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Our Transformed Selves
Diana Daly
Key points
The microcelebrity phenomenon shapes online identities by strategically managing profiles, turning ordinary individuals into potential influencers.
Reflecting on the transformative journey of social media, particularly Instagram, over the past decade, and its influence on how people engage and present themselves in the digital realm.
Exploring the role of social media in college life, especially within Greek organizations, and observing how individuals tailor their profiles to conform or stand out in distinct cultures.
Embracing the concept of desired media, where individuals purposefully share content to evoke positive emotions and connections, rather than solely seeking attention or fame.
Navigating the dynamic landscape of social media culture, which includes the rise and fall of platforms and the evolving motivations of users, underlining the importance of fostering positive online cultures.
Acknowledging the reciprocal relationship between humans and social media, emphasizing the necessity for purposeful engagement, genuine care, and the cultivation of a positive online culture when navigating the digital landscape.
In the world of mutual influence in which technologies and humans exist, are our selves changing? It would certainly appear so in an online search. Identity construction online is sophisticated and constant; not just a full-time job but an activity occupying all hours of our lives.
The need to manage our identities is a new phenomenon – right? Well, mostly. One culture that has been dealing with context collapse as an essential part of their work and lives is celebrity culture. And an increasingly popular strategy for pleasing multiple audiences in various contexts is to post like a celebrity. Enter the influencers: Those figures, now ubiquitous in online spaces, whose popularity is leveraged to sway the opinions, preferences, and purchasing decisions of their audience.
Influencers can be celebrities, but they can also be regular people. Microcelebrity, a term introduced by Theresa Senft in her book on “Camgirls” published in 2008, is a way of presenting yourself like a celebrity: setting up your profile and “brand” online, gaining followers, and revealing things about yourself in strategic and controlled ways. The goal of microcelebrity is to make your brand – the marketing of yourself – valuable. The entire system around microcelebrity is called “the attention economy” because, with so much information out there vying for people’s attention, anything people choose to look at is perceived as more valuable, including ourselves. Microcelebrity leads social media users, regardless of their level of fame, to apply marketing perspectives to their own identities.
Microcelebrity is big business. It can make ordinary people famous, as when Youtubers can become household names with lucrative marketing contracts. But more often, microcelebrity helps ordinary users participate in social media culture while managing their contexts with polish. We understand increasingly that our social media presences are like art exhibits of ourselves, and we spend extra time curating them.
Student insights: The standards of Instagram over time (video by Nellie Youssef, Spring 2021)
Here are a few of the characteristics of microcelebrity:
Niche Content: Microcelebrities often focus on niche topics or interests, catering to specific communities. This targeted approach helps them stand out and attract like-minded followers.
Authenticity: Unlike traditional celebrities who may maintain a curated public persona, microcelebrities often emphasize authenticity and relatability. Followers appreciate the unfiltered and genuine nature of microcelebrity content.
Engagement: Microcelebrities actively engage with their followers, fostering a sense of community and connection. This two-way communication distinguishes microcelebrity from traditional, one-sided celebrity-fan relationships.
DIY Approach: Microcelebrities frequently employ a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach to content creation. This self-produced content often resonates with audiences looking for a more personal and grassroots connection.
Section 2: Paradoxes in microcelebrity
Media theorist Alice Marwick has written about a paradox in microcelebrity: As ordinary people are acting more famous, famous people are acting more ordinary. Kim Kardashian presents a selfie of herself and Kanye West in a bathroom; Michelle Obama and Ryan Seacrest mug goofily for a selfie. Graeme Turner called this leveling of the everyday toward celebrity culture and vice versa "the demotic turn" in celebrity culture. “Celebrity culture is increasingly populated by unexceptional people who have become famous and by stars who have been made ordinary,” according to author Joshua Gamson.
Social media has accelerated the demotic turn in celebrity. Many people quote Andy Warhol’s comment in the past that each person, no matter how ordinary, would have 15 minutes of fame. Today, technologically connected societies offer a lifetime of potential discovery by audiences. High-profile celebrities perform the masses for the masses. And you all are superstars, to at least a small public.
Microcelebrity can be understood as a form of online fame that transcends traditional celebrity boundaries. Unlike mainstream celebrities who achieve fame through mass media and entertainment industries, microcelebrities gain recognition within specific online communities or platforms. These individuals amass followers, often numbering in the thousands or tens of thousands, by creating content that resonates with niche audiences.
