Stardom is easier to come by in the internet-age. But maintaining that fame can take a serious toll. As CGTN's Phil Lavelle explains, the fight to stay relevant on YouTube is leaving many disillusioned with the computer code running the platform.

Lots of people head to Hollywood in search of stardom. Others don't need to anymore.

PHIL LAVELLE LOS ANGELES "And it's largely in part because of services like YouTube. Anyone's a film-maker and broadcaster these days. All you really need is a cellphone. But for some here, that commitment's bringing its own pressures."

SEAN WILLIAM MCLOUGHLIN YOUTUBE: JACKSEPTICEYE "I need some time off every now and then and I'm starting to realize just how badly I had been needing it."

That's Jacksepticeye. He's a big deal on YouTube. 10 billion views, 20 million followers. But feeling burned out, he had to give it up for a while.

SEAN WILLIAM MCLOUGHLIN YOUTUBE: JACKSEPTICEYE "I've been doing this for five years and that's five years of non-stop. I've been doing two videos every single day - the exact same time every day for five years. And I've very, very rarely missed an upload."

PHIL LAVELLE LOS ANGELES "Part of the problem here is figuring out how to be seen. Especially because some YouTubers make their living through the service. YouTube users upload around 400 hours of content every minute. It has complex algorithms which decide which videos are the most prominent in feeds. Some YouTubers say they feel a pressure to just keep on producing as much as they can."

In April, a woman shot three YouTube employees and killed herself. She was angered about YouTube's practices and policies. This was, of course, an extreme case. But it shows that some are feeling the pressure more than others.

JUDY HO PSYCHOLOGIST "Eventually, these entrepreneurs have nowhere to turn and they develop learned helplessness. This out of control feeling where if they stop, they're going to lose their popularity and business. So they need to make a commitment to get outside, to interact face to face with people that they love because all of that interaction that they have is online and we know that when people are exposed to that with no real interactions, it really impacts their mental health."

And so, for those in search of online fame, it is an easy way to start. But keeping up - that's the hard part. Phil Lavelle, CGTN, Los Angeles.