VOCALOID Research Project on Vocaloids!

[Oliver_UVM]

Hello VVN! Due to the recent closure of VocaloidOtaku, my data for a research project on vocaloids was compromised. That's why I need YOUR help! I created a short (10 minute) survey that gets at the heart of my research interest: how vocaloids are perceived by fans. Here is the link. All of the questions are optional and all of the results are totally anonymous.

The class the project is for is called "Globalization and Japanese Popular Culture" -- although the class is multidisciplinary, I am taking a philosophical angle in my research. Specifically, I am interested in the relationship between vocaloids and the ideal (think Plato). If you have any questions about my research, I left a place in the survey, but feel free to leave a reply here as well. I appreciate your time and any feedback you might have. Thank you so much!

 

[Unagi]

Your research sounds really fun! Speaking of the class part, what kind of stuff will this class be teaching? Is it online or an actual meet? What kind of Vocaloid information will you teach? Vocaloid History? Song interpretation? I'm sorry for all the questions, it just sounds fun!

 

[Oliver_UVM]

Your research sounds really fun! Speaking of the class part, what kind of stuff will this class be teaching? Is it online or an actual meet? What kind of Vocaloid information will you teach? Vocaloid History? Song interpretation? I'm sorry for all the questions, it just sounds fun!

Sorry if I wasn't clear; I am a student not a teacher! The class in general focuses on the flow of culture from Japan to the rest of the world in the 21st century, but each student has to choose a specific cultural product to do more in-depth analysis on. Before each class we read articles in anthropology, sociology, psychology, and economics and then discuss every Thursday, and conduct research over the weekend and discuss the results in small groups on Tuesday.
I chose vocaloids because I am a philosophy major, and I am really interested in the philosophy of virtual reality in particular. I was a casual fan of vocaloids before starting the class, and I thought that vocaloids would be a great way to explore this topic. There are a few previous works that address the subject, like “Living in the Immaterial World: Holograms and Spirituality in Recent Popular Music" by Ken McLeod and "Hatsune Miku, Virtual Machine-Woman" by Yuji Sone, and part of my research is critically responding to these. Also, not many people know what vocaloids are, and it is really fun to see their faces when you show them Hatsune Miku's hologram live on stage!

 

[Unagi]

Ah, thank you for clearing that up for me! That's an interesting way to view technology, especially for Vocaloid. I hope you learn a lot about it, and please, show me your findings once you're done. I love to learn about Vocaloid!

 

[Paradoxical]

I did my best to respond. Good luck!