WATCH | Social media made me: how online fame changed people's lives

It's a powerful thing, social media. It's magical, and it has changed the lives of many ordinary South Africans across the country in recent months.

Social media and technology have made the interests and passions of those around us so diverse.

It connects us to the people who share our passions, people who share our values and ideas.

From #MyFokMarelize, to pumping tyres and washing windscreens to drinking Woolies "special water", to a talented opera Uber singer - this is how social media has made ordinary South Africans overnight celebrities.

Marelize Horn

The teenager who won worldwide fame with her starring role in the #MyFokMarelize video. The 19-year-old's mother Heidi uttered the immortal words after her daughter cycled into a rugby post. She had since been invited to several cycling races across the country.

Nkosikho Mbele

Mbele gained overnight stardom after paying a customer's R100 fuel bill at the Shell petrol station where he works when he noticed her fuel gauge was low.

His act of kindness sparked a massive response online and thousands of South Africans donated towards a BackaBuddy account, a fund that had amassed more than R469,000 by Tuesday morning. Shell had also pledged to donate R500,000 to a charity of Mbele's choice.

Woolies water

A group of young men gained instant fame after they posted a video of themselves drinking Woolworths "special water".

The video, which went viral across social media platforms, showed young guys speaking in isiZulu about the special powers of Woolies water.

Soon after they took a sip, their accents changed and they began to speak in posh English.

Menzi Mngoma

A talented Uber driver made making headlines after he serenaded a passenger with his opera-singing talent.

Gauteng resident Kim Davey shared a video of Mngoma singing for her in an Uber cab in Durban.