Victoria Vincent explores what happens when our obsession with online personas goes too far

Victoria Vincent’s new animation Kittykat96 has been inspired by the world of vlogging and YouTube stars, and follows the story of an “internet famous girl” whose online persona comes to life as a separate entity from her physical self. “Last summer I became really invested in the life of famous YouTuber Trisha Paytas, AKA blndsundoll4mi. I ended up watching nearly all ten years worth of videos,” says Victoria of her inspiration. “It was really interesting to me to watch how in some videos she would put on a character and others were more raw and emotional. So I decided to make a video about a vlogger and I mixed my own personal experiences with having an internet persona in with it.”

The result is an unnerving animation that sees the protagonist battle with her online persona in a world of sea green and peachy pink. In several desperate attempts she uses keyboard commands to rid herself of her counterpart like undo, delete and escape, blurring the two worlds even further and heightening the tension. “It was hard to think of a way to convey what I wanted in the film,” explains Victoria. “When I came up with the idea I had the ending and beginning very clearly in my mind, but I wanted to think of a way to show how the protagonist would see that she couldn’t live entirely as her interest persona or entirely without it and avoid using dialogue or directly saying it.”

Relying solely on sound effects and visuals, the film remains relatable. Combined with her sense of humour she questions our obsession with the internet and how our online personas are just created versions of ourselves. “I think everyone can relate to having two sides to their personality, whether it’s the one they show to others vs the one they keep inside,” says Victoria.