typically, it is used to describe “simps”, fans who who put supporting their “oshi” above their own needs. However, like most thing, in reality, not everything is black and white. There are levels to it and creator/audience relationships are always going to be a little bit parasocial.
According to this article by Verywell Mind about parasocial relationships, the 2 main stages of parasocial relationships are:
- Parasocial Interactions: When you feel a sense of belonging when actively interacting with someone. When you think about the person after finishing the stream.
- Parasocial Attachments: Having an attachment similar to a real-life relationship. When an person or fictional character becomes a source of comfort.
The descriptions of both of these sound very normal. Wanting your viewers to feel a sense of belonging when watching your streams isn’t a bad thing. Additionally, remembering information your viewers is a way to show you care about your audience. What’s important is making sure you are setting clear boundaries between yourself and your audience to maintain a healthy relationship.
What does “Unhealthy” Look Like?
For viewers:
- Feeling “incomplete” when a streamer is on hiatus
- Expecting favors for donations
- Wanting to pursue a relationship with the streamer
- Trying to find out personal information about the streamer like their real name, where they live, etc.
- Stalking
For Creators:
- Wanting to meet a viewer 1:1
- Sending viewers personalized DMs
- Encouraging unhealthy parasocial relationships via:
- Creating “girlfriend experience” (GFE) or “boyfriend experience” (BFE) content
- Asking suggestive questions like “What would you do if we were alone together?”
Examples
This article by LM Marie does a really good job summarizing various examples of parasocial attachment targeted towards Hololive VTubers.
Some more recent example not covered in the article:
- In May 2022, Nijisanji EN’s Vox Akuma put out a statement about death threats sent to a fellow Nijisanji VTuber.
- In November 2023, idol’s Riro Ron was terminated due to “soliciting fans… for private offline meetings.”
Sexual Harassment
Note: While male creators can face sexual harassment as well, this section will focus on the harassment of female creators due to online harassment disproportionately affecting women.
Due to the kayfabe and idol culture, many viewers forget that there is a real person behind the VTuber. This can easily lead to unwanted sexualization and sexual harassment. Especially in male-dominated spaces like gaming, simply existing as a woman can lead to sexual harassment and threats. The same goes for members of the LGBTQAI+ community.
To keep yourself and your community safe, it is important to set clear boundaries and ban those who refuse to respect your personal boundaries and abide by your rules. Also, keep in mind that where you stream can affect the amount and type of harassment you receive.
How do I Set Boundaries?
- Set Stream Rules: Put clear rules in your stream descriptions stating what types of interactions you are not comfortable with.
- Shut it Down: In the Vox Akuma example, he acknowledged part of the reason the harassment became so bad was due to him being quiet for too long. When you see someone being rude or gross in chat, shut it down. I would recommend immediately removing and banning anyone being sexist, homophobic, transphobic, racist, etc. from your community.
- Set Clear Expectations for Mods: Let your mod team know when you’ve updated your rules so they can be aware of any changes. If you notice an increase of creepy or hateful messages, ask that your mods be on alert for certain users.
