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China is home to 751 million Internet users， and 343 million of them have had the experience of watching live streams， according to statistics released by the China Internet Network Information Center. Live streaming is a fledging but blooming industry in China. While presenting performances to their fans， live streamers gain fame and fi nancial rewards. Among them， some top-notch ones， commonly known as cyber-celebrities， make much more money in a month than ordinary people do in a year.
Some people are staunch followers of such cyber-celebrity idols， offering them rewards and purchasing the products they endorse. Some others， however， sniff at the so-called celebrities， blaming them for polluting the social atmosphere， and don’t see live streaming as a formal profession. Internet show girls， in particular， are under fire. No matter how the public see this cyber-celebrity phenomenon， live steaming is becoming a huge business in China.
Yuan Guobao （Global Times）： Misunderstandings exist about Internet celebrities. Some people simply equate them to Internet show girls who act vulgarly.
Broadly speaking， live streamers do fall into the category of cyber-celebrities. They have stable numbers of fans. However， to some extent， they are “virtual persons” living only on certain platforms. Once the platforms disappear or they can no longer round up fans， their Internet celebrity ends. Therefore， in the real sense， live streamers are not the kind of Internet celebrities favored by businesses or the Internet celebrity economy.
Real Internet celebrities are those who have abiding attractiveness， who cause changes to others’ lives or in certain areas， and thus they are of lasting commercial value. They are usually endowed with unique charisma， have high reputation in society and boast strong professional capabilities. They represent the way of life in their own areas. What they are spreading is constructive and influential， and their fans believe in the values they advocate.
Before the Internet era， movie and TV stars were presented to the public through their works and media outlets， so there was little interaction between stars and their fans. However， today， the power is in the hands of fans， as cyber-celebrities can only get well-known by catering to certain groups’ interests. When a cyber-celebrity has built up his or her own brand， their fan base will also become more stable. The development of social media as well as the injection of capital will make it possible for such celebrities to make money， and the Internet celebrity phenomenon may also become another source of economic growth in the near future. Undeniably， on the whole， the live streaming sector has its defi ciencies， such as the lack of excellent original content， effective management mechanisms and professional market operation. However， when new generations of star live streamers begin to emerge and an effective commercialization model takes shape， we can expect bright prospects for this industry. Market rules will force cyber-celebrities to update their business or be driven out of the sector.
Li Sihui （Guangming Daily）： In Luzhou in southwest China’s Sichuan Province， a young farmer born in the 1990s named Liu Jinyin gets up early in the morning every day， and live streams his daily life： sweeping fl oors， cooking， feeding pigs， doing fi eldwork and catching fi sh in small rivers. He is the only young person still remaining in his small village. Within half a year， he has accumulated almost 100，000 fans and received rewards totaling over 80，000 yuan（$12，255）. However， his parents and neighbors don’t see this as honest labor.
For those who live in big cities， the pure and simple rural life streamed by Liu is totally fresh and very attractive. For Liu， he is able to make much more money than working as a migrant worker in cities. However， although he is economically successful， he finds his community still does not understand him. To call “live streaming” a serious profession is a bit unacceptable， but maybe it’s not inappropriate to call rural people stubborn and outdated， either.
Many young people are enthusiastic about live streaming and watching live feeds. There are many such activities going on every day.
Live streaming has become a mania just in recent years， mixed with good and bad aspects. In order to attract followers and make big money， some live streaming platforms have become involved in obscenity， and most live streamers ask for rewards from viewers.
Another problem is： What is the value of live streaming？ While some live streams provide interesting information or knowledge， such as about the tranquility of rural life， some others are totally devoid of value. Some streamers behave coyly and focus on silly topics. This is a huge waste of time for both streamers and the audience. Without social value， how can you call live streaming a formal job， and how can you expect it to be widely accepted？
If operated properly， live streaming can probably create social value and gradually become a profession. Actually， many professions have experienced the process of being recognized from obscurity. However， many emerging professions also fl ower briefl y and disappear in time. If live streaming wants to transform itself from a certain “social phenomenon” to a “formal profession，” some efforts can’t be skipped： maximizing its social value and guarding against excessive entertainment. Huang Shuai （China Youth Daily）： Most live streaming viewers are males living in small and medium-sized cities. Also， migrant workers and some of the newly rich are staunch followers of their beloved Internet celebrities. They spend a lot of time and energy watching webcasts in order to defuse mental stress or relieve boredom.
