Do you ever
wonder what celebrities do during their downtime? When paparazzi cameras aren’t
flashing and they’re not all dolled up on a red carpet event, how do these
celebrities live their lives? Well, because of social media, we no longer have
to ask this question. I am able to pull up my twitter account and see what Kim
Kardashian is up to. Or, I can go to Snapchat and watch Kylie Jenner hanging
out with her boyfriend Tyga or shopping with her mom. Curious as to what Taylor
Swift’s cats look like? Head to Instagram and find multiple pictures of her
hanging out at home playing with them. Social media has created a level of
intimacy between celebrities, and not just their fans, but also the general
public.
Let’s look at
Twitter. Not only are we able to tweet what we are doing throughout the day, we
are also able to see what our favorite celebrities are doing and even interact
with them. In a Pacific Standard
article, Alana Massey explains, “Now that celebrities
and mere mortals share their lives on the same platforms, there is an
asymmetrical feeling of intimacy: The fan can follow the celebrity with great
attention, and the celebrity can broadcast their life without giving a thought
to the massive public audience at the receiving end” (Massey, 2015). The social
media model benefits the fans by allowing them to get an insider’s view of
their idols’ private lives, as well as the celebrities interacting directly
with fans and not having to worry about pleasing the industry.
Twitter is one of the first social media platforms that
started the celebrity-fan interaction. A 2009 article on The Wrap explains, “One big factor is that on Twitter, anyone can
ask a star questions. The star is free to be his or herself without fear of
stalkers, protected by the “wall” of their Twitter account” (Russo, 2009).
After Twitter came Instagram. Through this social media platform, “The ability to communicate directly creates the
illusion that celebrities are just one solid Instagram comment away from being
a person’s real friend and providing him or her with subsequent fame” (Massey,
2015). What was once a fan sending a typed or handwritten letter to a celebrity
has now turned into a comment on an Instagram post—in an instant. Celebrities
are able to build their brands by using their pages to tell a story and be as
creative as they would like. This form of content sharing is what makes the
Instagram model special.
The last major social media platform is
Snapchat. It’s the newest platform for celebrities to communicate with fans on
a totally new level. Fans can see live videos and photos of their idols on a
minute-by-minute basis each day. Current celebrity snap chatters include Kylie
Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Ariana Grande, Rihanna, and many more. Researchers
Alice Marwack and Danah Boyd explain, “The fragmented media landscape has
created a shift in traditional understanding of ‘celebrity management’ from a
highly controlled and regulated institutional model to one in which performers and
personalities actively address and interact with fans” (Marwick and Boyd, 139).
Snapchat represents the future. It is a platform that shows how close fans and
celebrities are and will continue to be.
So what does all this mean? Is it a good thing that we are
able to see celebrities in this way? Is it healthy? This is where it can get a
bit sticky. There is confusion about the definition of the relationship between
the audience (fan) and individual who uses social media. This is not a
traditional relationship but more the audience acting as a voyeur of someone’s
life. This form of confusion is an ongoing battle and there have been instances
of stalking and violence that have illustrated this confusion. Our current
social media and technology has made it easy for, “sites like Twitter and Instagram to serve as self-publishing tools, and
almost everyone in North America has phone cameras with strong zooms and
impressive pixel resolutions, capable of taking pictures good enough to appear
on magazine covers (or at least the Internet)” (Knibbs, 2013). Although this is
not necessarily a bad thing, it makes it easier for stalkers and
Internet trollers to attack celebrities. It is important that we keep a healthy
distance between fans and their idols while allowing them to tell a story and
build their brand.
What will the social media future hold for celebrities and
fans? More platforms will be created and this form of communication will only
become stronger. Celebrities enjoy interacting with fans or showing the world a
picture of them just relaxing in their kitchen. And fans love it! This
interaction will be become stronger, but we do have to be careful not to cross
the line.
Citations:
Alice Marwick and danah boyd (2011). "To See and Be Seen: Celebrity Practice on
Twitter." Convergence, 17(2), 139 -
158.