Early social media influencers paved the way for microcelebrities by connecting with audiences through personal narratives, relatable content, and niche expertise. Platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube have become breeding grounds for microcelebrity, allowing individuals to build personal brands and cultivate communities around shared interests.
Student Insights: How to be different on social media (writing by iVoices Media Lab Student, Fall 2020)
Section 3: Visibility labor
Media scholar Crystal Abidin has conducted numerous studies of microcelebrities and influencers; one example is in her article “Visibility Labour: Engaging with Influencers’ Fashion Brands and #OOTD Advertorial Campaigns on Instagram,” which explores the concept of visibility labor within the context of influencers’ engagement with fashion brands and Outfit of the Day (#OOTD) advertorial campaigns on Instagram. The term “visibility labor” refers to the effort influencers invest in curating and maintaining their online presence to attract and retain followers. The study examines how influencers contribute to the promotion of fashion brands and campaigns, shedding light on the dynamic relationship between influencers, brands, and the platform. The focus is on the role of Instagram as a space where influencers perform and negotiate visibility labor to establish themselves as influential figures in the realm of fashion.
The labor of microcelebrities and influencers, though often portrayed as glamorous, comes with hidden challenges. The constant pressure to create content leads to potential burnout, and the invasion of privacy blurs the line between public and private life. Online harassment is a significant issue, impacting mental health, and dependency on algorithms can result in unpredictable income. Short-lived fame, the pressure to monetize, and a culture of comparison contribute to anxiety and self-doubt. Overall, the negative impacts extend beyond the surface of the seemingly glamorous influencer lifestyle.
Microcelebrity, at its best, showcases the power of individuals to create meaningful connections and influence positive change through authentic content. Many microcelebrities leverage their influence to raise awareness about social issues and promote charitable causes. For instance, beauty and lifestyle microcelebrities have been known to use their platforms to advocate for inclusivity and body positivity, contributing to broader societal conversations. This aligns with the idea that microcelebrity culture has the potential to be a force for positive social change, as explored in the work of Senft and Baym (2015).
Additionally, microcelebrities often serve as relatable role models, breaking away from the unattainable perfection associated with traditional celebrities. Abidin’s study above highlights that audiences appreciate the authenticity and approachability of microcelebrities, finding inspiration in their stories and experiences. This aspect of microcelebrity culture fosters a more intimate and genuine connection between content creators and their followers, emphasizing the democratization of fame and influence in the digital age.
Student Insights: Posting for Yourself (writing by iVoices Media Lab Student, Fall 2020)
Section 4: Digital ethnography, thanks to the students in this book
In my chapters in this book, I have included students’ compositions about their lives through photos, writing, audio, and video. This work is part of the larger iVoices Media lab project, which included hundreds of student’s media stories and artifacts about technologies in their lives. I designed iVoices to be a digital (or virtual) ethnography, teaching us about the digital world through stories about people.
So what is digital ethnography more conventionally? It’s a qualitative research method that involves the study of online communities, cultures, and behaviors through immersive and participatory observation. It adapts traditional ethnographic methods to the digital realm, aiming to understand how people interact, communicate, and form communities in online spaces. This Digital Ethnography Reading List is an excellent guide to understanding how culture understood through online presence.
There are many ways to conduct digital ethnography, but I often draw on these methods:
Participant Observation:
Example: An anthropologist might join an online gaming community, actively participating in the game, observing interactions, and documenting the culture, social norms, and communication styles within that digital space.
In-Depth Interviews:
Example: A researcher might conduct virtual interviews with members of an online forum dedicated to a specific interest, exploring their motivations, experiences, and the role of the digital community in their lives.
Content Analysis:
Example: Studying the content shared on a social media platform or blog to analyze the language, themes, and trends within a particular online community, providing insights into the community’s values and interests. iVoices students created digital artifacts: memes, hashtags, or user-generated content, which we collected and analyzed to understand how cultural expressions manifest within a digital community and how they contribute to identity formation.
Qualitative research methods like digital ethnography are conducted through the researcher as the “human instrument”. So how do we make sure that instrument is working correctly? Ethics, or considerations of how to minimize harm right thing, are a crucial consideration in studying the lives of people. Researchers consider ethical concerns such as privacy and consent when studying people. To be ethical in the study of culture, researchers must be reflexive, reflecting on their own experiences and biases, and the practice of reflexivity works to ensure that we as researchers are finding is not misunderstood through our own biases.
