>>93142056Loneliness epidemic and a general atomization of society. People have always had this latent tendency (see "Lisztomania"), but modern technology and living standards made being a hikki a sustainable lifestyle (if you want to call it that). In ye olden days you had to at least go out and socialize if you didn't want to starve to death. Also, vtubers tend to be nerdy introverts, often struggling with mental health themselves. It's literally a case of "This person is just like me fr fr".
