nbc's jenna wolfe reports. >> reporter: last summer 15-year-old shawn mendez was just another cute kiditar. he'd pick a song, sing it and upload it online. ♪ shawn posted his videos to a free app called vine, which limits users to just six and a half seconds of video. it's hardly enough time to fully express yourself, but shawn did, and thousands of girls followed. >> i had no intention to get followers, it was just for fun. i think my friends are like freaking out. >> reporter: now a year later with almost 3 million followers, he's a bona fide star. ♪ >> people on social media, i never expected it would have this much power. >> reporter: and the sway of internet famous stars is only expected to grow. a variety survey out last week showed that for teens, the biggest celebrities in films, tv and music are no match for the popularity of youtube stars. >> he's getting so big now -- >> reporter: shawn's internet fame has already secured him a record deal and last month his fans pushed his ep to number one on itunes, just 30 minutes after its release. all this and not a penny spent on promo

. >> another album, shawn mendez. >> 16, discovered on vine. >> he sang in six seconds. >> he's fromn itunes. >> that's a lot more than six seconds. >> facebook's new messenger app "on the radar." a lot of folks claiming it's too invasive. >> a lot of people like me don't read the terms and conditions. they're excited to try it. it's been downloaded over a billion times. that's crazy. i have it here on my phone. essentially what it does, it makes it so you don't have to go through the facebook app itself to message people. messaging people through facebook becomes a little bit more like text message. a little easier, less bulky. there are criticisms about how invasive it is and what it takes over. >> so read the fine print. >> exactly. >> you have our whole weekend taken care of. >>> up next, the forecast calls for a shower, not that kind. vicky g sings her hit song of the summer right after this. will you help us find a new house for you and your brother? ♪ ♪ ♪ woooooah. ♪ [ male announcer ] you're not just looking for a house. you're looking for a place for your life to happen. zil