Lil Miquela: The Nature of a Real Person

After last week's discussion on the uncanny valley, the topic has seemed to come up more in everyday life. One example in pop culture is Instagram model Lil Miquela, who is famous because no one is quite sure whether she is real or not.

Her profile is full of photos in the typical "Instagram model" poses: pouted lips, looking over her shoulder, selfie style. Some are with other people, whether in a car or standing beside one another. However, in each one her face usually appears to be some sort of CGI animation or 3D graphic art.

News outlets have been posting about it, and YouTubers, including Shane Dawson, have been exploring possible reasons someone would a) make a fake model or b) digitally alter themselves to this extent for Instagram fame.

Dawson discusses the uncanny valley during a segment he posts on his second channel about conspiracy theories and Mandela effects.

I found this extremely current example of the uncanny valley on social media very relevant to both the class and the nature of a human.

YouTuber and news informant Phil DeFranco also discussed Lil Miquela in a clip Dawson included in the video embedded above, in which Dawson explains that no matter the digital origin of the model, she is still technically a real person.

"Miquela is as real as any other Instagram model you follow—is as real as me, for a lot of you. What I mean by that is if we never meet each other in person, I really only ever exist in your phone, in your computer, your TV screen."

 Dawson had the chance during this video to speak on the phone with Miquela, who described herself as someone who just wanted "to make some great art and make the world hurt less." The phone call is vamped with autotune, but Miquela's tone and diction are very human, as are her goals and aspirations she expresses while speaking with Dawson.

I believe that Miquela is taking advantage of both the uncanny valley and modern technology to achieve lofty dreams while protecting her true identity.