Connected With Celebrities And Musicians

(Image – Tumblr / studentground)

On a personal level (maybe)

I remember very distinctly saying to a friend of mine how much more I prefer following celebrities and musicians on Instagram rather than Twitter because it seems more personal, and it feels as though there is a stronger involvement or investment from them. Unfortunately, she wasn't very convinced; the difference was not as evident to her as it was (apparently) to me. I guess what I was trying to say is that Instagram insists on an active engagement with the app itself, in the sense that there is a specific process that a person has to go through in order to upload content – taking a photo, choosing a filter, caption, hashtags, location, and so on. Therefore, it's harder to think that there is someone else other than that person creating the content, which means it must be genuine, right? I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this now, but the preference still remains.

(Image – BuzzFeed / Maritsa Patrinos)

Perhaps one of the greatest things that emerged from Web 2.0 is the profound improvement of communication mediums, which enhanced our capacity to connect with whomever, whenever, using platforms such as social networking websites or mobile apps. Each one offers a unique means of creating and sharing content, allowing us to express ourselves and our interests in multiple ways. With the continuous development of technology, we are constantly online and active on mobile devices because of the desire to be connected and to communicate. This in turn has become a significant part of not only our personal relationships and our interactions with the people close to us, but also how we interact with the rest of the world. More specifically, social media has played a role in defining the relationship between celebrities and audiences.

Ideas about the celebrity image put an emphasis on the distinguishing factors that set them apart from non-celebrities. Because of their fame and social status, celebrities tend to be treated with a higher regard than say, you and I. But with the society's immense interest and investment on celebrity culture, what social media has done is that it gave us the opportunity to bridge this gap and extend our connections to these people who seemed too far from our reach. Celebrities and musicians who use social media are communicating with their fans or audiences in a way that was not always possible; they reveal more about themselves by sharing parts of their lives with us, and sometimes they even engage into conversations with us. Ed Sheeran's recent music video for his single 'Photograph' features a compilation of home videos from when he was a baby up until he was in his early teens. The song itself already elicits a lot of emotions, so the video hit a really soft spot in the hearts of Ed's fans (that includes me). It goes to show how some celebrities and musicians nowadays are actively trying to build a certain kind of relationship with their fans that eliminates the separation between them. Twitter in particular has been a popular site of friendly interaction between celebrities and their fans. This article talks about a few celebrities known to respond to their followers on Twitter, including our best friend Taylor Swift.

(Image – Tumblr / sherlockspeare)

Although a number of celebrities and musicians are genuinely enjoying social media regardless of their relationship with the audience, there are still a couple who refuse to get involved, and some who are even strongly against it. The reasoning behind their own personal preferences varies; some speak about their general dislike of social media, and some explain that they are just not fond with the idea of the internet at all. On the other hand, there are celebrities who are concerned with sharing private information to the public, which is completely understandable since they are, after all, people just like the rest of us. This video by Clevver News puts the spotlight on celebrities who are not on social media, including Mila Kunis who was quoted saying, "It frightens me. It does. I just don't think people need to know when I'm going to the rest room." While it is hard to accept that Benedict Cumberbatch does not have any intention to join social media, it is also hard to deny that there are just as many negative things that come from social media as there are positive things. Jimmy Kimmel has a famous segment on his show where celebrities and musicians read and react to mean tweets, which perhaps says more about the people who posted them than social media itself, but nonetheless shows the kind of effect that it has on celebrities as well as everyone else who have access to it.

There has been a lot of ongoing debate about whether or not the people behind the celebrity accounts on social media are actually the celebrities themselves, as well as the authenticity or realness of the interactions between them and their audiences. As we know, social media is a great way to promote names and brands particularly if there is a strong community of dedicated fans involved. Because of this, some people wonder whether celebrities and musicians really care about their fans or just about their sponsors and making money. I came across this article which talks about different ways that brands could use social media to become successful, and yes, it involves celebrities. For example, music videos these days are packed with product placement which of course, helps popularize brands even more. Musicians seem to be more exposed and prone to this kind of activity simply because of how much they benefit from the participation of their followers, and how much they work to make sure that it keeps growing. They are more likely to have their own apps or websites where they sell merchandise, share sneak peeks of new music and other exclusive content, as well as a forum-like system where their fans can interact with each other. An example of this is the band Karmin, who recently uploaded a promotional video for their own app. Amy Heidemann (lead singer) talks about all the neat features of the app, and the benefits of using it including "earning hearts which can buy all sorts of cool things." On the whole, the app does seem like a great way for fans to stay in touch with the band's activities, but of course, ultimately it's all to help fund their music.

Honestly, as nice as it is to think that celebrities or musicians genuinely interact with us, it's also understandable that they are often actively promoting their sponsors and doing what they can to build their network. It's just the way that they make a living, and I accept that, to an extent.

Take care of yourself.