An Internet celebrity, also referred to as an Internet personality, is an individual who has acquired or developed their fame and notability on the Internet. The growing popularity of social media provides a means for people to reach a large, global audience, and internet celebrities are commonly present on large online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube,
Certain internet celebrities may function as promoting a particular lifestyle or attitude. In this capacity they act as key amplifiers of trends across various genres including fashion, cooking, technology, travel, video games, movies, esports, politics, music, sports, and entertainment.
History
In 1991, the
Internet and the World Wide Web became widely available, leading to the creation of numerous websites dedicated to shared interests. These forums allowed users to seek advice and help from experienced individuals in their field, increasing the availability of information beyond mainstream print media and corporate
.
Dedicated social media platforms emerged from these developments, providing users with the ability to create profiles and connect with others. SixDegrees.com pioneered this concept in 1997.
Additionally, websites supporting
blogging emerged around the same time, allowing users to publish long-form articles and stories.
Since then forums, social media and blogging have transformed into integral components of communication, social interaction, business and journalism. Popular social media platforms include
Facebook,
Instagram,
YouTube,
Reddit, Twitch,
Snapchat,
TikTok,
Twitter,
Discord,
Viber,
WeChat, and
WhatsApp.
Types
Depending on their rise to fame, internet celebrities may reach their audiences in different ways. Some people write journals or blogs, some make YouTube or TikTok videos, others post frequently on Instagram or Twitter (X). The Internet has made fame accessible to and attainable for the general public.
In some cases, people might rise to fame through a single
Viral phenomenon or
viral video, and become an
Internet meme. For example,
Zach Anner, a comedian from Austin, Texas, gained worldwide attention after submitting a video to
Oprah Winfrey's "Search for the Next TV Star" competition.
Viral videos from internet celebrities could entail a funny event happening in the moment, a popular new dance, or even a post on Twitter.
Influencers
Usenet Personalities
YouTubers and vloggers
YouTube has risen as one of the biggest platforms for launching internet celebrities. YouTube creators (known as
), regardless of the genres or types of videos they make, have created an industry that can generate revenue from video views and online popularity. For example, Swedish internet celebrity
PewDiePie uploads
Video game and comedy videos on YouTube. , he has around 110 million subscribers and is the fourth most-subscribed non-corporation YouTuber.
Every minute, 300 hours of videos are uploaded to YouTube, and 5 billion videos are watched every day.
YouTube's AdSense program enables creators to earn money from advertisements. AdSense has certain requirements—a YouTuber must have more than 1,000 subscribers, live in an eligible country, and have more than 4,000 hours of watch time within a year to be eligible.
Lifecasters
Lifecasting is streaming continuous live video of a person's daily life. This often is in the form of first-person video from a
wearable camera but can also be from cameras directed at the person or ubiquitous cameras where the person lives.
The first person to do lifecasting was Steve Mann whose experiments with wearable computing and streaming video in the early 1980s led to Mann continuously transmitted his everyday life 24 hours a day, seven days a week starting in 1994. Jennifer Ringley's JenniCam (1996–2004) attracted mass media attention, as noted by Cnet: "JenniCam, beginning in 1996, was the first really successful 'lifecasting' attempt."
Micro-celebrities
A micro-celebrity, also known as a micro-
influencer, is a person famous within a niche group of users on a social media platform. Micro-celebrities often present themselves as public figures.
The concept of the micro-celebrity was originally developed by Theresa Senft and P. A. Poitier in their 2008 book,
Camgirls: Celebrity and Community in the Age of Social Networks.
According to Senft and Poitier, the concept of the micro-celebrity "is best understood as a new style of online performance that involves people 'amping up' their popularity over the Web using technologies like video, blogs and social networking sites".
A micro-celebrity is also known as "a form of identity linked almost exclusively to the internet, characterizing a process by which people express, create and share their identities online".
However, micro-celebrities differ from more traditional forms of celebrities associated with Hollywood stars because a micro-celebrity's popularity is often directly linked to their audience, and the audience comes to expect a certain degree of authenticity and transparency.
Viral video star
A viral video star is a person (or people) who became well known primarily through their being in a
Viral video. Viral videos
are videos that become popular through a viral process of Internet sharing, primarily through video sharing websites such as YouTube as well as social media and email.
[" Definition of 'viral video'"
]
For a video to be shareable or spreadable, it must focus on the social logics and cultural practices that have enabled and popularized these new platforms.
Examples of viral video stars are the CPDRC Dancing Inmates (best known for their Thriller video) and Star Wars Kid.
Wanghong
Wanghong economy (l=Internet fame) is the Chinese version of Internet stardom. The
Wanghong economy is a Chinese digital economy based on influencer marketing in social media.
