Note: None of the photos worked so they are in the drop-box on DSO
Every
time we post something on our Facebook, Instagram or twitter account we have to
think twice about it. Every time we post, there is a digital footprint online,
which can be accessed by anyone, as private as we may think our accounts are.
This concept relates to the specular economy where the way we present ourselves
online is the way in which we would like to be viewed by others online. According
to Marshal (2010, p. 498) the specular economy is “a two way mirror projection
on to the screen, and the circulation of and interaction
So
think about this. As a ‘normal’ individual, our social network comprises
hundreds of people mostly being our friends and family. However celebrities
have a massive social network, some with around millions of followers or
‘friends’, mostly those whom they do not know. Everything they do online can be
viewed and monitored by anyone and everyone who wishes to do so. A well-known
and developed specular economy exists within the celebrity culture, which comes
with the emerging comfortability of a society of surveillance. If a celebrities
post anything controversial on a social media site, this often gets blown out
of proportion due to the number of people that these sites reach and are being
viewed by.
These new forms of media
have allowed celebrities to create online public personas through their social with
those images and texts into the wider world.” The specular economy relates to
the idea and importance of receiving ‘likes’,’ hits’ and ‘comments’ on the
various social media accounts such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Their
accounts allow an almost direct interaction between themselves and their millions
of followers and supporters worldwide. This allows fans to go beyond simply
writing a ‘fan letter’, as they can now attempt to create a relationship
through social media interactions with the celebrity. Rather then reading magazines
and newspaper articles, which may be exaggerated and often completely false,
fans and supporters get a sense of assurance when they obtain information and
gossip from the celebrities account. However in some cases this assurance is
flipped on its back, with accounts being hacked and false accounts being
created. Only three weeks ago Buddy Franklin’s Instagram account was hacked,
announcing that he had signed a contract with Greater Western Sydney. Immediately the image was flying around
the Internet and covered news headlines all over Australia. Franklin only has
164,000 followers. Imagine how quick rumors can start when accounts of celebrities
with millions of followers are being hacked.
Not
only has social media changed celebrities but it has also changed the way in which
we perceive celebrities. Social media allows individuals to present ourselves
online in whatever way that we desire, and according to the large majority of
the public, some celebrities are creating ‘negative’ images of themselves. Madonna
in the late 80’s changed her image, as she became a much more sexual and
promiscuous character. However to her credit this change worked for the better
and she held a 130,000-person concert in Paris, which is still her biggest
concert attendance ever. More recent examples of celebrities that have changed
their character or their online perception are Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga.
Miley
started her career as a role model for young girls as the childhood celebrity ‘
Hannah Montana’. However she has recently appeared to have spiraled out of
control in her attempt to shift her image to an ‘adult star’ rather than ‘teen
star’. As apart of this transformation Miley performed a rather inappropriate
performance to her new single ‘Wrecking Ball’. This performance has created much speculation to Miley’s
image. Miley recently release a short documentary in which she explained her
reasoning for her performance and film clip of ‘Wrecking Ball’, saying that it
was apart of her plan. Her plan to get people talking and get peoples
attention. I think it is fair to say she has achieved her plan, as her
performance has being talked about everywhere on social media outlets and even
on news programs worldwide. In fact her VMA performance was viewed over 10
million times on Youtube, only over a matter of days. Miley Cyrus used her
social media accounts as a way of transitioning from Hannah Montana to an
adult. Although raunchy social media posts have sparked much negative attention
from the public, she has used social media to create a new persona.
In
her documentary ‘The Movement’, Miley states that is has all been apart of her
plan and that she is now at her stage in her life where she can be whatever she
wants. She even goes as far to say that she is ‘starting as a new artist now.
Miley’s attempt to control what the people talk about has just about been a
success; as for the last week (although not necessarily being a good thing)
stories have dominated regarding her performance. In her documentary, Miley
states that ‘You’re always going to make people talk… you might as well make
them talk for two weeks rather than two seconds’. Something similar to the
motto that co female controversial artist Lady Gaga lives by.
This is the link to the Ttrailer of Miley's Documentaty:
Lady Gaga is an example
of what Miley may have been attempting to do. Gaga is one of the most talked
about figures in modern day society and is in a different magazine just about
everyday of the week. Her controversial dresses, performances and attitude
dominants the media regularly. However is this all deliberate? In one of Lady
Gaga’s most recent interview’s she’s state’s that she would rather hear the
media talk about her public persona then her private persona. When have we ever
heard about Lady Gaga’s private life, or anything about her that doesn’t relate
to her outrageous costumes and performances for that matter? She makes the
media talks about what she wants them to talk about and to an extent controls
the media.
There
is no doubting that social media has changed the way in which celebrities
perceive themselves and as a result in the way the their fans and supporters
perceive their idols. Similar to the way magazines effectively changed the way
‘stars’ were perceived, into ‘celebrities’’. Magazines were and still are full
of rumors and information that was passed down through various sources,
eventually to the publisher. Social media outlets have changed the way celebrities
communicate with their supporters, and has essentially shrunk the gap between celebrities and the fans, for the good or for the bad.
References:
Marshal, P.D 2010, ‘The Specular Economy’, Society,
vol. 47, no. 6, pp. 498-502
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