Chinese language man sends $550,000 to streamer so she’d name him ‘bro’

A Chinese language man went viral on-line after he despatched $550,000 or 4 million yuan to a streamer so she’d name him “brother.” 

The person ultimately drained his household’s financial savings to assist his favourite content material creator. 

READ: China launches new biodiversity safety fund

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Quickly, he resorted to stealing copper supplies from his household’s enterprise to proceed his dependancy. Worse, he needed to eat plain steamed buns to outlive.

A person’s streamer obsession goes flawed

South China Morning Put up reported that the person’s surname is Hong. He hails from Ningbo in Zhejiang province in southeastern China. 

He developed an obsession with on-line live-streaming earlier this yr.

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Consequently, he began sending cash to his favourite feminine content material creator, whose id stays undisclosed.

Hong drained his household’s financial savings, so that they restricted his entry to the funds.

Regardless, he continued his dependancy by stealing copper from his household’s {hardware} commerce.

Since Might, he’s been taking steel throughout enterprise deliveries after which promoting it to waste recycling stations. 

On October 15, 2024, the manufacturing facility reported a major amount of lacking copper to the Hengjie police station, suspecting theft. 

Ultimately, a police investigation precipitated Hong, accompanied by his household, to give up to the authorities. 

Initially, he confessed to solely two current thefts and denied additional involvement.

Nonetheless, he confessed after authorities confronted him with proof from his monetary transactions. 

The person admitted to committing over 40 thefts since Might, gathering roughly two to a few million yuan or $316,000.

Additionally, he defined he spent the cash to raise his favourite streamer’s rankings.

Hong defined his motives by saying, “I didn’t wish to meet her; I simply wished to listen to her name me ‘brother.’”

Additionally, he revealed that they needed to depend on plain steamed buns to maintain himself in monetary break. 

SCMP stated authorities arrested Hong on suspicion of theft, and over 1 million yuan was returned to the manufacturing facility. 

Parasocial relationships and streamers

On-line streamers are normally common individuals who folks watch for his or her look, character and abilities.

They’ll converse with their viewers, who can ship them on-line donations out of admiration and assist. 

In China, folks name streamers “key opinion leaders” (KOLs), and they’re extremely fashionable.

Because of this, many grow to be on-line personalities to earn vital quantities of cash by way of ideas and digital items. 

On-line focus group platform iResearch reveals that livestream donations in China reached $19 billion or 140 billion yuan in 2019.

In 2025, that market dimension could develop to 417 billion yuan or $57 billion. 

The streamer development has been rising worldwide as extra folks really feel remoted and lonely.

They speak to their favourite streamers by sending chat messages. 

It’s onerous to get seen as extra followers converse to the streamer.

Consequently, they ship donations in order that their message will stand out. 

Ultimately, this interplay could make a fan imagine that they’ve a real bond with the streamer. Therefore, they develop a parasocial relationship.

This Inquirer USA says they happen when folks emotionally connect to a media character who doesn’t reciprocate their emotions.

US-based psychological well being supplier Thriveworks says 51% of People admitted to having parasocial relationships. 

Ultimately, these can result in horrible obsessions, such because the one from China. 

The Philippines can also be coping with a psychological well being disaster attributable to numerous components.

Learn the way the nation is coping with this concern right here.