Around 200 million people in China have a live-streaming account. For some, watching others’ daily existence has become a way of life, whether that’s seeing someone eat noodles or witnessing a prankster set his car alight. What’s behind this social media sensation? And why is it so addictive?

Despite the infamous Great Firewall, China’s netizens are outgrowing internet users across the rest of the world. But what are they spending their online lives doing in the landscape that exists beyond the Wall? And what – if anything – is the rest of the world missing out on?

In China, people are using their smartphones to stream themselves doing anything and everything – from cooking and eating dinner to singing karaoke. The craze is fuelling a new wave of online celebrity – and even movie stars are jumping on the bandwagon.

They say good things come to those who wait – but for those hunting haute couture, the six months between seasons can be a bit of a drag. All that is about to change as the ‘see now, buy now’ model establishes itself in the luxury fashion scene. Could this be the industry’s ‘Uber moment’?