VTubers, or Virtual YouTubers, are live streamers who create streaming content using animated 2D or 3D virtual avatars. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of VTuber creators and viewers across the globe. This practise has drawn research attention into topics such as viewers' engagement behaviors and perceptions, however, as animated avatars offer more identity and performance flexibility than traditional live streaming where one uses their own body, little research has focused on how this flexibility influences how creators present themselves. This research thus seeks to fill this gap by presenting results from a qualitative study of 16 Chinese-speaking VTubers' streaming practices. The data revealed that the virtual avatars that were used while live streaming afforded creators opportunities to present themselves using inflated presentations and resulted in inclusive interactions with viewers. The results also unveiled the inflated, and often sexualized, gender expressions of VTubers while they were situated in misogynistic environments. The socio-technical facets of VTubing were found to potentially reduce sexual harassment and sexism, whilst also raising self-objectification concerns.

翻译：VTuber（虚拟主播）是指使用2D或3D动画虚拟形象进行直播内容创作的主播。近年来，全球VTuber创作者与观众数量显著增长。这一实践引发了学界对观众参与行为与感知等议题的研究兴趣，但由于动画虚拟形象相较于传统依靠真实身体进行直播的模式，在身份与表演层面提供了更高的灵活性，目前鲜有研究关注这种灵活性如何影响创作者的自我呈现方式。本研究旨在填补这一空白，通过对16名中文VTuber直播实践的质性研究，揭示相关发现。数据显示，直播中使用的虚拟形象使创作者能够采用夸张化的呈现方式展现自我，并促成与观众的包容性互动。研究结果还揭示了在厌恶女性环境中，VTuber呈现出的夸张且常具性别化特征的性别表达。研究发现，VTubing的社会技术特性可能在减少性骚扰与性别歧视的同时，也引发了自我物化方面的担忧。