Knibbs, Kate. "How Social Media Has Changed What It
Means to Be a Celebrity." Digital Trends. 15 Apr. 2013. Web. 03
Apr. 2016.
Massey, Alana. "Your Imaginary Relationship With a
Celebrity." Pacific Standard. 24 Apr. 2015. Web. 02 Apr. 2016.
Russo, Maria. "Twitter Breaks Down the Wall Between
Star and Fans." The Wrap. 25 Mar. 2009. Web. 02 Apr. 2016.
Links:
Anne Noordsy
ReplyDeleteHaving a glimpse into a celebrity’s life when they are not acting, singing, etc. can have positives and negatives. Fans and celebrities can make connections that make the celebrity seem human and relatable. On the contrary, celebrities may post pictures that involve “TMI” such as Kim Kardashian posting a nude or perhaps a celebrity posting a tweet that involves the drama of a feud with another celebrity. As fans, celebrity social media involvement is a form of escapism for us and we are seeking mainly positive posts but it doesn’t always work out this way.
Stars such as Taylor Swift and Katy Perry seem to have mastered social media engagement with their fans. The global head of research at Repucom, Mike Wragg, explained that Swift and Perry “have just under 300 million followers across their Twitter and Facebook profiles combined and offer a glimpse into just how important being able to understand that engagement is” (Billboard Staff). According to The Hollywood Reporter, in 2014, Katy Perry was noted as the most-followed person on Twitter, beating Justin Bieber with that title. She tweeted, “Oh yeah AND we grew to 50 million Katycats! Eh, regular day at the office.” This tweet demonstrates Katy’s connection with her fans by calling them “Katycats” and making a joke in the tweet. Being the most followed celebrity on Twitter doesn’t hurt, either.
I follow Taylor Swift on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and she truly does understand the meaning of engagement. She posts funny, relatable pictures of her with her cats or building a snowman with her boyfriend among many other relevant posts.
While stars like Taylor Swift and Katy Perry seem to understand social media engagement with their fans, other stars seem to have crossed that line or not understand it whatsoever. As W Magazine stated, “In 2015, Instagram was the platform of choice for celebrities to make their biggest reveals, political statements, and air their dirty laundry, so to speak” (Petrarca). Kim Kardashian is notorious for being very comfortable with her body and putting it all out there. In other words, she enjoys posting nude photos of herself. While I applaud her for being body confident, this may be crossing the line as far as social media posts are concerned. Your body in the nude is something I consider to be very private and when you put a picture of it out on the web, you are opening yourself to immediate ridicule and criticism.
Noordsy Continued
ReplyDeleteAnother downside of being active on social media as a celebrity is putting your life out there for everyone to see. It can be a positive, but there can be negatives to it. Not every celebrity couple works out, in fact, most end up splitting or divorcing. A celebrity may post a picture of herself in an outfit and people may immediately jump to saying she looks ugly or that her outfit is weird. There will always be people who are ready to post a nasty comment or “troll” on celebrity social media profiles.
Celebrities broadcasting their personal lives can get them in sticky situations, however, I don’t think celebrity and fan interaction is going to go anywhere. We are always going to wonder what our favorite stars are up to when they’re not busy with their careers and the curiosity will never leave us. Some celebrities may get too close for comfort by taking all their clothes off or some may just post a silly photo of their pets, but we will always have those social media posts at the end of the day to escape from our busy lives.
Works Cited
1. "Petrarca, Emilia. "Best of 2015: Instagram’s Ten Best Moments." W Magazine. 28 Dec. 2015. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.
2. Taylor Swift Wins 'Most Marketable' in New Study, Followed By Justin Timberlake." Billboard. 14 Jan. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.
3. "10 Top Entertainment Moments in Twitter History." The Hollywood Reporter. 20 March 2015. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.
