19 SEPTEMBER 2025
Welcome to this week’s edition of Culture Wire, a newsletter brought to you by Singapore-based pop culture and lifestyle marketing agency Culture Group.
In this week’s edition:
- Headline of the Week: Charting the rise of SEA’s character economy
- Fax, No Printer: Which TikTok trend has Gen Z proudly owning their guilty pleasures?
- Before You Leave: Passion is reshaping economies, social habits and brand fortunes – from Lululemon to fangirling
Headline of the Week
👾 PHANTOM FANDOM
This November, virtual idol Hatsune Miku will make her Singapore debut as part of an Asia-wide tour that will also stop in Bangkok, Jakarta, Manila and Kuala Lumpur. The Miku Expo will be accompanied by offshoot events in Singapore and Seoul, bringing together musicians and DJs from across the community. Next year, she’ll partner with Pokémon for a crossover event in Tokyo.
Hatsune Miku might be the OG virtual idol, but she’s not the only one making waves. After selling over 1 million physical copies of their new album and becoming the most-streamed artist on Melon, virtual boyband PLAVE are also on tour (note: while Hatsune Miku is a fully virtual character powered by voice synthesis technology, PLAVE members are real performers whose identities are hidden behind digital avatars).
OUR TAKE
The Virtual YouTuber (Vtuber) economy is exploding – surpassing 500 million hours watched in Q1 2025, with Hatsune Miku videos hitting an all-time high in 2024. SEA in particular has a long history of forming fandoms around non-human characters, with characters like Hello Kitty and Monchhichi showing enduring appeal. Interest in the latter has increased following the recent success of Labubu.
In a world where human connection increasingly disappoints, mascots are consistent. So are virtual idols and AI companions – and they’re almost always available and scandal-free (PLAVE members probably aren’t going to get into a bar fight). Unlike human celebrities and influencers, characters and virtual performers offer fandom without fallout. This is parasocial connection without parasocial exhaustion.
For all the talk of digital escapism, SEA’s character economy has many physical elements. Think Labubu queues, KFC x Butterbear ‘meet & eat’ events and partnerships with Zara, Moo Deng mall takeovers… the list goes on. Fans don’t just follow these characters online, they show up for them IRL. And this helps to explain why virtual idols like Hatsune Miku are touring as well as streaming.
Here’s the thing: fifteen years ago, admitting you loved anime or virtual idols would have marked you as fringe. Today? The fringe has become the majority. Anime fans, gamers, VTuber audiences – AKA the ‘outsider kids’ – aren’t hiding in forums anymore. They’re setting the cultural agenda. Online communities didn’t just normalize niche interests; they revealed that these interests were never actually niche. They were just waiting for permission to go mainstream. Now when Hatsune Miku announces a tour or Butterbear releases merch, it’s not subculture – it’s the culture. The tastemaking pyramid is now inverted. Forget a few cool kids telling everyone what to like. Now, communities collectively decide what matters.
Two things to consider. First, Labubu fatigue is real, proving characters can overstay their welcome. Second, in China, Gen Z are turning themselves (or their pets) into collectible characters called ‘guzi’. Forget collecting characters – it’s now possible to become one. From worshipping idols to building virtual ones to becoming merch – the circle is complete. When everyone can become their own limited edition figurine, what competitive advantage remains for traditional mascots and virtual idols?
Fax, No Printer*
For those of you born before 1997, ‘fax, no printer‘ is Gen Z speak for ‘undeniable facts I agree with’
Which viral TikTok trend is inspiring Gen Z to openly confess quirky personality traits and guilty pleasures?
Scroll to the end of the newsletter for the correct answer!
Before You Leave
Fangirling doesn’t expire with age
(14 min read)
Our growing obsession with fictional men
(8 min read)
This Week's Trivia Answer
A. Unfortunately I Do Love
Set to the soundtrack of Joe Walsh’s 1973 hit Rocky Mountain Way, Gen Z TikTokers are listing the things they love that might be seen as flawed, cliches or not ‘on trend’. Although these confession videos appear to lean into relatability, there’s an underlying performative element here, with most of the carefully curated admissions saying ‘I’m real’ while still maintaining a polished social media persona.
Gen Z are adept at constructing authentically imperfect images that, ironically, require considerable thought and curation. Strategic vulnerability allows creators to connect with audiences through relatability while still controlling their narrative – even in an era of supposed transparency, the performance never stops 🎭.
🚀 Over and Out!
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Your Culture Mavens,
Angela, Catherine, Teri, Twila, & Vicki
