AS if the joys of fame and fortune were insufficient, China’s online celebrities are now demanding more kudos and this time they want “official recognition.”

    As authorities debated cybersecurity in the past week, Papi Jiang, a video blogger from Shanghai, was trying to schmooze her way back online.

    China’s media watchdog described Papi Jiang’s use of swear words and language as insulting, and took down much of her content. This came a month after she raised 12 million yuan (US$1.84 million) from companies hoping that some of Papi Jiang’s stardust could give their products her pizzazz.

    Papi Jiang was quick to apologize, and promised to be more careful in the future to “pass on positive energy to the public.” The offending content was removed from her clips and a new one was posted the next day on the subject of dieting.

    Papi Jiang, a graduate from the Central Academy of Drama, began posting videos in August 2015 and quickly gained a huge following for her satirical monologues. The dieting clip garnered more than 2 million views in five days.

    Yang Wenxi, 22, said Papi Jiang’s latest clip was not as sharp as before, “but I still love her and will continue to follow her shows.”

    Celebrity spillover

    China’s online celebrity culture has spilled over into retail, telecoms, textiles, etc., and certainly fueled consumption. Increased consumption is regarded as a new driving force for China’s lumbering economy.

    In fact, many online celebs have cashed in on their fame and set trends in fashion, food, and lifestyle. The clothes they wear, the snacks they eat, the games they play and the cosmetics they use, could become the products of choice for their legions of followers, generating untold revenue for businesses involved.

    Papi Jiang’s online empire is now valued at 120 million yuan, with an advertising slot on her channel recently selling for 22 million yuan. A cosmetics company paid the sum to display its brand in a Papi Jiang video next month.

    An auction was conducted both offline and online for the advertising spot with a starting price of 217,000 yuan. Reports say that more than 500,000 people were watching the live video of the auction on Taobao’s live streaming platform.

    Liu Yan, CEO of 6.com, a streaming website, estimated there would eventually be 10 million Web anchors, compared just 1 million today.

    On the day Papi Jiang’s videos were taken offline, several popular streaming platforms were warned or even shut down by authorities for broadcasting pornography, violence and crime.

    Parents are justly worried that, faced with many online examples of “beauty for success,” their children may seek easy routes to prosperity and neglect the tried and tested routine of studying hard and working hard.

    Gou Yiyong with the Guizhou Academy of Social Sciences in Southwest China said that Internet celebrities are already public figures.

    “The transition from face to content is a step forward for China’s Internet celebrities. But growing pains are not easily avoided,” Gou said.

    (Xinhua)