The Internet has allowed for the creation of a never before seen type of celebrity: an Internet personality. The nature of the phenomenon might lead many people to think that their popularity, influence and outreach are limited, especially in comparison to more conventional types of celebrities; however, Internet-celebrities are, in fact, just as important.
Take this article, for example: "YouTube stars raise over $6m to plant trees around the world"
This kind of campaign wouldn't have taken off had it been supported by conventional celebrities or eco-activists alone. Through means available only to an Internet personality this campaign was quickly popularised, information about it spread across the Internet and massive amounts of people got involved.
The secret behind their success is their connection with their followers and fans, which is much more personal and genuine, especially when compared to how conventional celebrities interact with their fanbase. Internet personalities are themselves ordinary Internet users at heart, their viewers share the same interests as they do, and the Internet itself provides an easier opportunity for communication, creating a stronger bond between the two sides.
And while such optimistic stories about people being brought together for a good cause by a famous personality do instil a sense of hope, one can't help but wonder if the opposite is possible, and the same forces that unite people can be abused to cause trouble. Unfortunately, such situations aren't hypothetical, there are cases of cyberbullying and misinformation that were carried out by certain Internet personalities.
For example, there was a case of a YouTube star bullying a person with a learning disability and picking on smaller video creators. While not all of his followers approved of this kind of behaviour, many supported it, and continued to bully people he mentioned. They fell under his influence and did horrible things. Thankfully, his actions were severely criticised by fellow YouTubers, he lost a massive portion of his audience and closed his channel.
While situations like the one above are a rarity, and offensive content is not usually endorsed by people, it's important that we acknowledge the power that Internet personalities have and hopefully prevent its abuse.
Take this article, for example: "YouTube stars raise over $6m to plant trees around the world"
This kind of campaign wouldn't have taken off had it been supported by conventional celebrities or eco-activists alone. Through means available only to an Internet personality this campaign was quickly popularised, information about it spread across the Internet and massive amounts of people got involved.
The secret behind their success is their connection with their followers and fans, which is much more personal and genuine, especially when compared to how conventional celebrities interact with their fanbase. Internet personalities are themselves ordinary Internet users at heart, their viewers share the same interests as they do, and the Internet itself provides an easier opportunity for communication, creating a stronger bond between the two sides.
And while such optimistic stories about people being brought together for a good cause by a famous personality do instil a sense of hope, one can't help but wonder if the opposite is possible, and the same forces that unite people can be abused to cause trouble. Unfortunately, such situations aren't hypothetical, there are cases of cyberbullying and misinformation that were carried out by certain Internet personalities.
For example, there was a case of a YouTube star bullying a person with a learning disability and picking on smaller video creators. While not all of his followers approved of this kind of behaviour, many supported it, and continued to bully people he mentioned. They fell under his influence and did horrible things. Thankfully, his actions were severely criticised by fellow YouTubers, he lost a massive portion of his audience and closed his channel.
While situations like the one above are a rarity, and offensive content is not usually endorsed by people, it's important that we acknowledge the power that Internet personalities have and hopefully prevent its abuse.
