The power of the internet is truly amazing. Overnight people can become celebrities and make a fortune. Simply posting a video that people like can change lives. I must say I am a little tired of it as people are becoming famous for being famous, they don't need to have any skills or talents, yet they can influence millions of people.

I must say I cannot think of anything worse than being rich and famous. I wouldn't mind having a bit more money, however the thought of fame leaves me cold. Someone once said "So many people are so desperate for fame that they will do almost anything. They long to be in the public eye and to have their names on everybody's lips. Then when they become so famous that they cannot step outside their front door without being recognised, they take to wearing a disguise".So true. Some megastars have to be careful what they throw out in their rubbish, as superfans and paparazzi go though their rubbish bins to see what they can salvage. I remember Madonna once saying that people had gone through her bins and taken her discarded underwear, which then appeared on the internet for sale. Fame demands a heavy price and many of us would find this kind of life intolerable.

Internet fame

There is another kind of fame that also brings people to the public eye without the intrusion - it is internet fame. These people have a presence online and start off by writing blogs or critiquing products. Like most people I have actors and singers that I like, however I would not buy a product just because an entertainer or any other famous person endorsed it. I have never bought a perfume or article of clothing that has been "created" by a star.

Seemingly people can do or become anything on the internet. I was searching for a song on YouTube and there were lots of videos that came up of someone "reacting" to the song. I couldn't believe it, now people are filming themselves and posting videos saying what they think of songs or films etc. Anyway these people even have their own channels.

There is a famous blogger here England who has just paid one million pounds for a house, she earned the money from the internet. Her boyfriend is just as famous as her, as they both review beauty products, he does the men's stuff. It started out with her just saying that she had bought a new lipstick and what she thought of it, then she reviewed other products, then as more and more people not only watched her videos, but then also went on to buy the products that she recommended, or avoided the products that she did not endorse, she became a very powerful person, advertising wise. Now designers and purveyors of beauty products seek her out and pay her huge sums of money for giving their items a good rating. If she says something is good and that we need that particular product to enhance our lives, then lots of people will buy it (except me).

This is a marketing dream. To launch a new product traditionally meant spending a fortune on advertising, particularly TV airplay. Now that is not necessary, and the sums that are spent on getting these non-famous famous people to say that their products are good are minimal compared to what companies would normally spend on advertising.

Work hard become successful VS don't work hard,become successful

China is not immune to this industry, and there are many people who have cottoned on to this way of making money, rather than getting a job. For them it is a no-brainer. They think that studying hard and using their time and money on getting a high level education is a waste, particularly when the results are not guaranteed and there may not be a good job at the end of it. The problem is that this is eroding centuries and centuries of traditional Chinese values, namely, studying hard, getting a good job, working hard, buying a house and establishing a family. Now people can forget the studying and working and instead just film themselves and post the videos online. Of course, they first have to attract people and get them to watch their videos in the first place, but once they have done that they become video gold and in turn can attract the advertisers.

How do you stand out in a country where there are so many people? Well it is easy if you are a pretty girl, but there are lots of pretty girls in China so something more is needed. They must be able to convince other girls that they need to become like them to be successful. Some of them film themselves doing silly things.

Generation gap,value gap

Apparently, this compulsion to be famous for being famous and become rich without working seems to mainly be confined to people born after 1995. You will probably be aware that many Chinese people attribute problems in society to those born in certain generations and they have even coined phrases, ba ling hou, jiu ling hou, literally 80 (1980) after and 90 after. They feel these generations have a serious attitude problem and whenever someone is in the news for doing something bad, if they were born in these pivotal years, the media will always bring it out.

In a survey conducted recently it was found that 48% of those born after 1995 did not want to work, and 54% wanted to be a webcaster. According to an analysis done in 2016, it was predicted that this industry would generate 52.8 billion yuan then, and by 2018 will exceed 100 billion yuan. The words social phenomenon have been used, but it is also recognised as a valid commercial enterprise.

How long can this "desirable" profession last? As long as people want to see a particular person's videos. Unfortunately, there is always someone prettier, younger, more outrageous etc. waiting in the wings to take over someone's crown. Today's throwaway star is tomorrow's forgotten old news. As quickly as these "stars" shine, they fade. People are fickle and whereas actors/actresses and singers generate loyalty amongst a fan base, there is no such benefit for the internet stars.

It must seem incomprehensible to older generation Chinese, particularly parents of these internet personalities, that the creed by which they lived, and their parents, grandparents and other ancestors lived by is no longer a guaranteed and respected path in life. Now telling young Chinese people that if they work hard they can succeed seems like old fashioned advice. 15 minutes of fame can generate enough cash to buy a house. There is an old saying that perfectly reflects what is happening, 一分耕耘, 一分收获, fēn gēng yún, yī fēn shōu huò, literally half cultivating the ground to grow the crop, half harvesting it. It basically means that hard work is needed to achieve a good result. Sadly these internet stars are finding out that this isn't necessarily true. I find that really sad.