How this Harvard lad tried, and failed, to become an internet star in China

Social media also plays a larger role in the lives of Chinese citizens than those in the US because of a distrust in centralised communication It also has a larger influence on purchases in China than anywhere else in the world. Social media celebrities not only have fame in China, they also wield remarkable power over others’ behaviour.

My first live broadcast

For the first few seconds, the number of people watching our live broadcast stayed at an unintimidating zero. Then, it slowly began to grow. First, there were 50 people watching. Then 100. Soon, there were nearly a thousand people watching me live from around the world.

At first, it felt a bit strange. In theory, we were talking to a thousand people, yet it still felt like we were sitting in a dining hall chatting alone. However, as the conversation went on, I could understand the appeal for both fans and broadcasters.

How I lost to the Chinese government

All was well until my live broadcasting account got blocked.

I like to think that there’s a specific Chinese official—let’s call him Todd—whose sole job is stopping me from live broadcasting. Todd is desperately trying to crush my social media dreams, and I’m desperately trying to prevent the government from blocking my account. It was an incredible effort.

Did I become a social media celebrity in China?

Probably not. But, I did learn a lot about China, myself, and the wild world of social media fame. So, I consider it a success.

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This is an excerpt from the article published on TechInAsia. You can read the full article here.