Today I was walking through Washington Square
Park on my way back to my dorm when I saw someone I recognized. I creepily
approached him as he was finishing a phone call and tapped him on the shoulder.
He was extremely polite, shaking my hand and even asking my name. I am not the
type to get easily flustered by celebrities, but I felt compelled to go up to
him and compliment his work. The man who I spotted, Brandon Stanton, is not
someone I have ever met before. He is not an actor or musician or of any other
position that typically generates notoriety. He runs a blog called Humans of
New York on which he posts portraits
that range from showcasing tender moments to embodying poignant statements
about society. Mr. Stanton and the far-reaching appreciation of his photographs
are just one example of the way that digital media is enabling a new generation
of visionaries to communicate their work with a global audience.
The website is not the only vehicle
of social media that Mr. Stanton utilizes. In addition, he runs a Humans of New
York Twitter page, Tumblr page, and Facebook page, which has
over 250,000 “likes.” Mr. Stanton states that he quickly
realized that having a solitary website was not enough to generate traffic and
inspire conversation. He acknowledges that the use of multiple social media
platforms is what pushed Humans of New York to unprecedented heights of
popularity. Mr. Stanton is able to update each of his pages immediately by
uploading posts through his iPhone. The instant gratification of his portraits
is a huge reason why his fans and followers keep refreshing their Facebook,
Twitter, and Tumblr pages.
Quirky art innovation is not the
only genre that has received attention due to current digital culture. It is
hard to believe that four years ago no one knew of Justin Bieber. Whether or
not you enjoy Mr. Bieber’s music and style, there is no denying that his story
is one that epitomizes the opportunity that social media presents to fledgling
musicians. At the age of thirteen, he began posting videos on YouTube so that
relatives who lived a distance away could see him sing and play guitar. Scooter
Braun, his future manager, happened to be perusing the website. The story plays
out like a fairytale, with Mr. Bieber continuing on to impress Usher, sign with
Island DefJam, churn out two albums, and sell out Madison
Square Garden— all in just two years. Not only is his initial discovery due
to social media but so is his subsequent popularity, which is a direct result
of his interactions with fans through Twitter.
This intimate relationship between idol and admirers, furnished by social media,
has in turn made his “Beliebers” fervent supporters of all his endeavors, from
music to television to perfume.
Look at all the followers!
Ironically, the arch-enemies of
“Beliebers”, “Directioners”, are the fans of another musical act which also
owes much of its popularity to social media. One Direction is a boy band that
was artificially put together on the UK X Factor. Each of the five members
auditioned as solo artists but were put into a group by
legendary producer Simon Cowell. The boys were consistent fan favorites,
managing to be voted all the way to the final three. Though One Direction
finished in third place, they had enough of a following to convince Mr. Cowell
to sign them to his label. In addition to their previous television exposure,
One Direction unexpectedly became
a hit on Tumblr. Due in part to the aesthetically pleasing coordination of
their outfits, as well as their general youth and attractiveness, the
“Direction infection” was spread through the reblogging of pictures of the
boys, which led to curious teenage girls Google-ing their music. This digital
convergence led to a whole new audience for One Direction.
Okay, I can see why girls kept reblogging on Tumblr...
The popularity of Humans of New
York, Justin Bieber, and One Direction correlates directly with the activity of
each of their social media vehicles. The constant inundation of information in
the form of photos, tweets, and videos creates a relationship between producer
and consumer which had not previously existed. Add to that the enthusiasm of
digital natives and the curiosity of digital immigrants to know what the
younger generation is talking about (Yes, my grandma does have What Makes You Beautiful
on her iPad…), and you have a large platform for any aspiring artist or
entrepreneur to showcase their work. The opportunity for exposure increases
with each new follower, reblog, and retweet. In a world where, theoretically,
anyone can make it, I am excited to see what strange
or fun obsession grips the internet next.
This post is very funny! I love your take on how the internet affects the ever pervasive celebrity culture. It's amazing how fast ideas can spread these days. I'm also glad that your first example was actually one that sheds positive light on the internet. The use of social media allows Stanton to communicate art with his fans, which is not something that we've necessarily touched on yet in our class discussions.
ReplyDeleteAva, an excellent blog post! Well written and compelling. Nice work. Keep it up. For the next blog post, I'd like you to try a more analytical approach--not that this blog is not very good--it is. I'd just like to see a different kind of post next time. Excellent work!
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