Miquela Sousa, better known as Lil Miquela or simply, Miquela is a Brazilian American computer-generated Instagram model and music artist from Downey, California. Her Instagram account, lilmiquela was activated in 2016, she has amassed more than 526,000 followers and a cult-like following of 'Miquelites'. She has gained attention most notably for controversy regarding whether or not she is a real person or a virtual simulation.

Many argue that Miquela's features are too exaggerated to be human, but she has also garnered praise for how realistic she appears to be. Some speculate that she is the digitalised version of a real girl, the product of combining a 3D model with photographs. Arti Poppenberg https://www.instagram.com/arti_poppers/ has been cited as the owner of the account, although she denies this claim. Debate exists as to whether Lil Miquela is an art project, hoax, or marketing scheme. She has promoted several products on her instagram posts. She portrays the lifestyle of an Instagram it-girl by partying at famous Los Angeles clubs, attending trendy art gallery openings, donning designer clothes, and posting selfies. She references specific physical locations and regularly posts pictures with real models, designers, and musicians. She also has Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr accounts and has used her platform to support socially minded causes including Black Lives Matter, feminism, Muslim and refugee advocacy organizations, transgender rights, gun control, My Friend's Place, Planned Parenthood, and protests of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

From an artistic perspective, her Instagram account has been described as blurring the line between reality and social media, commenting on the unrealistic perceptions perpetuated by the social media platform. Her social media presence performs as a simulacrum which reflects a certain set of values, objects, and brands relevant to popular culture. Her intrigue may be connected to the robotics concept of the uncanny valley in that she comes close to appearing human, but not close enough. The account elicits questions of authenticity and perfection in a digital landscape.

In August 2017, Miquela became a signed music artist and released her first single, Not Mine, on Spotify. Her transformation into a singer has led many people to compare her to other virtual music artists such as Gorillaz and Hatsune Miku.

See also Instagram model References ^ "Virtual Singer & Internet Star Miquela Shares Debut Single 'Not Mine'". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-11-05.  ^ a b "Virtual It-Singer Miquela Says 'Controversy Doesn't Mean Anything': Interview". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-12-17.  ^ "This Instagram model has thousands of followers and they're mostly people trying to work out if she's fake or not". The Independent. 2016-09-06. Retrieved 2017-02-23.  ^ a b c Dewey, Caitlin; Dewey, Caitlin (2016-09-22). "I think I solved Instagram's biggest mystery, but you'll have to figure it out for yourself". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2017-02-23.  ^ "Instagram's Latest 'It' Model Is Confusing The Hell Out Of Everyone". The Huffington Post. 2016-09-02. Retrieved 2017-02-23.  ^ "Meet Lil Miquela: The New Insta-Star Who Isn't Actually Real". The Debrief. Retrieved 2017-02-23.  ^ Dazed (2016-07-19). "@lilmiquela is the it-girl who lives in your phone". Dazed. Retrieved 2017-02-23.  ^ "Virtual Singer & Internet Star Miquela Shares Debut Single 'Not Mine'". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-11-05.