Zach Caldicott
ReplyDeleteThere’s nothing new about society being interested in the private lives of famous people
and social media has completely transformed the communication between celebrities and their fans. Platforms like Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat are breaking boundaries and allowing fans to take a peak into the lives of their favorite celebrities.
Back in the golden years of Hollywood, movie stars were able to keep a much lower profile and keep their public images clean since their careers were monitored very carefully by the studios they worked for (Churchwell). There was a very clear divide between celebrity and fan.
With the emergence of social media, everything about the connection between celebrity and fan has changed. There is no longer that big wall up and it has broken down the barriers. As M.C. Hammer said he likes Twitter “cause it takes away the velvet ropes.” (Russo).
Even though the lives of celebrities are now an open book, I think social media has many more advantages than disadvantages when it comes to the relationship between celebrities and their fans. Not only has it launched the careers of new stars, like Justin Bieber, who rose to fame by posting his videos to YouTube, it has also revived the careers of stars who lost popularity. Take M.C. Hammer for example who built up a huge Twitter following after being out of the scene for many years. (Russo).
There is another major advantage with celebrities taking to platforms like Twitter and Instagram which is the fact they can turn negatives into positives sometimes. For example, when Rihanna was late to one of her concerts, she posted a picture of her car stuck in traffic as a way to apologize for not being there on time (Knibbs).
It will be interesting to see how social media will continue to change the relationship between celebrities and their audiences. As technology gets more advanced and more platforms become available, celebrities will have to make sure that they keep their fans interested.
Work Cited
Knibbs, Katie. "How Social Media Has Changed What It Means to Be a Celebrity." Digital Trends. N.p., 15 Apr. 2013. Web. 04 Apr. 2016.
Russo, Maria. "Twitter Breaks Down the Wall Between Star and Fans." Thewrap.com. N.p., 25 Mar. 2009. Web. 04 Apr. 2016.
Thorpe, Vanessa, “Why No Future Hollywood Star Could Ever Match Lauren Bacall’s Allure” The Guardian, N.p. 16 Aug. 2014. Web 04 Apr. 2016.
We grew up in an age where tabloids and reality TV shows seemed to be as close to any celebrity as we could get on a regular basis. Now, like you said in your post, we Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat that allow us to see what celebrities are doing at any given moment of the day from locations all throughout the world. As Alice Marwick and Danah Boyd state in their journal, “The fragmented media landscape has created a shift in traditional understanding of ‘celebrity management’ from a highly controlled and regulated institutional model to one in which performers and personalities actively address and interact with fans” (Marwick 139-140).
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, this is the best possible age to be a celebrity. Beyond the business – whether it’s the movie, TV show, or music album that gained the fame – you have social media to further build that fan base. These personal accounts on social media allow celebrities to extend their presence beyond the public eye, infiltrating their personal experiences into the minds of their fans.
In an article published by Billboard, it is explains how social media has proven to be the most impactful in making money. “…of the top 15 most popular purchases amongst live music fans in the next 12 months, smartphones come out top with over half (54 percent) of all those surveyed saying that this is what they are most interested in. This shows us the continued appetite among those under 34 year olds to renew and upgrade their smartphones -- and that also means the technology they are using and apps they are and will be engaging with” (Staff). This aspect goes beyond the celebrity factor as well. Just last week, Snapchat released one of their biggest updates to date, adding a plethora of features including more filters, emoticon stickers, and better live video chatting capabilities. The news spread like wildfire and before I knew it everyone around me was craving to update his or her smartphones to get the latest version.
Social media can certainly help build a celebrity’s brand in many positive ways, but I feel as though it’s just as easy to stain it. One of the clearest examples is Kanye West, whose social media presence is far from lacking. His regular tweeting habits and unfiltered mind make for an interesting read on his Twitter page, and are almost guaranteed to make anyone chuckle at least a little bit! One of the most popular instances that occurred not too long ago was his rant in which he spoke out against Wiz Khalifa after he mistook a comment as an insult towards his wife. What was a small misunderstanding became a comic show for all of both Kanye and Wiz Khalifa’s fanbase to see, which in the end, looked like a bunch of tom foolery on their behalf. An article that accurately summed this feud up was titled, “Kanye West is having a meltdown Twitter rant against Wiz Khalifa. It's the most Kanye thing ever” (Dwyer). If the title of that article doesn’t make a bold enough statement about the brand that Kanye has built for himself, then I don’t know what does!
