Faceless influencers are becoming famous online
不露臉網紅正悄然崛起，席捲網絡
They are everywhere on social media. Just don’t ask what they look like.
他們充斥於社交媒體的每個角落，但別問他們是誰。
Feb 13th 2025
The most successful influencers put their lives in the limelight—and their faces all over your social-media feed. They are relentless at self-promotion. But a new kind of creator is upending the internet’s traditional model of success. Meet faceless influencers, who are attracting millions of followers and are quietly conquering social media, turning their anonymity into commercial gains.
傳統網紅將生活置於鎂光燈下，他們的臉孔充斥著你的社交動態，自我推銷無所不用其極。然而，一種新型創作者正顛覆網絡成功的傳統模式——不露臉網紅。他們吸引數百萬粉絲，悄然征服社交媒體，將匿名性轉化為商業收益。
Their aesthetic is usually soothing, minimalist and domestic. Hands with glistening, manicured nails clasp iced coffees; nondescript figures lounge in cosy bedrooms. Some accounts may show fleeting glimpses of an influencer’s profile. But all hide their identities as much as possible.
他們的風格療癒、簡約且居家：手握冰咖啡，精心修飾的指甲在光線下閃爍，模糊的身影慵懶地躺在舒適的臥室中。偶爾，部分帳號會短暫地顯露側影，但他們總是小心翼翼地隱藏著自己的真實身份。
On TikTok some 200,000 posts are tagged #Faceless; they have a combined 1.1bn views. Facebook groups such as “Girls Gone Faceless” boast over 100,000 members. Camera-shy hopefuls can even take courses on becoming anonymous Instagrammers. “Faceless creators have the same dedicated followings as traditional influencers,” says Julia Markowitz of Emerald Woods Management, an influencer agency. “The only difference is that their followers are fascinated with their lifestyle, not their specific life.”
在 TikTok 上，約 20 萬則標記 #無臉 的貼文累積了 110 億次觀看。臉書群組如「無臉女孩」擁有超過 10 萬名成員。有鏡頭恐懼症的人甚至能報名課程，學習如何成為匿名 Instagram 創作者。「不露臉創作者與傳統網紅擁有同樣忠實的粉絲，」網紅經紀公司 Emerald Woods Management 的 Julia Markowitz 表示，「唯一區別在於，粉絲著迷的是他們的生活方式，而非個人生活。」
The internet has a history of anonymity, says Brooke Erin Duffy, an academic at Cornell University. In the early days this meant unnamed bloggers and pseudonymous instant-messaging handles and meme accounts. However, social media and influencer culture have always emphasised personal identity.
康奈爾大學學者 Brooke Erin Duffy 指出，網絡一直有匿名的傳統。早期，這體現於無名部落客、化名即時通訊帳號及迷因帳號。然而，近年興起的社交媒體與網紅文化始終強調個人身份。
But viewers are now seeking out these invisible influencers. Removing identity markers has made faceless influencing a more inclusive space, because the content is neutral. This often means it is easier to relate to, because audiences can imagine themselves there.
如今，觀眾正主動尋找這些隱形網紅。去除了身份特徵，不露臉網紅的頻道變成更具包容性，內容中立且易於共鳴，觀眾能輕易將自己代入其中。
Two things changed to give rise to the new faceless trend. One was the success of Asia’s unnamed “silent vloggers”, whose cinematic videos of daily life while stuck at home during the pandemic went viral. The second was the desire of people to make money as influencers without devoting their whole lives to it. Faceless influencers emerged when “The Gen Z corporate girl wanted to make money on the side of her nine-to-five without the effort of getting camera-ready,” says Fallon Lowery, a talent manager for influencers.
