Week Eight: Celebrities and Social Media

Celebrities have latched onto the phenomenon of social media in an attempt to build their brand and easily communicate with their fans. Sites such as Twitter and Facebook are increasingly being used as a vehicle for celebrities to manufacture their ideal public persona and carefully control the aspects of their personal life which enter the public domain. Social media also offers the chance for celebrities to personally communicate with fans, which is another crucial tactic in shaping their public image.

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Marshall (2010) refers to the specular economy as the place 'where we are becoming more conscious of how we present ourselves and how others perceive us.' Celebrities posting on Twitter and Facebook are often operating within the specular economy, as they are attempting to personally craft a favourable public perception. Previously, a celebrity's image was most often crafted thought the media, with this portrayal not always an overly kind representation. Marshall (2010) discussed this benefit of social media for celebrities when outlining the 'relatively new capacity to send via the Internet messages and images outwards that circumvent the gatekeeping and controlling mechanisms of broadcast and print media.'

Social media also provides a fantastic opportunity for celebrities to personally interact with their fans, whether it's by responding to a post or 'retweeting' a fan's thoughts. Former NFL star Chad Ochocinco is one celebrity who has used social media effectively in the past to engage fans and shape a favourable public perception of himself. A prolific tweeter and UStream user, Ochocinco announced on the medium in 2009 that he would tweet from the end zone at some stage of the season. When his idea was rebuffed by the league, Ochocinco found a novel way to stick to his plan- run a Twitter competition where a fan would be chosen to fly to each of his games and tweet on his behalf. While Ochocinco's idea may be considered as eccentric, it demonstrates the positives associated with celebrity social media use and fan interaction.

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Social media, which offers 'a different structure through which the famed construct their public image' (Marshall, 2010), provides a fantastic opportunity for celebrities to personally engage their fans while developing a favourable public image.



References

Marshall, D 2010, 'The Specular Economy', Symposium: Celebrity Around the World, retrieved 25/9/13, URL, p. 498-502