In the end, it all comes down to how the celebrity shapes their brand and maintains their presence. If you choose to speak your mind and don’t care what people think, then that’s the reception you will receive (*cough cough KAYNE). But at the same time, I think it’s really interesting that social media allows us to see celebrities on a more personal level, as they truly are behind the scenes.
Works Cited
Dwyer, Chip. "Kanye West Is Having a Meltdown Twitter Rant against Wiz Khalifa. It's the Most Kanye Thing Ever." Someecards. 27 Jan. 2016. Web. 04 Apr. 2016.
Marwick, Alice, and Danah Boyd. "To See and Be Seen: Celebrity Practice on Twitter."Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies 17.2 (2011): 139-58. SAGE Journals. Web. 4 Apr. 2016.
Staff, Billboard. "Taylor Swift Wins 'Most Marketable' in New Study, Followed By Justin Timberlake." Billboard. 14 Jan. 2016. Web. 04 Apr. 2016.
Celebrity use in social media is something that I’ve always had interest in. When I first got Twitter it was a new thing, none of my friends had it. Twitter was specially for following my favorite bands like The Maine and All Time Low. As time went by I kind of shifted my Twitter usage towards my friends and not celebrities, now again my usage is shifting back to celebrities. I actually think I used the article “To See and Be Seen: Celebrity Practice on Twitter” on a project in Professors Worthington’s class last year.
ReplyDeleteIn this article it touches upon how celebrities share personal information on things like Twitter to create an intimate connection for the user or fans like ourselves. Twitter is a great way to see what our favorite celebrities are doing; it’s quick and easy to send a few tweets through out the day to let fans know what they are up too. I personally love using Twitter as a mean to connect with my favorite artists. It’s kind of an accomplishment when someone famous tweets back or favorites your tweets.
I’m personally a fan of a dance music group called Krewella, I’ve been following them on social media since freshman year and I have received replies from them more times than I can count. Like you mentioned in your blog post, Twitter is a good place to ask stars questions. You can find out information about them but just being able to interact with your favorite celebrities in general creates a sense of intimacy. In my personal opinion if an artist replies to me or takes the time to respond to fans, its only going to make me like them that much more.
I don’t see this style of celebrity-fan communication going away anytime soon. I think it’s innovative. For the most part I don’t think it causes many problems although in your blog you do mention relationships and how it’s not the “traditional” relationship. Maybe it’s hard for me to understand these situations getting sticky because I wouldn’t turn to stalking or resorting to violence towards a celebrity. I could see it becoming a problem because of social media and was kind of mentioned in the article on Digital Trends. Knibbs mentions how some people become social media famous, I think this happens because of actual celebrities. I know someone who is obsessed with Kylie Jenner and now gets attention from her very often on Twitter but because of this he has be come “famous.” Though he is famous in the eyes of other fans to a regular person it is an unhealthy and obsessive relationship with someone he actually doesn’t know, though he thinks he knows her.
New platforms are already arising, I know that some celebrities have applications that allow you to communicate with them or you can now go live on Facebook to show your followers what you’re doing. I think Twitter is a great way to connect with celebrities and because of that I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere.
Works Cited:
Alice Marwick and danah Boyd (2011). "To See and Be Seen: Celebrity Practice on Twitter." Convergence. 139.
Knibbs, Kate. "How Social Media Has Changed What It Means to Be a Celebrity." Digital Trends. 15 Apr. 2013. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.
