Internet Celebrities: What Are They And How Are They Revolutionising Society?
When you think of a celebrity, somebody associated to an “achievement, talent or position” such as a signer or actor pops into your mind, right? (Abidin, 2018, p. 4). Seeing as traditional celebrities are exclusive and restricted in the public eye, Abidin’s (2018) explores a new type of digitalised celebrity, the internet celebrity. Through reviewing Abidin’s (2018) book, ‘Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame Online’, this blog will explore how celebrity culture has evolved into what it is today, and the impact this form of celebrity has had on consumer culture.
But what really is an Internet Celebrity?
Albidin (2018) claims that an internet celebrity is an ordinary person with no specific talent acquiring internet fame through attaining attention on the internet.
Digitalising Traditional Media
Internet celebrities first stemmed from the rise of digital technology and social media platforms in the twenty-first century. As society digitalised traditional media and turned to web-based publishing and self-curated content, websites and platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and Twitter gave ordinary people the ability to acquire fame through the comfort of their own home (Abidin, 2018). With society evolving, social media is now considered to be the main communication tool in this digital world we are living in. Therefore, internet celebrities are not the only type of celebrity adapting to this new platform to communicate to fans, but also traditional celebrities and public figures!
Types of Internet Celebrities
With internet celebrities acquiring fame for numerous reasons, it is important to note that there are many different varieties of internet celebrities. Abidin’s (2018) segregates them as:
1- Viral stars
2- Meme personalities
3- Spotted and groomed investments
4- Crowd-puller cameos
5- Weaponized microcelebrity
6- Click bait
7- Cashing in on Catchphrases
8- Who profits?
All these internet celebrities contribute to the evolving ideology of a ‘celebrity’ and have acquired their fame through the mass media (Chris Rojek, 2011, as cited in Abidin, 2018). Through international media coverage, ‘celebrities’ are transformed into a commodity which later causes the public to take interest in the product (Abidin, 2018). As ordinary people can become famous, it is vital for internet celebrities to use marketing techniques to stay ‘relevant’ as they do not have their talent to fall back on, unlike traditional celebrities (Ki and Kim, 2019).
Consumers
According to Ki and Kim’s (2019) ‘doppelgänger effect’ theory, audiences regard internet celebrities highly to a point they want to mimic them. In order to exploit this, brands, products and services endorse internet celebrities to promote and persuade consumers through exerting influence on social media (Ki and Kim, 2019; Brown and Haynes, 2008). Therefore, internet celebrities are just as important in the prospect of the product than in the sales process (Brown and Hayes, 2008).
Despite internet celebrities being relatively new, they are already on their way of taking over traditional celebrities in terms of hierarchy and populairty. So, the question is, what more will they be capable of in future years?
References
Abidin, C. (2018). ‘Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame Online’. Bingly: Emerald Publishing Limited.
Brown, D., & Hayes, N. (2008). Influencer marketing. Oxford: Routledge.
The Society Pages. (2018). ‘What Is An Internet Celebrity Any Way?’. Retrived from: https://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2018/09/13/what-is-an-internet-celebrity-any-way/ [date accessed 27 December 2020].
Ki, C W C., & Kim, Y K. (2019). The mechanism by which social media influencers persuade consumers: The role of consumers’ desire to mimic. Psychology & Marketing, 36(10), 905–922.
