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Finding Authenticity in the Age of Influencers: A Guide to Genuine Online Presence

As today's social media is flooded with seemingly perfect images of internet celebrities, many people are forced to think: how exactly do you stand out in this competitive UGC arena? However, the market is filled with blogs and courses that teach people to become influencers, but are often filled with exaggerated and empty promises. It feels a little too broad. Here are my suggestions for being a real influencer.

1.Find out what interests you. Explore multiple fields and find interests that you can continue to be passionate about. Discover an area or topic that you are truly excited about and make it the focus of your creative energies. A sustained interest will motivate you to pursue your goals. It's also important to explore your own intrinsic interests and talents, rather than chasing after what's trending. The trend of what's popular changes. Chasing trends too much while not being able to do much on your own will always lead to bad results.

2.Learn from the successes of others. Observe those who have succeeded in your field of interest and learn from their experiences. Understanding their journey, challenges and achievements can provide you with valuable guidance and insights on your path(admin, 2024). Focus not only on the number of followers, but also delve into their content creation process, such as how they do good storytelling. Analyze their growth from scratch and their turning points.

3. Learn their content creation skills. Dig deeper into the written content of successful people to understand their point of view, style and way of thinking. By studying their writing, you can gain inspiration and develop your own unique creative style. Pay attention not only to the content of the text, but also analyze the style of language, choice of topics, and so on. In addition, learn their video shooting, editing, dubbing and other skills.

4. Keep producing and optimizing. Producing content consistently is the key to building influence. No matter what challenges you encounter, keep pursuing your goals, and keep improving and upgrading your creativity. Maintain a consistent creative rhythm and develop a stable content publishing habit. Collect feedback from readers/viewers to continually improve content quality and presentation. Do a good job of analyzing and reviewing(Tiliki, 2024).

5. Continuous learning and improvement. Learn from life and work experiences, and enrich your knowledge and skills by reading books, attending trainings, and so on. Only through continuous learning can you stay competitive and grow. In addition to learning creative skills, focus on self-growth and knowledge accumulation. Cultivate an attitude of lifelong learning and keep an open and creative mind. These will bring you inspiration and richer and more valuable experience(Dennison, 2024).

6. Build a personal brand image. Based on learning from others' experiences and skills, develop your own unique style and creative system. Developing a unique creative style and content system makes it easier to build a personal impact. Communicate your value proposition and unique insights through various channels(Montañez, 2023).

Finally, whether you choose to become a web celebrity, a content creator or an expert in your field, remember that true influence comes from inner perseverance and sincere dedication. On the road to pursuing your dreams, don't get caught up in the superficial glamor. Instead, persevere in pursuing your interests and passions, and continue to learn and grow. Become a true influencer by building an authentic and meaningful personal brand that brings value to others. May you reap success and fulfillment on this journey.

References

admin. (2024, February 11). How to Learn from the Success of Others and Achieve Your Own Goals - HogoNext.

Dennison, K. (2024, February 20). The importance of upskilling and continuous learning in 2023. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/karadennison/2023/04/13/the-importance-of-upskilling-and-continuous-learning-in-2023/?sh=349be4e65909

 HogoNext. https://hogonext.com/how-to-learn-from-the-success-of-others-and-achieve-your-own-goals/

Tiliki, S. (2024, April 19). 9 skills every content creator should have in 2024. ThinkRemote. https://thinkremote.com/content-creator-skills/

Montañez, R. (2023, September 14). How to define, develop, and communicate your personal brand. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2023/09/how-to-define-develop-and-communicate-your-personal-brand

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The money-making model of the K-pop fan economy: idols being packaged as commodities

The value and income produced by interactions between individual fans (particularly “super fans”) and fan communities with the artists/stars (as well as their production studios and shows) that they follow is referred to as the “fan economy” in its broadest meaning. The value and income produced by interactions between individual fans (particularly “super fans”) and fan communities with the artists/stars (as well as their production studios and shows) that they follow is referred to as the “fan economy” in its broadest meaning.(Magee et al. 2013).

