One of the main aspects of Twitter that separates it from other social networking websites is the ability for celebrities to directly share themselves with the public and the potential to for users to interact with the celebrities themselves. Twitter provides celebrities with the opportunity to directly connect with their fans through an unmediated interface. While celebrities do not have immediate access to fans through newspapers, interviews, magazines, and tabloids, Twitter enables these individuals to publicize themselves without interference from outside sources. This provides celebrities with a new type of freedom in which they are capable of controlling their own persona and quickly responding to what others say about them.
Another unique characteristic of Twitter is the fact that celebrities and normal users have the potential to communicate with each other. While celebrities are often looked at as being somewhat “untouchable,” Twitter helps undermine this notion and change the notions that we have about celebrity culture. This social networking service helps close the gap between celebrities by creating a space that enables individuals to have a more intimate and authentic experience with celebrities.
A prime example of celebrities interacting with fans is Justin Bieber. He tweets, responds to his fans and retweets his fans more than any other celebrity I’ve come across on Twitter. Just today he tweeted over 16 times and 7 of those tweets involved either retweeting a fan or responding to what a fan had tweeted. Although it’s pretty annoying to have my Twitter mini feed flooded with Justin Bieber tweets, I commend his effort on trying to keep in touch with his fans. I think that the reason some of his fans are so loyal, besides the fact that they are hormonal teenyboppers, is because he is so loyal to them via Twitter. If more celebrities started acting like Justin Bieber on Twitter, maybe to a little bit less of an extent, the relationship between all celebrities and their fans on Twitter would become much stronger.
I agree, Twitter's potential for fostering "relationships" between celebrities and fans is high. Most of the celebrities I can think of have some sort of Twitter presence, which I usually ignore, to reach out to followers and appear personable.
ReplyDeleteAlso as you mentioned, it gives an ability to mold their brand through their own lens, not that of the media.
I'm wondering, do you think the Twittersphere community of celebrity fandom will soon begin to realize their interactions with celebrities are superficial and essentially meaningless? I mean, I don't completely understand obsessed fans, but I'd have to think after a while they will catch on...
Will the trend of celeb-PR via Twitter lose it's luster overtime? Sorry this was long, but lemme know what you think.
I am not an avid Twitter user, but the few times I actually go on it I feel like I am looking something funny a celebrity or sports star has done on Twitter that somebody told me about. Right after Conan was taken off of NBC, he started a Twitter account and I used to check his updates often because he's real funny and did some funny stuff. Having said that, I agree with what you said about Twitter creating a space that enables users to have more authentic relationships with celebrities. A lot of people were mad when Conan was taken off NBC, and he used Twitter to entertain his fans while he was off the air.
ReplyDeleteI also think that Twitter does a good job of encouraging celebrities to use their medium by verifying that it is the actual person and not somebody who just made a fake account with their name. I think that because Twitter takes the time to check and make sure that the celebrity is actually who they say they are, it helps other celebrities to decide to join.