Every iVoices participant gave permission for their work to be openly licensed, and our team combed through their content to make sure their privacy was protected beyond whatever identifying information they chose to present. If you have found the student work in my chapters of this book valuable and you are a student, I hope you will take your experiences with social media seriously as knowledge, and consider how you can change with world with that knowledge in your pocket.
If you are an instructor using this book in your course, I hope you invite your students to teach you what they know.
Section 5: Conclusion
Social media changes so rapidly, a book is difficult to maintain. How can we contain social life online enough to capture it in one volume? One solution is shared governance of a textbook, with many authors rather than one. To conclude this edition of this book, I invite you to consider becoming an author of a chapter in the next version. Learn more in the front matter, Inviting Coauthors in Shared Governance of this OER Textbook.
Looking Back — Social Media and Ourselves podcast
Looking Back
Release date: March 1st 2022
In this episode, Professor Diana Daly, Gabe Stultz, and Jacquie Kuru take a look back on the podcast, sharing their favorite episodes, moments, and challenges so far. Stay tuned for an additional episode this month – recorded at SXSW!
Respond to this podcast episode…How did the podcast episode “Looking Back” use interviews, student voices, or sounds to demonstrate a current or past social trend phenomenon? If you were making a sequel to this episode, what voices or sounds would you include to help listeners understand more about this trend, and why?
a way of presenting yourself like a celebrity: setting up your profile and “brand” online, gaining followers, and revealing things about yourself in strategic and controlled ways
the effort influencers invest in curating and maintaining their online presence to attract and retain followers
Core Questions
A. Questions for qualitative thought:
Consider the branding practices on social media of yourself or a non-celebrity acquaintance you know. Compare these practices to an actual brand. Are the practices similar? How does it feel to brand oneself – what is emphasized, and what is left out?
In the context of microcelebrity, how has the phenomenon influenced your own identity construction on social media platforms, and to what extent do you find yourself applying marketing perspectives to curate your online brand?
Reflecting on the "the demotic turn" in celebrity culture, how do you perceive the blurring of lines between the everyday and celebrity culture on social media platforms? Can you share personal examples or observations where ordinary individuals have achieved microcelebrity status, and do you believe this has impacted the way society views fame?
How have you observed individuals tailoring their online profiles to conform to or stand out within specific cultural contexts? In your own experience or observations, does social media play a significant role in shaping the identity and perception of individuals associated with Greek Life or other college communities?
B. Review: Which is the best answer?
C. Game on!
Related Content
Read It: How fitness influencers game the algorithms to pump up their engagement
A way of presenting yourself like a celebrity: setting up your profile and "brand" online, gaining followers, and revealing things about yourself in strategic and controlled ways
Graeme Turner's term for the leveling of the everyday toward celebrity culture and vice versa (Understanding Celebrity, 2004)
A research method that involves the study of online communities, cultures, and behaviors through immersive and participatory observation. It adapts traditional ethnographic methods to the digital realm, aiming to understand how people interact, communicate, and form communities in online spaces.
Considerations of how to minimize harm and do the right thing
Online celebrities and microcelebrities whose popularity is leveraged to sway the opinions, preferences, and purchasing decisions of their audience.
Reflecting on one's own experiences and biases
The effort influencers invest in curating and maintaining their online presence to attract and retain followers
Dr. Diana Daly of the University of Arizona is the Director of iVoices, a media lab helping students produce media from their narratives on technologies. Prof Daly teaches about qualitative research, social media, and information quality at the University of Arizona.
definition
A way of presenting yourself like a celebrity: setting up your profile and "brand" online, gaining followers, and revealing things about yourself in strategic and controlled ways
Graeme Turner's term for the leveling of the everyday toward celebrity culture and vice versa (Understanding Celebrity, 2004)
A research method that involves the study of online communities, cultures, and behaviors through immersive and participatory observation. It adapts traditional ethnographic methods to the digital realm, aiming to understand how people interact, communicate, and form communities in online spaces.
Considerations of how to minimize harm and do the right thing
Online celebrities and microcelebrities whose popularity is leveraged to sway the opinions, preferences, and purchasing decisions of their audience.
Reflecting on one's own experiences and biases
The effort influencers invest in curating and maintaining their online presence to attract and retain followers