---

Augmented Reality: A History of Virtual Celebrity in South Korea

 

 Abstract

This presentation seeks to understand the concept of virtuality in the South Korean context by examining the country’s history of virtual celebrity, looking from the working “cyber characters” (사이버캐릭터, saibeo kaeligteo) and popular “cyber idols” (사이버가수, saibeogasu) of the 1990s, to the aspirational “virtual influencers” (가상 인플루언서, gasang inpeullueonseo) and real-time “virtual idols” (버츄얼 아이돌 , beochyueol aidol) active as of the early 2020s. By combining archival web and press analysis, along with relevant press, industry, and social media content drawn from a digital ethnography on virtual influencers, it compiles a cross-media account of virtual celebrity in South Korea that spans three decades, revealing a longstanding interest in embedding virtuality into Korean daily life.

Dr. Rachel Berryman (she/her) recently completed her PhD in Internet Studies at Curtin University, studying in the School of Media, Creative Arts, and Social Inquiry. Her thesis analyses the fictional, social media entities popularly known as “virtual influencers”, exploring their history, impact, aesthetics, and commercialisation, particularly in East Asia. She is co-editor (with Prof Crystal Abidin) for a forthcoming edited book titled Virtual Celebrity Cultures in Asia, contracted by Routledge.

 

Event: Social Sciences Seminar Series – Semester 1 

Date:  6^th May, 2026

Time:  1pm – 2pm

Location:  Room 202.136, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley

Join online via MS Teams:

https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/44280588176226?p=6QjJwhArLfPnYDsS7n 

Meeting ID: 442 805 881 762 26 

Passcode: ZF3AH7eD