In this weeks’ reading, danah boyd attempts to define the new concept of “super publics.” In her argument, she discusses how digital media has “screwed with the notion of public, removing traditional situationism that connects strangers.” The notion of a “public act”—which is defined as “one that is visible to an audience of strangers, connected by exposure to that act (a.k.a. a public)” and is explicitly limited in scope—has transformed into a larger audience of strangers because of the internet.
That being said, I saw this as true, as there has been a recent trend at my internship where celebrities announce pregnancies and other exciting news in a new way. The traditional way of announcing them via news outlets, magazines, and other traditional ways of media has been replaced with announcements via Instagram. Justin Timberlake was the last one I encountered this week, where it was revealed that he and wife? Jessica Biel announced that they’re expecting via his Instagram account (although the media had already long speculated Jessica’s pregnancy due to numerous photos purporting a new “bump”).
I think it’s interesting that celebrities like JT are starting to utilized social media moreso than traditional forms of media for these types of stories. You can actually see a shift in the style of writing in these tabloids; they went from simply reporting news received from publicisits to now reporting news from what they see on the celebs social media. Now, tabloids are beginning to stretch even further to expose these celebrities’ secrets before they are revealed on social media. The digital sphere has changed the audience of celebrities from domestic magazine readers to now worldwide followers—somewhat parallel with boyd’s argument of a superpublic.
Superpublics are still a concept even boyd is hashing out, but I see the correlation in my world today.
It’s interesting that JT didn’t go for selling the official announcement of his and Biel’s expecting baby to a bunch of tabloid magazines. Good for him?
I really like this idea of people that tabloids would be reporting on, being able to report on themselves. Because Justin Timberlake was able to take advantage of the super publics, he could announce the exciting news in the way he chooses. The digital sphere lets us go straight to the source and cuts out the middle man that could skew the story.
I have definitely noticed the heightened use of social media by celebrities to relay important announcements like new business ventures, pregnancies, etc. I feel like maybe they feel like it’s a closer, more personal form of communication with their fans, as the fans are hearing the news directly from them first, rather than some media outlet like TV reporters or magazines. As a fan, I like the idea that celebrities can interact more personally with us through things like Twitter and Instagram comments, etc. It gives us more of a chance to possibly connect with them, one we wouldn’t have had if we heard news through the tabloids, etc. I also think that it is interesting why celebrities are choosing the social media route rather than using other outlets because, as someone mentioned above, they definitely could sell their news and make some money. So, I wonder what are the true reasons why they seem to be preferring personal social media accounts rather than the traditional route.
I feel like this new phase of social media celebrity is really an important shift from the tabloid culture of the early 2000s. It’s a way for celebs to beat the tabloids to the punch. Even though there was already speculation about JT’s new baby, ultimately that Instagram post will be associated with it first and celebrities didn’t have that option unless they were selling out to the highest bidders.
I definitely said some “aww’s”when I first saw this Instagram post via Facebook. I don’t personally follow JT on Instagram, but I thought it was interesting how viral it went after it was posted. It was shared on FB, Twitter, etc. Like you mentioned, social media has definitely changed the way celebrities share news. Instead of press releases or tabloids being the main source of the announcement, they’re not just sharing what they find out from the celebrities themselves like the rest of us. It allows celebrities to have more liberty and personality in how they connect with their audience/public.