Some
wanghong celebrities generate profits via retail or
e-commerce, through attracting the attention of their followers. Internet celebrities have become a popular phenomenon in China. For example,
Sister Furong (
Fúróng Jiějiě, 芙蓉姐姐) received worldwide notoriety and fame for her
self-promotion efforts through online posts.
According to CBN Data, a commercial data company affiliated with
Alibaba Group, the Chinese internet celebrity economy was estimated to be worth () in 2016, more than China's total cinema
box office revenue in 2015.
There are two main business models in the wanghong economy: social media advertising, and online retail. In the online retailing business model, e-commerce-based wanghong use social media platforms to sell self-branded products to potential buyers among followers via Chinese customer-to-customer (C2C) websites, such as Taobao. Internet celebrities may promote their products by modeling for their shops by posting pictures or videos of themselves wearing the clothes or accessories they sell, or giving makeup or fashion tips.
Zhang Dayi (张大奕)—one of China's best-known wanghong according to BBC News, with 4.9 million followers on Sina Weibo—has an online shop on Taobao, reportedly earning () per year.
Censorship in China has created an independent social media ecosystem that has become successful in its own way.
Net idols
In
Japan, a specific type of internet celebrity is known as a Netto aidoru, a sub-category of the
Japanese idol. Net idols first emerged in the 1990s through personal websites and blogs when internet became more accessible, with some selling personal merchandise such as photo books through their websites.
Around March 2007,
(known as "I tried dancing") became popular in video-sharing websites such as
Niconico, which in turn led people into performing choreographed dances from anime series and idol groups.
Notable creators of dance covers, known as 踊り手, who later debuted as idols include Kozue Aikawa from
Danceroid,
,
and
Keekihime.
VTubers
or virtual Youtubers are entertainers that use digital 3D model avatars that are computer generated. VTubers originated from Japan, beginning in the early 2010s, and have risen in popularity in the 2020s. The first virtual Youtuber was Ami Yamato,
who debuted on May 18, 2011; the first VTuber who had used the phrase "virtual Youtuber" is
Kizuna AI,
who began entertaining in 2016. The appeal of VTubers is similar to a real person, except the entertainer may choose to remain anonymous through their VTuber persona. The 2D anime virtual avatars appealed to many Japanese fans and popularity began to spread internationally. In October 2021, there has been reported to be 16,000
VTubers around the world.
VTubers function in a similar fashion to YouTubers and streamers, with some VTubers being music artists. These VTubers that were music artists or broadcast their musical talent would be dubbed "VSinger" (virtual singer).
Income
Cancel culture
Cancel culture is a form of ostracism where an individual is excluded from social or professional circles because of certain past or present actions or allegations. The act may occur on social media platforms or in person. Cancel culture is a common term among internet celebrities where they may lose their source of income, fans, or reputation because of their controversial actions. For example, Beauty Guru YouTuber
Jeffree Star has faced many allegations of misconduct in his career, which include
cyberbullying and vocally expressing racist remarks. On July 10, 2020, the makeup brand Morphe cut ties and ceased all makeup collaborations with Jeffree Star because his problematic past had resurfaced.
The year before that, Kuwaiti celebrity
Sondos Alqattan was "cancelled" for criticising Filipinos. As a result of this, some brands cut ties with her.
Interacting with fans
are often a way internet celebrities interact with fans in real life. Occasionally, an internet celebrity might organize a meetup and invite fans to meet them at a certain place and time without proper organization. This can attract crowds of fans, causing disorderly or even unsafe situations. For example,
Tana Mongeau was an organization produced in collaboration with talent manager
Michael Weist involving a group of internet celebrities who were set to meet paying fans, but did not follow through. Because of the disorganized setup, the meetup resulted in chaos.
Alternatively, events can be organized at a venue with security personnel. VidCon is an annual organized video conference designed for people interested in online videos. It invites internet content creators to participate in events for paying fans, such as performances, panels, and meet-and-greets.
Effect on fans
Internet celebrities can draw in a devoted crowd of fans whether their reach is small or wide. A scholarly article published from Thammasat University in
Thailand explains that the younger generation is becoming more attracted to the path of fame compared to the typical intellectual development and financial security route.
Those who closely follow the lives of internet celebrities are more likely to develop psychological difficulties such as anxiety, depression, and dissociation.
Internet celebrities are also able to influence fans through creating parasocial relationships with their audiences. For example, Kim Kardashian frequently creates the appearance of authenticity through harnessing the emotions of her audience. In Lueck's (2012) study they find that 60% of her Facebook advertising contains an "embedded emotional/transformational story".
See also
Further reading