兩大變化催生了無臉趨勢。一是亞洲無名「沉默 Vlogger」的成功，他們在疫情期間拍攝的居家生活影片如電影般精緻，迅速爆紅。二是人們希望在不付出全部生活時，還能以網紅身份賺錢。網紅經紀人 Fallon Lowery 表示：「Z 世代職場女性希望在朝九晚五之餘賺外快，而不必費心打扮上鏡。」
Faceless influencers were also drawn to the incognito existence to avoid some of the harassment and hateful comments with which recognisable influencers are barraged. “The biggest advantage has been the freedom it provides,” says Victoria Ortega, who goes by Elysian Living and has around 6m followers across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. (She posts about oven deep cleans and even her skincare routine, but without ever showing her whole face.)
不露臉網紅也為了避開知名網紅常遭受的騷擾與惡評，被低調的生活方式所吸引。「最大的優點在於自由，」Victoria Ortega（網名 Elysian Living）說道。她在 Instagram、TikTok 和 YouTube 上擁有約 600 萬粉絲。（她分享烤箱清潔、護膚步驟，但從未露臉。）
Brands, including Adobe and Amazon, have taken note of the appeal. “We have seen a huge uptick in brand collaborations with faceless creators,” says Karim Nasri of Digital Streamers, an influencer marketing agency. Such deals are most common with consumer-product lines, including technology and home organisation, because they let the items—instead of the people showing them—take centre stage.
包括 Adobe 和 Amazon 在內的品牌已注意到這股趨勢。「我們看到品牌與無臉創作者的合作大幅增加，」網紅營銷機構 Digital Streamers 的 Karim Nasri 表示。這類合作在消費品領域最為常見，包括科技與家居產品，因為它們讓商品—而非展示者—成為焦點。
Faceless influencers may be thriving today, but they are not immune to pressures. Some wonder whether they are more likely to be displaced by accounts that use artificial intelligence to create content cheaply. Technology is now good enough for virtual influencers to be believable, cutting out the need for real people. Influencers without famous personas and unique real-life backdrops can be easily generated by AI.
今日的不露臉網紅網紅或許經營的的風生水起，但他們也面臨壓力。有人擔心他們可能被利用 AI 低成本製作內容的帳號取代。科技已足夠先進，虛擬網紅足以以假亂真，不再需要真人。缺乏名人特質與獨特生活背景的網紅，如今能輕易通過 AI 生成。
There is also the risk of imitation by other influencers. “It can be challenging to differentiate myself since there’s no physical identity attached, so it’s important for me to always add a personal touch,” such as a playful tone in her captions, says Ms Ortega. But there is no guarantee of success. After all, faceless influencers’ biggest competition is not other creators but the recommendation algorithm—the most important invisible influencer of them all.
此外，他們還面臨被其他網紅模仿的風險。「由於缺乏明確的身份特徵，突出自己可能會變得相當困難，因此我必須融入更多個人特色，」Ortega 女士說道，例如在標題中使用俏皮語氣。但成功並無保證。畢竟，不露臉網紅最大的競爭對手並非其他創作者，而是推薦演算法——這才是最重要的隱形影響者。
摘要：
The rise of faceless influencers on social media represents a shift away from the traditional model of fame, where personal identity and constant self-promotion are key. These influencers, often characterized by minimalist aesthetics, hide their faces and embrace anonymity, focusing instead on their lifestyle. Their success is rooted in the appeal of neutrality, making it easier for audiences to relate to their content. The phenomenon gained traction with “silent vloggers” during the pandemic and continues as a way for individuals to monetize their influence without the demands of public exposure. However, these creators face growing competition, not just from human influencers but from AI-generated content, which could threaten the very foundation of faceless influencing.
不露臉網紅的興起，代表著社群媒體走紅模式的轉變，有別於過去需要展示個人身份和不斷自我推銷的方式。這些網紅以極簡風格為特色，刻意隱藏臉孔並選擇匿名，專注展現生活品味。他們之所以能獲得成功，主要在於內容的中立性，讓觀眾更容易產生共鳴。疫情期間盛行的「沈默vlog」加速了這股潮流，也為許多人開創了無需露臉就能賺錢的機會。然而，這些網紅不僅面臨其他創作者的競爭，更要應對AI生成內容的挑戰，這可能動搖不露臉網紅的頻道本質。
本文為個人翻譯，若有疏漏之處，敬請指教－
