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Essentially, a "virtual" streamer or video-maker, one who uses an avatar as their medium of creative expression.
To a degree, it was a "media invention" in that the first big one (Kizuna AI) and precursor concepts (like this and this) were only really possible with massive corporate backing that could afford mocap technology and the like. Nowadays, though, it's easier for independent content creators to get into the space thanks to what I'm going to talk about next:
The development of motion-tracking technology in the past decade-plus (one example of which is LeapMotion, used by some 3D VTubers) has been tied to the new age of VR that started in the 2010's (Oculus and Valve co-developed the modern form of motion-tracking in VR, whether that is done by referencing off of generated infrared signals (Valve's Lighthouses) and/or cameras scanning your surroundings). As the hardware developed, so did the software; now you almost don't need IR-based tracking or specific hardware like LeapMotion, and you can use an iPhone camera to read your face and map its movements to a 2D or 3D model thanks to programs like VBridger or Vseeface.
Speaking of which, models themselves have a link to modern VR. Consider VRoid, originally an initiative to bring 3D models to the masses, becoming a thing promoted within VRChat itself (allowing for people to have unique VR models at low or no cost), and often a good option for prospective VTubers who don't want or need to drop thousands on a quality model. Some VTubers use or have used Unity or Unreal Engine (both engines also being used for VR games) as programs to present their 3D models in an environment.
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