Marshall
(2013, p.1) describes a celebrity as a ‘particularly powerful and pervasive
trope for contemporary culture.’ Whilst
the blog topic for this week explores how celebrities have changed in response
to social, digital or mobile media, I think we need to take a step back and
really look at what classifies a celebrity in the first place. In the 90’s we may have considered Princess
Diana a celebrity in terms of representational media, for example,
magazines. In contrast, Marshall (2013,
p.8) believes that as a society we are moving away ‘from a representational media and cultural regime to a presentational media and cultural regime’. The rise of social media, such as Twitter, ‘pushes celebrity culture into a constant and accelerated game of
recursive revelation of the private and the intimate’ (Marshall 2010, p.498).
With the popularity of social media, everyday people can post a six second
video (vine) and become ‘famous’ or post a Harlem shake video and become an
Internet sensation.
Marshall (2010, 502) uses the
term specular economy to describe how as a society we are becoming more aware
of how we present ourselves and how others view us. Marshall believes that
social media has increased the specular economy and has produced a new way of personal
presentation.
Now lets take a look at two individuals
who were already celebrities but thanks to Twitter it has given them a new
platform to reinvent themselves whilst gaining a larger audience. The first
individual is Miley Cyrus. Oh Miley, where to begin…
Do we all remember the days of
Hannah Montana and the ever so sweet and innocent Miley? Well I’m here to tell
you that those days are long gone. She has been in the spotlight for all the
wrong reasons lately and I for one always love finding out what’s new with her
or what crazy antics she has been up to.
And it comes to no surprise that sometimes she tweets things that normal
individuals would find quite personal. In one tweet, she accidently tweeted a
picture of a phone conversation stating she had been crying herself to sleep
and was taking pills to try and pass out. She told her fans she had been hacked
but soon admitted the text was hers. But I guess all the controversy
surrounding her has possibly worked out in her favor. By using her Twitter and
Instagram she was able to promote her Wrecking Ball video clip and gain 100
million views in 37 days.
source: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/vmas-2013-celebs-react-miley-cyrus-robin-thicke-performance-article-1.1437027
source: http://www.ibtimes.com/miley-cyrus-butt-tweet-singer-accidentally-posts-private-conversation-referencing-depression-drugs
The next individual is Amanda
Bynes. Similar to Miley, she was once an innocent and loved teen star on The
Amanda Show. But since she started her Twitter page, the world has witnessed
her downfall one tweet after the next. Her tweets are sexually explicit, uses
vulgar terms and she often tweets ‘selfies’ with minimal clothing. Her actions
are so extreme that some believed it was all a publicity stunt but in fact it’s
just a train wreck waiting to happen.
source:http://www.rick.com/med-cocktail-appears-to-be-working-for-amanda-bynes/
source: http://au.eonline.com/news/422642/amanda-bynes-the-troubling-events-leading-up-to-her-nyc-arrest
I think it’s safe to say its
not how celebrities have changed in regards to presentational media, it’s how
social media allows us to classify who is a celebrity and who is not.
Until next time…
References:
Marshal,
P.D 2010, ‘The Specular Economy’, Society, vol. 47, no. 6, pp. 498-502, retrieved 15 September 2013, https://d2l.deakin.edu.au/d2l/le/content/143750/viewContent/1985498/View
Marshall, P.D. 2013 , Persona Studies:
mapping the proliferation of the public self, Journalism, June 4. online
edition, retrieved 15 September 2013, https://d2l.deakin.edu.au/d2l/le/content/143750/viewContent/1985497/View
Hi Morgan,
ReplyDeleteGreat post with a lot of good pictures (especially the one of Miley. I'll be honest, I still love Miley). I liked the way that you started with a quote from the reading and then explained what you were going to speak about. It was really well written and the examples really complimented the points that you were making. I think that what you were talking about was very relevant especially really recently with viral videos making people famous. The parts of the reading you chose to include were relevant and overall it was a really interesting post to read.
Thanks!
Hey Morgan! This is a very well written post. Your spelling and grammar is spot on and your use of accompanying media is fantastic! You could not have used any more current examples either to discuss this issue. I think these are great examples of how social media platforms can be used by celebrities to sell themselves. I think you have also raised an interesting point when you asked what actually classifies a celebrity? These days it seems that everyone is capable of receiving his or her 15 minutes of fame online. The quotes you have used support your writing well and are referenced accurately. I wonder whether you maybe could have mentioned the effects these celebrities use of social media is having on society?
ReplyDeleteHi Morgan,
ReplyDeleteThis is a really great post. The structure is perfect with a concept regarding celebrity’s social media use. A definition of the specular economy, an example and an explanation of that example are all easily identifiable.
The references you choice to use were spot on and all relevant links and images were used. Spelling and grammar was also perfect and the layout of your post made it clear to read.
The post overall was very engaging and your examples were very relevant as those two celebrities are still currently in the media regarding their social media use. Through reading I found new information that I currently did not pick up on within the reading and through the examples. It shows that good research was conducted and you have a strong understanding of the topic. The post is perfect and I cannot find any flaw to discuss.
First of all, I’m very impressed with the layout of your blog, its obvious that a lot of time and effort went into its design. Second, I think you made a great choice in using Amanda and Miley to assist you in explaining the specular economy! I especially enjoyed your closing line, I feel it summed up the arguments put forward throughout the post. The accompanying images also added to the effectiveness of your post. A video of Miley losing her mind at the VMA’s may have been the icing on the cake! Good use of the readings, they complimented your standpoint well. Great Job!
ReplyDelete