Researcher issues warning as internet plays vital role in changing lives

The internet is an important platform for people living in lower-tier cities to learn about the world, and for some it marks a turning point in life.

Xia Keke, an entertainment host with YY, a leading livestreaming platform, sits at a computer, looks into the camera and clicks on the microphone.

She smiles, chats, sings and sometimes dances in a pink room full of dolls. Flowers, stickers and other virtual gifts from online fans constantly appear on the computer screen in her room in Jinan, Shandong province.

Xia, 25, became a flight attendant after graduating from high school before being given the chance to livestream online games.

"At first, I did it because I could play the games while making a small amount of money," she said. "But my live broadcasts seemed to be popular with fans, and I ended up becoming a professional entertainment host," she said.

Xia joined YY in 2014. Her good looks, figure and straightforward approach have helped attract some 7.6 million followers to the platform, and she now earns several million yuan a year.

As an only child, Xia chose to stay with her parents in a lower-tier city, and she appreciates the fact that the online platform has enabled her to strike a balance between work and life.

"I'm thankful for the internet, which has changed my life greatly and allows me to work without any limits on time and space. I have also developed deep connections with my fans, which is a pleasant feeling," she said.

The majority of Xia's fans are small-town youths, defined by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China as people 18 to 35 years old living in prefecture-level cities, counties and towns. Nearly 90 percent of them surf the internet in their spare time, according to a recent report by the committee.

Zhang Yun, 23, a college student from Chaozhou, Guangdong province, developed her career through the social media platform WeChat and online video platform Bilibili.

By using videos and articles, Zhang works as a stylist offering advice for young women on how they should dress themselves, recommending the correct products. Although she has only been doing this for a short time, she has become financially independent.

"I think the internet has offered me more possibilities in life, and I want to develop my fashion career full-time online after I graduate," she said.

The internet has also helped some small-town youths find success.

Li Zeyou, 23, from Mianyang, Sichuan province, shared footage of himself singing on the short-video platform Douyin, which received 600 million clicks and gained him more than 1 million followers.

Li Jiaqi, a 27-year-old from Yueyang, Hunan province, who used to work at a cosmetics store, applied various types of lipsticks while livestreaming on Douyin, gaining tens of millions of followers. In less than a year, he had more than 10 million yuan ($1.48 million) in his bank account.

But while some young people from lower-tier cities have used online platforms to change their lives, a warning has been issued against relying too much on the internet.

Sun Hongyan, a researcher at the China Youth and Children Research Center, said about 50 percent of small-town youths spend almost all their free time online.

"If they spend the majority of their spare time on the internet, and entertain themselves on platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou, their lifestyles and values will be greatly affected by content, including that which is unhealthy and vulgar," she said.

She suggested that small-town youths pursue quality cultural activities in their spare time, such as attending exhibitions and concerts. At present, only about 26 percent of them do so.