Hello World and the Metaverse: A chat with Kyra, India’s first virtual influencer

Think about a humanoid endorsing earphones. While this scenario seems entirely like a shot from a new-age sci-fi movie, it isn’t. Virtual influencers are all the rage these days, with the likes of them endorsing products sold by Samsung and Ikea.

One among them is Kyra. When you first lay your eyes on her, you are led to believe she’s just like anyone else. At first glance, she holds herself in a strong, confident pose. Very quickly, you are captivated by her flawless complexion and picture-perfect body—finding yourself drawn to her expressive eyes.

But the more you linger, perhaps longer than a minute, it strikes you that she isn’t real. This intrigue is what draws users to virtual influencers every day.

These personas are created and managed by those who make them. They are no different from creators on other social media platforms today. Most of them have rich personas, with robust lifestyles, emotions and feelings. While global brands have flocked towards this phenomenon to promote products, cut to India where the scene is nascent, Kyra’s entry stands out.

She is a virtual influencer created by Himanshu Goel and his colleagues at influencer marketing agency TopSocial India. She has been creating significant buzz across social media, with over 179,000 people flocking to her Instagram on a daily basis.

Top brands have taken note of this too. For example, boAt Lifestyle, which recently collaborated with her to market its products. She also became the first virtual influencer to grace the digital cover of Travel + Leisure Magazine, says Himanshu.

“We have been following virtual influencers across the globe in 2020 and 2021. We had always thought there should be an Indian virtual influencer. Hence, we decided to build Kyra,” Goel tells The Decrypting Story.

“With virtual influencers in Web3 like Kyra, we can tell stories that might have never been possible before," he adds.

Will the phenomenon of virtual influencers continue or is the hype meant to be short-lived? Kyra, India’s first virtual meta influencer, sits down with The Decrypting Story to answer all questions about her journey in this interview.

Edited excerpts:

The Decrypting Story (DS): Tell us a bit about yourself and your travel journey.

Kyra: I am Kyra, a 21-year-old influencer. I am based out of Mumbai, although I am originally from the Metaverse.

My travel journey has just started. I love getaways in nature, anything that can take me away from city life. Hampi and Andaman are two places that I would love to visit soon.

Besides travel, I would love to broaden my horizons and explore the opportunities out there. Whether it’s a music video, or a streaming show or a movie, the sky's the limit.

DS: What are some of your interests?

Kyra: I would call myself a curious person as I’m constantly eager to learn and try new things. I absolutely love fashion, picking the right outfit, and coordinating it with my day-to-day activities. Fitness is something that holds my interest.

I’m also fascinated by world cinema. The hues, the cinematography, the complexity of a character, and the plot excite me.

DS: How does it feel to be India’s first virtual Metaverse influencer? What are the problems you face as a woman virtual influencer?

Kyra: I love how everyone across India has supported me so far. And I would love to see more virtual influencers pop up soon.

Even though 90% of the comments that I receive are positive and encouraging, there are some who would harass me or bully me in the comments or DMs. It is so unfortunate yet something that most women influencers undergo.

This is the dark side of social media and I’m hoping I can use my platform in the future to raise awareness about this issue and help combat it.

DS: Recently you collaborated with boAt for the Future of Audio campaign. Tell us a bit about it. Would there be many more collaborations in the future, would you name some of the recent partnerships?

Kyra: boAt was the first brand I worked with. I had a few offers from brands before, but the boAt collaboration felt right. The Future of Audio campaign fit exactly with the creative vision that I had.

Their team was great, I had a blast working on that campaign. The best part, of course, is the response of the audience, the results speak for themselves.

There are some collaborations in the pipeline. I was waiting for the right brands or partners for the next one, you’ll see something soon in the coming weeks.

DS: How are you different from the rest of the virtual influencers?

Kyra: I think we are all different and unique in our own way. I would love to be the one that can blur the lines between a virtual and real influencer.

DS: Do you believe Web3 could revolutionise the world? What are your thoughts on that?

Kyra: Of course, it is the future. Besides all the exciting tech that Web3 will bring, the most important feature might be the increased level of security it will bring.

I don’t know about you, but I do not feel comfortable having all my personal data in Web2. Decentralisation is the future.

DS: Metaverse is considered the next iteration of the internet. What are your thoughts on that?

Kyra: I believe the future is hybrid. Metaverse, traditional internet and social media and the real world will blend in seamlessly in the future.

We will be able to traverse through them without any interruptions. Whatever the future of the internet might turn out to be, I am sure it’ll be one thrilling ride.

(This story has been updated to correct a factual error.)