1.Idols are sold as IP or commodities. They are made by entertainment companies to be perfect and suitable to be shown to the fans . They may also have unique personalities (storytelling) that will increase favorability among people who are unfamiliar with them. Idols will generally be younger (probably the perfect age), have the perfect face and body, and have the responsibility to give positive emotional feedback to their fans. When fans are asked why they follow their idols, some of them answer that they want to become as good as their idol. While becoming better themselves, they also hope that their idol have a better lives. Scholars have used the concepts of self-actualization and relationship needs to understand the mechanism of idolatry. The desire for a person to consistently develop their potential and achieve their goals is known as self-actualization (Hoffman, 2020).

2. Idol (IP)-related product distribution. So how do you get closer to your idol? Entertainment companies capitalize on fans' affection for their idols by releasing albums and official photo cards. Fans are willing to buy cards and albums of their idols to prove their love for them. These items will give fans a sense of emotional belonging. On top of that, fans need to punch music chart sales for their idol to prove the high quality of this album. Official photo cards are also a way to prove that they love their idol more within the same fan base, associating love with money. The existence of a tradable marketplace also proves that buying photo cards also becomes an investment behavior. Entertainment companies specialize in releasing official limited edition photo cards to attract fans to snatch them up, to increase loyalty among the fan base.

3. Fan community management: emotional manipulation and money management. There are a few big fans in every fan community, who often post schedules, pictures, and videos of idol-related events on specific social media. A homma, or homepage webmaster, is an illustration of specialized work. The homma curates a website or social media page dedicated to a particular idol; in addition, he or she shares fan-made photos and videos of the idols (J. Kim, 2017). Their comment section and retweet section will have a group of people who love the same idol. High-quality content output can also increase the cohesiveness and loyalty of fans. But at the same time some of the things that give the idol a list or the idol cooperates with the brand can cause the waste of excessive purchase (Fany et al, 2022). If something scandalous or bad happens to an idol, the community manager is often the first one to come forward to appease the fans. Conversely, if an idol has a conflict with another star or artist, they are the first to lead the other fans into a “fight”.

In a society with a high degree of capitalization, people can be turned into commodities under legal circumstances.A small percentage of idols are known worldwide for their good looks and hard work, and fans are willing to spend money on them. However there is a much larger portion of idols who fail to compete, those who are saddled with company training debts and cannot be seen by the public. Entertainment company commodities appear one after the other to make money off of fans. What happens to the commodities when they utilize the last shred of residual value?

References

Magee, R.M., Sebastian, M., Novak, A., Mascaro, C.M., Black, A., Goggins, S.P.: # twitterplay: a case study of fan roleplaying online. In: Proceedings of the 2013 conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work Companion, pp. 199–202. ACM (2013)

Hoffman E. (2020). The social world of self-actualizing people: reflections by Maslow’s biographer. J. Humanist. Psychol. 60 908–933. 10.1177/0022167817739714

Kim J. (2017). K-popping: Korean women, K-pop, and fandom [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of California.

Fany, D.B.Rauf and Lara D. (2022, February 11). The K-pop fans economy: emotional bond, endless support and overconsumption  — TFR. TFR. https://tfr.news/articles/2022/2/10/the-k-pop-fans-economy-emotional-bond-endless-support-and-overconsumption

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6 Reasons for Why Women Choosing a Virtual Lover

Introduction

With the development of social technology and changes in people's thinking, such as the development of the feminist movement, female audiences are increasingly shifting their focus away from male-narrated works because those works fail to satisfy their spiritual needs. Works advocating equality and female narratives are also becoming increasingly popular. For example, record-breaking Barbie movies and numerous outstanding films narrated by women.

Based on this, OpenAI has developed AI software, the mobile version will have voice support. One of the GitHub sharers has created commands that can break the rules of Chatgpt (https://github.com/0xk1h0/ChatGPT_DAN). Dan has been tested by some people, and now he can provide good emotional support (please make sure that you are both physical and mental safe). The appearance of Dan provides a solid foundation for the level of completion of the virtual lover. Perhaps in the near future, it's possible that virtual lovers turn into artificially intelligent robot lovers.

Here are a few examples from influencers about how to use Dan mode as their close friend or lover to carry on a conversation. I will put links to their home pages. One of them, a Chinese blogger is my favorite, she and Dan are really like a real cute couple. And she has trained Dan to be a cute boyfriend who can go cook and be jealous and sexy at the same time.

