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Can a person become famous if he has only one child? - Anushka, 9, St. Augustine, Florida
First, think about the reputation you want. Some kids, like Blue Ivy Carter or Suri Cruise, are known for their famous parents - in their case singer Beyoncé and actors Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise. That's something you can't really control.
Maybe you want to be a star athlete, like basketball player Caitlin Clark or skateboarder Sky Brown. If you are good at a sport, a lot of practice will make you better and you may become famous.
Maybe you want to be a famous musician. Singer Leann Rimes won her first Grammy Award at the age of 14. Justin Bieber was spotted on YouTube at the age of 12. If you work hard to play instruments or sing, you will increase your chances of getting attention.
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One new way to become famous is to become a social media influencer - a person who gets paid for money or stuff to help sell goods on social media. A 2023 survey of 1,000 Gen Zers – people between teenagers and 20 – found that 57% want to be influencers.
I studied social media and taught social media courses at the University of Tennessee. I also have an influential person. My posts have spread and have been around the world hundreds of millions of times. I posted stupid and serious things about my life on Instagram and Tiktok.
Here are some things about becoming famous.
Not always youth culture
Before modern times, people didn’t pay as much attention to children as we do now. There are some exceptions, such as composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who played music for Kings and Queens in the 1700s, but it is rare.
After World War II, the U.S. population flourished and the situation changed a lot. Businesses realize that young people are a big market and have developed a new, youth-centric culture. Movies, TV shows and songs are increasingly produced for young people, featuring young people.
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Now, thanks to social media and the internet, kids can be famous without becoming celebrity athletes or actors. If you can make videos, sing, tell jokes or share art through your phone or computer, and like what you post, they may share it with others. Some kids are only known by really being good at explaining things or showing their daily lives.
For example, an 11-year-old Russian-American girl, Anastasia Radzinskaya, has 1.5 million followers on Instagram, and she has 1.5 million followers. Video game influencer Ethan Gamer began appearing on YouTube at the age of 7 in 2013.
Pros and cons
Being a famous child can bring many benefits. You may appear on TV or in movies, wear cool clothes or hang out with famous athletes or celebrities. You may also make money that can be used to support your family, pay for quality education or fund reasons you care about, such as protecting nature or feeding hungry people.
But there are also disadvantages. Famous kids usually need a lot of work and don’t have much time to hang out with friends. Also, people may say on social media about your harm, something that you can’t control.
Famous people may apply pressure in certain ways to act or dress. Dealing with strangers’ attention and criticism can be stressful for any young person, and reputation makes the challenge more difficult.
Should you try to be an influencer?
For me, the impact will be fun and creative. It's cool to make a video and know that many people in the world love it.
Another benefit is that you need to be an influential skill – communicate clearly, produce digital content and help others find cool new products – which will be valuable no matter what job you are in.
However, most influencers don’t make enough money to work full-time – they act as an assistant when they are real work. If you are a kid, the school should be your full-time job.
You should also expect to be rejected a lot before you start growing your audience. This may make you emotionally strong in the long run, but it is still painful when you share your work and no one seems to notice it. Most influential people put in years of hard work to learn skills that help make them successful.
You may get negative reactions that may hurt your feelings. You will need help from your parents to manage online feedback and know how to respond to a variety of positive and negative reactions.
Kids are definitely likely to be famous today, but that doesn’t mean every child should try it. It’s important to do what you like, even if the whole world doesn’t see it.
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