Evidence of the negative impact that excessive social media use has on society continues to mount. There are significant mental health issues, online groomers, trans ideology, and participation in dangerous activities due to online influencers, just to name a few. One area that is becoming particularly problematic is this overwhelming need for online fame and the willingness to pursue it at any cost.

Fame and fortune used to be reserved for a few people who primarily live in the Hollywood bubble. The standard to achieve prestige and wealth was to score a major role in a popular film or entertainment project and earn an enviable wage for yourself by “making it big.” However, now, that same notoriety is accessible to almost anyone who wants it. The standard to achieve it is an enthusiasm for the extreme and to do whatever it takes to attract an audience, even if it’s to your own detriment.

Unfortunately, the number of people willing to put themselves out there in any way, for any price, is increasing. The allure of stardom and a significant income is too attractive to resist.

A couple of examples.

Recently, a young woman who refers to herself as “fatty” shared a video online, where she described everything she eats in a day, proudly alluding to the idea that her work-from-home job allows her to indulge in her favorite treats whenever she wants and that her lifestyle gives her little reason to move around at all. In her video, she eats an entire box of the cereal called Cookie Crisp, several breakfast tacos, breakfast sandwiches, potato chips, wings, and fries for dinner, allowing her dipping sauce to drip down her face as she devours her meals.

This choice of content may have been inspired by an increasingly popular online trend called “mukbang,” where the video host eats an enormous amount of food while interacting with their viewers. Shockingly, the attraction to mukbang videos has surged thanks to the open gate that social media has provided for people to engage in their odd fetishes more easily. The incentive for the star of the show is the hefty paycheck he or she earns from a broad audience of people who apparently get their kicks from watching someone eat themselves to death. Never mind that due to these devastating health habits, the mukbang creator may be unable to do much to revel in their fame and fortune or live long enough to enjoy the fruits of their … hard work.

In another corner of the Internet, an equally self-destructive young woman by the name of Lily Phillips became internet famous for publicly announcing her current life goal: to break a world record by being the first to have 1,000 sexual partners in 24 hours.

Phillips, a 23-year-old model who lives in England, made headlines when the news of achieving her first target of sleeping with 100 men in one day circulated online.

As appalling as that revelation was, it turns out that what she had already done was just a warmup. A training day of sorts.

The young woman, who shares her body with the world through a website that has gained a reputation for this type of “work,” decided that years in the adult entertainment industry weren’t fulfilling enough for her. Phillips had an epiphany that perhaps it was time to try something new.

In an interview with YouTuber Josh Pieters, who created an entire documentary on the Brit’s fascinating venture, Phillips said of her current career goals, “I want to do something exciting for me because this is what I love at the end of the day.” Following these comments came her biggest objective yet: “I came up with the idea of maybe breaking the world record of 919 men in a day. … That would be kind of iconic.”

Would it, though?

Most commenters online have not responded with praise, admiration, or envy. Most wonder how anyone could think that reaching such a goal would bring a sense of pride or self-respect. In contrast, others have suggested that deeper issues like a lack of morals might be at the root of someone’s worldview who thinks that intentionally engaging in self-destruction for the approval of millions of strangers is something to take pride in.

In the same interview, Lily herself stated that to keep going and reach a tenth of what she had planned for the future, she had to “disassociate” herself from what was happening.

The question is, why? At the end of the day, Lily and “fatty” will not receive any type of reward for their eagerness to be extreme. There is no prize for excellence or promotion in their “career” for beating out the competition in their “field.” A temporary boost to their bank accounts is the only thing they gain from their antics. Yet for some reason, that seems to be enough.

The prospect of fame and gaining the approval of an audience of unknown people seems to be driving far too many people to do things that, not that long ago, would have been hidden behind closed doors and considered actions that needed to be addressed with therapy.

Now, shameful behavior makes you a star.