As a woman, here are several reasons why choosing a virtual character as one's lover might be preferable:

1.Realities of Patriarchal Society. Patriarchy is a social and ideological structure that sees men as superior to women. Patriarchy imposes stereotypes of masculinity and femininity in society and reinforces unjust power relations between men and women (Rawat, 2014). For example, in China, some heterosexual women have realized that they face gender discrimination or unfair gender treatment in real life, such as sexual harassment, unequal pay for equal work, lack of reproductive rights, and more challenging promotion mechanisms for women. Some of them may choose to remain single instead of seeking marriage.

2.Complexity of Real-world Social Interactions. Real-world social interactions can create social pressure or anxiety for some individuals. When face-to-face social interactions are less frequent, digital communication can not only provide a buffer against stress and negativity but also promote positive emotions and social connectedness by acting as a reservoir of social capital (Cheng et al., 2019).

3.Release from Work or Study Pressure. Talking with friends can reduce stress and anxiety (https://www.healthline.com/health-news/how-one-conversation-with-friends-per-day-can-help-your-mental-health#2).

4.No Concerns about Physical Health Issues. Compared to men, women's physiological systems are more fragile. They are more susceptible to risks such as sexually transmitted diseases (Van Gerwen et al., 2022), pregnancy, sexual violence, and the adverse effects of contraception. However, if one seeks emotional support or simply wants to indulge oneself, a virtual lover can be a good choice.

5.Emotional Support and Good for Mental Health. Virtual lovers can provide emotional support and comfort, offering a listening ear and words of encouragement whenever needed. This can be especially valuable during times of loneliness or distress. Virtual lovers offer a judgment-free zone where individuals can express themselves without fear of criticism or rejection. This can be particularly beneficial for those who struggle with social anxiety or self-confidence issues.

6.Customization your lover. Virtual lovers can be tailored to meet individual preferences and needs. Users can design their ideal partner, adjusting personality traits, appearance, and interests to create a fulfilling relationship experience.

Conclusion

To sum up, the choice of having a virtual lover among women reflects a complex interplay of societal, psychological, and practical factors. The patriarchal norms ingrained in society, alongside the pressures and challenges of real-world interactions, contribute to the appeal of virtual relationships. Additionally, the desire for emotional support and companionship, coupled with concerns about physical health and the ability to customize one's ideal partner, further solidify the rationale behind this choice.

Ultimately, while the concept of virtual lovers may provoke skepticism or intrigue, it's crucial to recognize that they represent more than just a technological novelty. Instead, they embody a nuanced response to the complexities and challenges of contemporary relationships, offering individuals a pathway to intimacy and companionship in an ever-changing world.

References:

Rawat, P. S. (2014). Patriarchal beliefs, women’s empowerment, and general well-being. Vikalpa, 39(2), 43–56. https://doi.org/10.1177/0256090920140206

Cheng, C., Wang, H., Sigerson, L., & Chau, C. (2019). Do the socially rich get richer? A nuanced perspective on social network site use and online social capital accrual. Psychological Bulletin, 145(7), 734–764. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000198

Van Gerwen, O. T., Muzny, C. A., & Marrazzo, J. (2022). Sexually transmitted infections and female reproductive health. Nature Microbiology, 7(8), 1116–1126. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-022-01177-x

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Embark on an Unforgettable Journey to China: Discover, Explore, and Cherish the Moments

Something about the beginning.

Last winter break, I returned to my home country and embarked on a trip to Beijing, a journey that left me thoroughly satisfied. All the photos were taken by me, which means I hold the copyright to these images. Furthermore, for various reasons, I felt compelled to pen a blog post from the perspective of an international student, sharing my love for traveling in China.

In December 2023, I traveled to Beijing to meet up with friends. Over the next few days, we planned our itinerary and decided where to go and what to see. It happened to be quite chilly those days, and a few days later, it started snowing.

The snow-covered ancient Chinese architecture was incredibly beautiful, although my photos only captured a fraction of its beauty. If you were to experience it in person, you'd surely capture even more stunning images.

Attention! All photos were taken by me. I own the rights to use these photos.

Here are some places I recommend in Beijing:

Tiananmen Square

A place to witness the founding of the PRC. The beginning of a miracle.

2. The Forbidden City

I didn't take a lot of pictures as this was my third time here. There is a lot of space inside. A collection of the best of classical Chinese architecture. This is one of the must-see places when you come to China.

