Arizona Tribune - Influencers bask in their version of the Oscars in Mexico City

Wearing a wide-brimmed hat, Carlos Alberto Diaz posts social media videos depicting his farming work in the Cundinamarca region, surrounded by lambs, goats and other animals.

His TikTok account lagranjadelborrego has around 16.5 million followers.

The high school student won the category of "best creator of knowledge" at the TikTok award ceremony for Spanish-language influencers this week in Mexico.

"Every day I record videos. I watch trends, what people like," said Diaz, who aims to earn money from his content, like the roughly 100 other nominees at the awards.

With his shirt collar open like a movie star, Ruben Tuesta, a Peruvian living in Argentina, won the "LOL" (laugh-out-loud) category with his parodies of ordinary scenes of family life.

The reward "motivates me even more," said the 25-year-old, who explained that he is paid to produce content for international corporations.

"The brand relies on you, trusts you. You make them a video. They pay you for the video, so that their brand is visible to my subscribers."

The second edition of the "TikTok Awards" for Spanish-language influencers was held at the studios of Latin America's largest television network, Televisa, which broadcast the ceremony live.

Like in Hollywood, social media stars walked the red carpet in front of fans gathered to see the winners, which were chosen by social media users.

Similar ceremonies have been held in Europe and Asia.

On Sunday, also in Mexico City, thousands of people attended the ESLAND Awards for the best Spanish-language streamers on You Tube and Twitch.

"Cinema has the Oscars, music has the Grammys and content creation has the ESLANDS," the organizers said on their website.

The awards come as TikTok, whose parent company ByteDance is Chinese, fights for its survival in the United States with rising calls from mainly Republican lawmakers that the company should be outright banned for its links to Beijing.

TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew will testify in March to US lawmakers in Washington where the Chinese social media app faces accusations that it is beholden to the Communist Party in Beijing.

Last month, the European Union warned TikTok to respect EU law and ensure the safety of European users' data, as Chew met with top officials in Brussels.

H.Thompson--AT