Why is live streaming so popular？ The primary reason is that it caters to the viewers’desire to probe other people’s privacy. In the past， only movie and TV stars would boast a huge number of fans， but it was always very diffi cult for ordinary people to meet their idols， let alone sit face to face with them. But the public can easily get connected to cyber-celebrities， and they can watch their daily lives by paying them only a bit of money， called a “tip.”
Most cyber-celebrities do not reveal their really private affairs. They only webcast their own eating， drinking， talking， singing， etc； some may broadcast themselves changing clothes and dancing fervently. Some of them try to meet their fans’ demands by barely avoiding violating laws， and their fans reward them.
Although a live streaming event is open to everyone， from each individual viewer’s perspective， the viewing is usually private. For this reason， the audience will not feel morally guilty when they look into the privacy of online celebrities， and instead， they will encourage them to put on more exciting performances online by offering them more rewards. In this process， while live streamers gain fi nancial rewards and also the sense of being a star， viewers are emotionally satisfi ed.
Yang Ling （People’s Daily）： Celebrities’ways of life and businesses can always attract a lot of attention. Although at the current stage， Internet celebrities， who are usually admired by a certain group of people， do not possess such cultural infl uence， they are able to gain a lot of followers. More importantly， they can transform this attraction into commercial gains depending on the size of their fan base and their fans’purchasing power.
Like movie and TV stars， Internet celebrities can also help elevate the reputation of certain products and brands， but the two differ from each other in the ways they attract fans and encourage them to consume. Movie stars are admired and followed by fans because they represent iconic fashions. Cyber-celebrities， however， present themselves as confidantes to ordinary individuals. They share their professional knowledge and personal experience with followers or provide advice on makeup and dressing on social media. The sharing， interaction and trust involved in the Internet celebrity economy are of greater economic potential than the economic model based on the infl uence of traditional celebrities.
Currently， the rise of the Internet celebrity economy is also to a large extent a result of the rapid development of social media， which encourages marketing and advertising industries to move from mass media to social media. This provides a broad stage for online celebrities to engage themselves with commercial advertising， brand marketing and product sales. They are potentially capable of transforming their personal infl uence among their fans into economic revenue.
Some people are staunch followers of such cyber-celebrity idols， offering them rewards and purchasing the products they endorse. Some others， however， sniff at the so-called celebrities， blaming them for polluting the social atmosphere， and don’t see live streaming as a formal profession. Internet show girls， in particular， are under fire. No matter how the public see this cyber-celebrity phenomenon， live steaming is becoming a huge business in China.
Yuan Guobao （Global Times）： Misunderstandings exist about Internet celebrities. Some people simply equate them to Internet show girls who act vulgarly.
Broadly speaking， live streamers do fall into the category of cyber-celebrities. They have stable numbers of fans. However， to some extent， they are “virtual persons” living only on certain platforms. Once the platforms disappear or they can no longer round up fans， their Internet celebrity ends. Therefore， in the real sense， live streamers are not the kind of Internet celebrities favored by businesses or the Internet celebrity economy.
Real Internet celebrities are those who have abiding attractiveness， who cause changes to others’ lives or in certain areas， and thus they are of lasting commercial value. They are usually endowed with unique charisma， have high reputation in society and boast strong professional capabilities. They represent the way of life in their own areas. What they are spreading is constructive and influential， and their fans believe in the values they advocate.
Before the Internet era， movie and TV stars were presented to the public through their works and media outlets， so there was little interaction between stars and their fans. However， today， the power is in the hands of fans， as cyber-celebrities can only get well-known by catering to certain groups’ interests. When a cyber-celebrity has built up his or her own brand， their fan base will also become more stable. The development of social media as well as the injection of capital will make it possible for such celebrities to make money， and the Internet celebrity phenomenon may also become another source of economic growth in the near future. Undeniably， on the whole， the live streaming sector has its defi ciencies， such as the lack of excellent original content， effective management mechanisms and professional market operation. However， when new generations of star live streamers begin to emerge and an effective commercialization model takes shape， we can expect bright prospects for this industry. Market rules will force cyber-celebrities to update their business or be driven out of the sector.
