Powered by OpenAIRE graph
Found an issue? Give us feedback
ZENODOarrow_drop_down
ZENODO
Other literature type . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Other literature type . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
versions View all 2 versions
addClaim

Digital Persona Engineering and Parasocial Exploitation: A Case Study of the "Anime B Me" Social Experiment on YouTube

Authors: Revista, Zen;

Digital Persona Engineering and Parasocial Exploitation: A Case Study of the "Anime B Me" Social Experiment on YouTube

Abstract

This paper examines the YouTube channel Anime B Me as a longitudinal and premeditated social experiment in digital persona construction, parasocial exploitation, and behavioral monetization. Conceived and orchestrated by the content creator Davie504 over a five-year period (2015–2020), the project leveraged selective facial anonymity, otaku subcultural aesthetics, and a deliberately engineered inter-channel rivalry to generate rapid audience growth—ultimately surpassing 200,000 subscribers—without reliance on conventional personal branding strategies. Drawing upon theoretical frameworks of parasocial interaction (PSI), information-gap psychology, niche emotional segmentation, and internal traffic arbitrage, this study conducts a multi-dimensional analysis of the strategic architecture underlying the channel’s expansion. Particular attention is given to the ways in which controlled identity opacity and narrative tension functioned as growth accelerators within platform recommendation systems. We argue that the case represents a paradigmatic instance of what we term Synthetic Persona Marketing (SPM)—an orchestrated communication framework in which creator identity is intentionally rendered incomplete. This incompleteness encourages audience-driven projection, allowing viewers to fill informational gaps with imagined attributes that reinforce engagement, loyalty, and speculative discussion. Within such environments, identity becomes less a fixed personal disclosure and more a narrative scaffold co-produced by creator and audience. The eventual public revelation of the channel’s authorship confirmed the central thesis of SPM: that in high-velocity digital attention markets, narrative architecture and psychological timing frequently outperform technical expertise or authenticity signals as drivers of audience conversion. By staging delayed disclosure and sustaining narrative ambiguity, the experiment effectively transformed curiosity into a renewable engagement resource. Finally, the paper discusses broader ethical and structural implications for the influencer economy, including questions of transparency, manipulation in parasocial ecosystems, and the responsibility of platform governance mechanisms. It further argues that increasing levels of digital literacy among audiences will be necessary to navigate emerging forms of identity engineering that blur the boundaries between entertainment, experimentation, and behavioral influence in contemporary social media environments.

  • BIP!
    Impact byBIP!
    selected citations
    These citations are derived from selected sources.
    This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
    0
    popularity
    This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
    Average
    influence
    This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
    Average
    impulse
    This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
    Average
Powered by OpenAIRE graph
Found an issue? Give us feedback
selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
Upload OA version
Are you the author of this publication? Upload your Open Access version to Zenodo!
It’s fast and easy, just two clicks!