Social media has changed the way we do almost everything in our lives. Technology advancements have not only changed the lives of every day people but also have changed dramatically for celebrities as well and fan’s perceptions of them. “The fragmented media landscape has created a shift in traditional understanding of ‘celebrity management’ from a highly controlled and regulated institutional model to one in which performers and personalities actively address and interact with fans” (Marwick and Boyd, 139). Being cautious of their every move when out in public has always been on a celebrities mind. Whether the press is good or bad there is always someone watching and that someone usually has an agenda. So in terms of the relationship between celebrities and their fans, social media has both negative and positive affects on the outcome of their relationship.
ReplyDeleteOne example of social media being utilized as a positive tool for celebrities is the use of Twitter. Even though the use of twitter activity is not nearly as high as it once was when it first came out, it is still a popular way for celebrities to interact with their fans. “In the nine years since Twitter was founded, the social networking platform has become a go-to place for breaking news, political protests and conversations about must-see TV ” (Hollywood Reporter). Fans also use twitter as means to try and communicate with celebrities in hopes of getting replies or responses directly from the celebrity. Personal information about the celebrities life such as upcoming projects, updates on their social life, or general thoughts can be shared on twitter creating the illusion of a relationship between a fan and a celebrity.
On the flip side of that, celebrities have taken heat from the use of social media affecting their reputation. Now a day’s social media users have become so wrapped up and consumed in the “fandom” life. Whether or not a user is following a celebrity people can leave comments on their pages or get into heated conversations with other users about the celebrity. Not only that but since the celebrity is a public figure almost anyone can leave a comment on their page regardless if the information is true or not making other users question the celebrity.
While I do believe that social media has somewhat bridged the gap between celebrities and their fans it has also caused many issues. Some believe that documenting information or pictures of celebrities on social media is an invasion of privacy. But the paparazzi have been an obstacle that celebrities have always had to worry about. Celebrities actively engaging in social media give fans the sense that they genuinely care about their fans and also that they are trying to reach them on a more personal level.
Alice Marwick and danah boyd (2011). "To See and Be Seen: Celebrity Practice on Twitter." Convergence, 17(2), 139 - 158.
"10 Top Entertainment Moments in Twitter History." The Hollywood Reporter. 20 March 2015. Web. 05 Apr. 2016.
A celebrity’s image has always been an incredibly important part of their career. They have to keep up certain appearances and act a certain way in front of fans in order to maintain their “brand”. But now in 2016, there is hardly such a thing as privacy for the rich and famous. With social media, celebrities open up their daily lives to the public eye. From Snapchat stories of where you’re going to tweeting about your next haircut, there are now so many ways for fans to not only see what their favorite star is up to, but also interact with them. But in the end, is this a positive or a negative?
ReplyDeletePersonally, one of my favorite social media outlets is Reddit. Reddit is a massive forum website which prompts discussions on countless topics. Russo’s quote in the twitter reading, “ One big factor is that on Twitter, anyone can ask a star questions. The star is free to be his or herself without fear of stalkers, protected by a “wall” of their Twitter account” (Russo, 2009) reminded me of my favorite Reddit forum based on that premise. This forum, AMA (ask me anything), is often visited by celebrities who reach out to their fans and hold a 2 hour long question and answer session. They can sift through the questions and answer whichever ones they want, and don’t really have to worry about promoting anything (most often do anyway). From Gordan Ramsey to Arnold Schwarzenegger, even Barack Obama has gone and done an AMA on Reddit. Never in my life did I think I could sit at home in my bedroom and ask Obama a question, but the opportunity was there in 2014 and many people did thanks to social media.
Image is important, but can be hard to hold up when you’re constantly under the public’s eye. Recently, rapper 50 cent filed for bankruptcy in court, claiming that all the money he shows off and talks about are for image purposes. The judge agreed and came up with a deal for the rapper, but began getting concerned when he followed his social media accounts. The judge was concerned about “allegations of nondisclosure or lack of transparency in the case” and ordered 50 to explain Instagram pictures of him “ using stacks of money to fill buckets, redecorate his refrigerator, and spell out the word ‘broke.’”(Luckerson) 50 claimed that those pictures were to keep up his image, and if his fans thought he was legitimately broke, he’d lose his career.
