Photo © Gonçalo Fonseca
Culture - NOMINEE: Gonçalo Fonseca
24H - Life in a Chinese Live Streaming Factory
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Everyday, thousands of young men and women put on make-up and their best clothes and sit in front a computer all day, broadcasting themselves singing, dancing or just having a meal. They are at the core of China's booming Live Streaming industry, which experts say will surpass Cinema's earnings in the coming years.
On the other side of the screen are workers tuning in on their lunch break, lonely highschoolers who are looking for company, or a taxi driver pushing through the last hours of his shift. "In China life is very lonely, so we offer a service that bridges that gap" says Vivi , the Vice President of MJ Studios, a live streaming company based in Shanghai. They own more than 250 small studios all over China in which hosts broadcast 24h a day.
"It can be a very boring job" says Vanessa, a 21 year old live streamer, "You have to be smiling all the time, but you spend the whole day in a small room. It is a very isolating job".
About author:
I am a portuguese documentary photographer based in Barcelona, working on Human Rights and Migration stories.
In my early teens, I devoloped a passion for capturing those crucial moments of time, where you could see life pulsating if you looked carefully. Later I discovered the power of storytelling. Of giving voice to those who have none, of witnessing the world's injustices. That is what drives me.
Studied Journalism in Lisbon and Photojournalism in Barcelona.