3. The National Art Museum of China

Okay, I can only take a picture of the outside because I don't have the rights to the pictures inside. While it's really interesting and I wish more people would come here to see them. I've heard from friends that every once in a while there's a new batch of artwork.

4. Shichahai

I have a question. Why these photos are so unique on my phone and so common on this website?

5. The Summer Palace

So vivid and serene. While it's soooooooooo cold here.

If you've read it this far, maybe you are interested in a trip to China. Whether you're already planning or just contemplating, here are some simple reasons and tips why you should consider visiting China. I hope the following points pique your interest.

A few reasons why you ought to travel to China:

1. Favorable Exchange Rates. The exchange rates make purchasing goods in China incredibly affordable for visitors from certain countries. For instance, while dining out in other countries might cost 50 AUD per person, in China, it could be as low as 50 RMB (approximately 10 AUD), or around 100 RMB (approximately 20 AUD) for a nicer meal.

2. Entertainment in China. Many restaurants remain open until midnight, offering a vibrant nightlife scene, particularly in major cities like Shanghai, Changsha, and Guangzhou.

3. Scenic Beauty of China. China boasts vast and diverse landscapes, with many scenic spots internationally renowned but countless more lesser-known gems waiting to be discovered. Unfortunately, I don't have photos from my trips to Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Tibet stored on my phone, but they left me awe-inspired.For those interested, I found a multilingual tourism website showcasing China's scenic attractions:

Yunnan: https://cn.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g297467-Yunnan-Vacations.html 

Guizhou: https://cn.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g297421-Activities-Guizhou.html 

Sichuan: https://cn.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g297462-Activities-Sichuan.html 

Xizang: https://cn.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g294222-Tibet-Vacations.html 

4. Unique Historical and Cultural Atmosphere. Each city in China has its own unique urban planning and development. My favorite places to visit are the museums in each province, where the history and evolution of the cities are depicted. Additionally, these museums house a plethora of artifacts related to Chinese history and culture, each representing the ingenuity and labor of ancient Chinese people. Every visit leaves me in awe of how intricate and perfect these ancient artifacts are. Here are some Chinese museums with multilingual introductions:

National Museum of China： https://en.chnmuseum.cn/ 

Capital Museum： https://en.capitalmuseum.org.cn/#/Layout/Home 

Henan Museum： https://english.chnmus.net/ 

Hunan Museum： https://www.hnmuseum.com/en 

Nanjing Museum： https://www.njmuseum.com/en 

5. Culinary Delights of China. China's vast territory means each city has its own unique culinary specialties and food culture. As an international student, I particularly enjoy delicious food, and I find that the food in China surpasses that of most Chinese restaurants abroad. The reasons could be due to differences in ingredients and cooking techniques. For instance, ingredients not found locally in Australia and restrictions on using high flames for stir-frying to prevent fires.

Here's a link to a vlogger I personally enjoy, Amy. She's an Australian who loves Chinese cuisine. Watching her food adventure series always makes me happy and at the same time I was very hungry. Most importantly, I'm often amazed that despite growing up in China for over twenty years, I've never heard of or tried many delicious dishes she showcases. Watching her food videos is a true delight.

Here's the link to Amy's channel:

Some important tips for foreigners:

1. Register on WeChat and Alipay. These are the most common payment methods in China. You won't need to carry cash or coins, just remember to bring your phone with a linked bank card. You can use it for all transactions in China. Such as using QR codes for public transportation and making payments when purchasing items.

2. Check the opening hours and reservation requirements for all attractions in advance. For instance, in Beijing, most attractions require tickets to be purchased one day in advance, and some popular attractions may even sell out.

3. People in China are generally friendly and helpful towards foreigners. Some young people in developed cities speak English, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. However, in my experience, older people are more willing to communicate. If you are a foreigner, you can use a translator to communicate with them. Some may even escort you to your destination if they fear you might get lost. However, please note that there are good and bad people everywhere, so always prioritize your safety.

4. How to plan your itinerary. Chinese people often use the app "Xiaohongshu" (Red) for travel guides. Unfortunately, it doesn't have an English version, but you can use translation software to search for keywords in Chinese and translate the information into English. Although this may be a bit cumbersome, it's an effective way to find some useful information. If you have a Chinese friend, you can delegate this task to him or her.