So social media does add a whole new layer of interaction between fans and celebrities. For many people, it can be utilized in order to increase exposure and just develop a closure relationship with your followers. For others like 50, it can actually be quite difficult to maintain a certain image without running into a few bumps in the road.
Luckerson, Victor. "Bankrupt 50 Cent Says the Cash in His Instagram Photos Was Fake." Time. Time, n.d. Web. Apr. 2016.
Russo, Maria. "Twitter Breaks Down the Wall Between Star and Fans." The Wrap. 25 Mar. 2009. Apr. 2016.
I really enjoyed reading your blog because I think that the intimacy between celebrities and fans through social media is very relevant today as we are downloading more and more social media platforms each year. When I started my social media accounts (Twitter, Instagram and Facebook) I remember I was so excited to follow my favorite celebrities. It started with athletes such as Jeremy Lin and Victor Cruz. Eventually I made my way to being apart of the millions of people that follow the Kardashians (guilty to admit it but true). This type of access to viewing celebrities’ personal accounts makes me feel a deeper connection than just being a fan. I feel like I know them on another level even though it’s through just my mobile device because I can see what they do through Snapchat and say through Twitter.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, “Celebrity images are culturally pervasive; they have become part of our day-to-day lives (Turner, 2004: 17) and part of the raw material through which we construct identities and engage in public discourse (Feasey, 2008; Gamson, 1994).” This is particularly true for me because there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t watch SNL’s youngest cast member and love of my life, Pete Davidson’s Snapchat story. My best friends from home and I always tag each other on Pete Davidson’s Instagram. Just this morning one of my friends tagged me in one of Pete Davidson’s Instagram posts and then texted me “Did you see that Pete Davidson is dating Larry David’s daughter?” This social media access that we both have to one of our favorite celebrities gives us reasons to talk to each other while we’re both away at college. In addition, reading about this type of news through social media has changed the relationship between fans and celebrities compared to 10 years ago. I know information about my favorite celebrities faster with access to social media. Also, social media has made it easier for fans to know more intimidate details of their life than I ever would know through third parties of reading a magazine or maybe hearing about it on the news.
I’ll never forget the day that I was watching the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards when Beyoncé opened up her shirt and revealed her baby bump! According to The Hollywood Reporter, one of the top 10 entertainment moments in twitter history was the day of the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28, 2011. “Beyoncé breaks a Twitter record when she announces that she and husband Jay-Z are expecting their first child on the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards red carpet. She later confirms the news on stage during the show, prompting MTV to tweet the news. The news generates 8,868 Tweets per second, a record for a single event at that time” (The Hollywood Reporter). It wasn’t entertainment TV shows like Access Hollywood or the Today Show but a social media platform that released the news of Beyoncé’s pregnancy.
ReplyDeleteSocial media has made it easier for fans to know more about their favorite celebrities and I don’t necessarily think it is an unhealthy thing unless you’re stalking them. I think it’s so cool to be able to see celebrities real lives through their personal social media accounts to get to know who they really are because at the end of the day, we’re both human. As far as the future of social media and the relationship between celebrities and fans go, I agree with you that with additional social media platforms will be created and this form of communication will only become stronger as long as fans and celebrities don’t cross the line with each other.
Feasey R (2008) Reading Heat: The meanings and pleasures of star fashions and celebrity gossip. Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies 22(5): 687–699.
Gamson J (1994)Claims to Fame: Celebrity in Contemporary America. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Marwick, Alice, and Danah Boyd. "To See and Be Seen: Celebrity Practice on Twitter."Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies 17.2 (2011): 139-58. SAGE Journals.
The Hollywood Reporter. “10 Top Entertainment Moments in Twitter History.” March 20, 2015.
Turner G (2004) Understanding Celebrity. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.