By Cynthia Nichols, Oklahoma State University & Charles W. Meadows, The University of Alabama
From Taylor Swift, to former Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin, Twitter is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing social media networks among celebrities. Although social media outlets such as Myspace, and Facebook have been around for years, Twitter has only recently emerged into mainstream popularity, and everyone—from grandmothers, to fashion designers, to scholars, to celebrities—is jumping on board. Since its start in 2006, Twitter has grown rapidly to become the most popular micro-blogging Web site online. In fact, according to Nielsen, it grew a staggering 1,382% from February 2008 to February 2009, and has more than 7 million unique visitors every month [1]. However, this rapid growth leaves many people wondering: “What is Twitter?” and “Why should I use it?”
To clarify, Twitter is a micro-blogging service that allows users to send short text messages, otherwise known as “tweets,” to their Twitter page. Although there is a dizzying array of multiple-platforms available to support the service (mobile phones, computers, etc.), the restrictive 140-character length of the tweet minimizes the hassle and involvement for users. The simplicity of Twitter—which is one of its greatest strengths—keeps friends, families, and colleagues up-to-date on “What’s happening?” In essence, Twitter allows you to send a text message to the world.
So why are celebrities taking such an active interest in social apps such as Twitter? In one word: Freedom. Twitter enables celebrities to speak their mind, inform their public, and take the power back from the paparazzi that are trying to invade their lives. When something newsworthy happens, celebrities can now bypass the uniform statement made by publicists, and take their story to the streets… or “tweets” in this case—no publicist necessary. Actor and comedian Stephen Fry, otherwise known as the ‘King of Twitter,’ has made several comments concerning this freedom, “People like me… can cut out the press from our PR requirements… It used to be a pact with the devil. You wanted to inform the press about a new film and they said they will interview you, but only if they are allowed to ask you… about your private life.” [2]. Now, celebrities can reach the consumer directly with a specific message by simply typing on a keyboard.
This freedom, however, is not without drawbacks. Because of the public nature of the site, many public relations practitioners face a “media literacy” problem among their celebrity clients. Although being able to reach out to your fans at any time may be freeing for celebrities, it also comes with downside of instant publication—once a tweet is posted, it is out there forever, and up for public scrutiny. For some, this instant publication can be a PR nightmare. Since celebrities have an unmonitored connection to fans, they often post tweets that can land them in the hot water. For example, Courtney Love experienced a Twitter-disaster first hand—she was sued after posting comments about a fashion designer’s alleged drug habit on her Twitter account [3]. Love, however, is not the only public relations disaster on Twitter. For many celebrities are facing the reality of the site’s public nature too late in the game—just ask the NFL. After a Kansas City Chiefs running-back made a homophobic slur on the site, a Redskins linebacker used Twitter to attack fans, and a San Diego Charger made a crack about the club’s training camp food, the NFL instituted strict rules about when and how its players and coaches can use social media [4].
Despite the potential for PR disasters from uncontrolled tweeting, the portability and direct connection to fans has resulted in a surge of interest in Twitter from both celebrities and fans alike. One of the reasons for this may be that Twitter has a certain degree of realness and connectivity to the people involved—both celebrities and fans alike can broadcast their personal thoughts, feeling, and attitudes to the world and each other. In a recent interview with Coast Confidential [5], Sydney-based celebrity agent, Max Markson, explained his reasons behind encouraging celebrities to use Twitter. “There are advantages with it as it makes celebrities more assessable to their fans…it makes them real people.” And fans love the interaction, for they not only see what the celebrity is tweeting, but can respond and sometimes interact with their favorite celebrities. As one Tweeter, CalypsoWeddings, commented to Forbes.com, “Its a good thing for Celebrities to twitter. Their fans want to know about them and they must be the first to share information about themselves. So building their list of followers is building their brand, and as Shaquile O’Neal says, ‘Having a sense of humor adds value to the content.’” [7]
In a way, it is a self-inflicted form of privacy invasion… but one that celebrities don’t mind. By tweeting, the celebrities can control exactly what they want their fans to see. However, is it savvy media control or over sharing? When Shaq tweets about his insomnia after a bad game, or Lance Armstrong tweets about getting a massage after each training session, they are using Twitter to build their brand, or, in this case, show their dedication to their sport. Whether it is an inadvertent social media plan or not, they use twitter in an authentic way, which, in turn, increases their value as a public figure, gets them new sponsors, and builds fan loyalty. However, what happens when a celebrity overshares? Does Dave Matthews tweeting about his digestive problems turn people away or does the humor of it draw people in? Does Erykah Badu tweeting about the birth of her child gross people out or endear her to them? We don’t know yet, but scholars have been trying to understand the relationships between celebrities and their fans for years. One theory that may explain this relationship is parasocial interaction, which occurs when audiences see media personalities as friends rather than a third party [6]. Although we understand a great deal about parasocial interaction, the next few years will allow scholars to examine it from a new perspective, and begin to understand the impact and relationship of celebrities and social media.
Resources
- http://mashable.com/2009/03/16/twitter-growth-rate-versus-facebook/
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/6591324/Stephen-Fry-says-Twitter-lets-celebrities-bypass-media.html
- http://business.theatlantic.com/2009/11/can_you_sue_me_if_i_lie_on_twitter.php
- http://www.switched.com/2009/09/02/nfl-institutes-harsh-twitter-policy/
- http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2009/11/24/161701_gossip-news.html
- Brown, W. J., Basil, M. D., & Bocarnea, M. C. (2003). Social Influence of an international celebrity: Responses to the death of Princess Diana. Journal of Communication, 53(4), 587-605.
- http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/03/twitter-celebrities-privacy-technology-internet_twitter.html
Cynthia Nichols is an Assistant Professor at Oklahoma State University. Her research interests lie in media effects, entertainment, and children—specifically examining the impact of television and media on children.
Charles W. Meadows is a doctoral student at the University of Alabama. He specializes in environmental communications and emerging media. His research interests revolve around climate change.