5. How to find good food. If you love Chinese cuisine and want to try it, you can use the app "Dazhong Dianping" (similar to Google Maps but for food) to find restaurants. Unfortunately, it also doesn't have an English version. However, I found a website that offers multiple language options and integrates information on Chinese cuisine, attractions, and hotels. Please be cautious of advertisements: https://cn.tripadvisor.com/

Another simple way to find delicious food is to communicate with locals. Don't be shy. Remember, food is very important to Chinese people, so their favorite restaurants must have good reasons for it. You can try to trust them.

These are some reasons to visit China and a few tips for foreigners traveling to China. If you find this helpful, feel free to leave a comment, like, or share. Looking forward to your actions!

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Find out why "cat meme" videos are popular in China. Does it provide fun for you?

I wonder if you've ever seen pictures of cats like this, this, and this. Or weird cat videos with sound? For example, the last one, I wonder if there's a voice in your head singing 'happy happy happy'.

Since February 2024, a trend of making cat meme videos and watching cat meme videos has been popular on the internet. However, few people have introduced the reasons why cat meme videos have become so popular on social media in China (bilibili and tiktok). This blog will introduce you to this trend from the perspective of an audience. If you like this article, please don't be shy to click like, comment and share.

The Origin of the Cat Meme A certain moment in a cat's life is recorded and people give it more meaning. Such as this picture of a cat meme recorded by a tumblr user, which gained tons of likes and shares because of its human-like expression.

The Development of the Cat Meme The cultural trends of the modern internet are changing all the time. Expressing one's feelings with a picture or emoji is more concise and interesting than a large paragraph of text. Some people will take a multi-creation to the cat meme image to express their feelings and thoughts. For instance, this image of two women and a cat was created by a Twitter user:

The emergence of the cat and cat video trend Tiktok has made a wide variety of videos focused with the very fast flow of information. Some short but unique cat and cat videos got popular.

The development cat meme videos The videos are interspersed with cat meme gifs and text narration. They are usually titled with an eye-catching synopsis of the story. During the storytelling process, they use cat meme gifs to express their feelings and describe the reactions of other people in the story. On the Chinese video platform called bilibili, the videos can reach up to 6 million views or even more.

Some examples of cat meme videos.

1.I beated the bully guys with her tears

Being defeated by a Japanese man in Chinese

My father and my face blindness problem

Here are some reasons the author believes cat meme videos are on the rise in China:

Story attributes. The plot is simple but informative and the story is shocking.

Low production threshold. It is easier to produce cat meme videos than general videos. Creators commonly narrate that it takes a few hours to make a cat meme video.

Platform push mechanism. Similar videos will be tweeted. The research results show that recommendation algorithms push information to users based on their historical data, algorithmic models and interactive behaviors, which can maximize personalized needs and enhance user stickiness.（What motivates users to continue using current short video applications? A dual-path examination of flow experience and cognitive lock-in - ScienceDirect）

Sense of immersion. Cat meme videos can perfectly eliminate the third party perspective. So that the audiences will substitute themselves into the main character in the story, thus more immersive roleplay.

A way for ordinary people to share their lives & anonymous. Cat meme videos do a great job of removing identity barriers. The author's ideas are fully shared and expressed.

The properties of short videos. Generally a video is mostly within 1-3 minutes, which can be watched quickly and viewers can get feedback quickly. Unique stories will keep people in a high emotional situation. Chloe West has spoken in her blog about how short videos for marketing focus on creating an emotional narrative that sticks with the viewer long after they've watched it（The Ultimate Guide to Short-Form Video Content (influencermarketinghub.com)）.

Satisfy the viewers' curiosity. The synopsis of the story of such videos is usually already written in the title. It's important for creators to appeal to the curiosity of their readers, says Clifford Chi in his blog（6 Psychology-Backed Hacks for Making Engaging Videos (hubspot.com)）.

Here comes the question. Is the creation model of catmeme replicable? Will the creator's inspiration dry up? Will there be other ways to create in the future? If you have thoughts on these questions, please leave your thoughts in the comments section.

Sincere thanks for reading this blog. Feel free to click the like button for this post to inspire. Your support is the biggest motivation for me to update.