Скачать или смотреть Social media fans meet online icons at festival

(23 Nov 2015) LEAD IN:
Some of the biggest names in online media have been driving fans wild at a new festival in the Philippines.
A host of social media stars turned up at the event, which was organised after fans took to Twitter to call for their icons to visit the capital Manila.
STORY-LINE:
Forget film stars and pop idols - internet celebrities are the next big thing, especially here in the Philippines.
These fans are going wild for the chance to shake hands with their social media icons.
They're at new annual festival in Manila devoted to the stars of the online world.
The Philippines was dubbed the "Social Media Capital of the World" after a study by global media company Universal McCann showed that Filipinos spent the most time socialising online.
And social media fans in the Philippines have long been keen to see their favourite online stars in the capital Manila.
They finally got the hashtag #BringYouTuberstoManila trending worldwide last year.
This caught the attention of online bosses and event organisers, and the social media festival Click Play was finally born.
What makes this festival different from others, such as YouTube FanFest, is that it gives Filipinos the chance to meet online stars from a variety of platforms.
These include Vine, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and the most popular, YouTube.
Among the social media celebrities that appeared at Click Play were Vine stars Sam Golbach and Colby Brock and the six sisters from girl band Cimorelli.
Musician and music video producer David Choi was also there along with Maze Runner star and YouTube actor Ki Hong Lee.
But one of the biggest names was Ryan Higa, one of the most subscribed YouTubers of all time, who brought along his friends Sean Fujiyoshi and Derrick Dereleek.
All of these stars performed and played games on stage as well as answering questions sourced from fans on Twitter.
The festival not only caters for fans but to aspiring content creators as well.
Since they started out as ordinary social media users, these online stars are a great inspiration to those wishing to create their own online media.
"When you see them (the social media stars) they are so passionate about what they are doing so it's like you want to do better when you make videos", says Aguirre, a 19-year old aspiring YouTuber who performs songs and posts them to her channel.
With the Philippines experiencing an increase in mobile data usage and accessibility to smartphones in recent years, it is no surprise more people are trying to make their own online channels.
"It's fun having a YouTube channel, but then like it's kind of strange knowing that other people are watching you, especially from all over the world. But then it's also fun because you're just from your bedroom and then everyone, from anywhere can just watch your videos", says Aguirre.
The significance of these online celebrities in the lives of fans cannot be underestimated.
Aside from entertainment, they serve as role models whom fans can relate to.
They even provide comfort and relief from day-to-day problems.
Jaira Magat, a 13-year old fan of Ryan Higa, says: "Every now and then we encounter problems in life and instead of worrying over what to do with those problems, I choose to just watch Ryan Higa. I do that until I figure out what to do."
Younger audiences are turning more and more to social medial content, a trend that's even threatening traditional media like television and cinema.
The social media fan base is expected to keep on growing here.
One day it could match - or even overtake - the popularity of mainstream television and cinema.

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