I’d argue that there’s also an aspect of collectivism vs individualism at play here. In China, people see advancing their country as a collective effort. People want to become part of something bigger than themselves. There’s an aspect of inspiration when you see your society achieve great things, and you naturally want to be part of that. So, kids grow up wanting to become an astronaut or an engineer. On the other hand, when you live in a hyper-individualistic culture where personal achievement is seen as peak success, there’s really nothing greater to strive for than being rich and famous. Thus, kids want to become influencers, because that’s seen as a path towards success that society encourages.
I’d argue that there’s also an aspect of collectivism vs individualism at play here. In China, people see advancing their country as a collective effort. People want to become part of something bigger than themselves. There’s an aspect of inspiration when you see your society achieve great things, and you naturally want to be part of that. So, kids grow up wanting to become an astronaut or an engineer. On the other hand, when you live in a hyper-individualistic culture where personal achievement is seen as peak success, there’s really nothing greater to strive for than being rich and famous. Thus, kids want to become influencers, because that’s seen as a path towards success that society encourages.