Li Sihui （Guangming Daily）： In Luzhou in southwest China’s Sichuan Province， a young farmer born in the 1990s named Liu Jinyin gets up early in the morning every day， and live streams his daily life： sweeping fl oors， cooking， feeding pigs， doing fi eldwork and catching fi sh in small rivers. He is the only young person still remaining in his small village. Within half a year， he has accumulated almost 100，000 fans and received rewards totaling over 80，000 yuan（$12，255）. However， his parents and neighbors don’t see this as honest labor.
For those who live in big cities， the pure and simple rural life streamed by Liu is totally fresh and very attractive. For Liu， he is able to make much more money than working as a migrant worker in cities. However， although he is economically successful， he finds his community still does not understand him. To call “live streaming” a serious profession is a bit unacceptable， but maybe it’s not inappropriate to call rural people stubborn and outdated， either.
Many young people are enthusiastic about live streaming and watching live feeds. There are many such activities going on every day.
Live streaming has become a mania just in recent years， mixed with good and bad aspects. In order to attract followers and make big money， some live streaming platforms have become involved in obscenity， and most live streamers ask for rewards from viewers.
Another problem is： What is the value of live streaming？ While some live streams provide interesting information or knowledge， such as about the tranquility of rural life， some others are totally devoid of value. Some streamers behave coyly and focus on silly topics. This is a huge waste of time for both streamers and the audience. Without social value， how can you call live streaming a formal job， and how can you expect it to be widely accepted？
If operated properly， live streaming can probably create social value and gradually become a profession. Actually， many professions have experienced the process of being recognized from obscurity. However， many emerging professions also fl ower briefl y and disappear in time. If live streaming wants to transform itself from a certain “social phenomenon” to a “formal profession，” some efforts can’t be skipped： maximizing its social value and guarding against excessive entertainment. Huang Shuai （China Youth Daily）： Most live streaming viewers are males living in small and medium-sized cities. Also， migrant workers and some of the newly rich are staunch followers of their beloved Internet celebrities. They spend a lot of time and energy watching webcasts in order to defuse mental stress or relieve boredom.
Why is live streaming so popular？ The primary reason is that it caters to the viewers’desire to probe other people’s privacy. In the past， only movie and TV stars would boast a huge number of fans， but it was always very diffi cult for ordinary people to meet their idols， let alone sit face to face with them. But the public can easily get connected to cyber-celebrities， and they can watch their daily lives by paying them only a bit of money， called a “tip.”
Most cyber-celebrities do not reveal their really private affairs. They only webcast their own eating， drinking， talking， singing， etc； some may broadcast themselves changing clothes and dancing fervently. Some of them try to meet their fans’ demands by barely avoiding violating laws， and their fans reward them.
Although a live streaming event is open to everyone， from each individual viewer’s perspective， the viewing is usually private. For this reason， the audience will not feel morally guilty when they look into the privacy of online celebrities， and instead， they will encourage them to put on more exciting performances online by offering them more rewards. In this process， while live streamers gain fi nancial rewards and also the sense of being a star， viewers are emotionally satisfi ed.
Yang Ling （People’s Daily）： Celebrities’ways of life and businesses can always attract a lot of attention. Although at the current stage， Internet celebrities， who are usually admired by a certain group of people， do not possess such cultural infl uence， they are able to gain a lot of followers. More importantly， they can transform this attraction into commercial gains depending on the size of their fan base and their fans’purchasing power.
Like movie and TV stars， Internet celebrities can also help elevate the reputation of certain products and brands， but the two differ from each other in the ways they attract fans and encourage them to consume. Movie stars are admired and followed by fans because they represent iconic fashions. Cyber-celebrities， however， present themselves as confidantes to ordinary individuals. They share their professional knowledge and personal experience with followers or provide advice on makeup and dressing on social media. The sharing， interaction and trust involved in the Internet celebrity economy are of greater economic potential than the economic model based on the infl uence of traditional celebrities.
Currently， the rise of the Internet celebrity economy is also to a large extent a result of the rapid development of social media， which encourages marketing and advertising industries to move from mass media to social media. This provides a broad stage for online celebrities to engage themselves with commercial advertising， brand marketing and product sales. They are potentially capable of transforming their personal infl uence among their fans into economic revenue.