I find it so interesting how normal people have become famous these days because of their videos going viral. I especially want to focus on the videos that have been extracted from local news shows, like Sweet Brown and Antoine Dodson. Their videos have become popular as the amount of views and likes on YouTube begins to sky-rocket as word gets around and people start the chain by showing them to their friends as entertainment.
The most interesting part is that these clips have been taken from a regular news show. Someone found these clips to have more entertainment value than just regular news, and found their performance to be "news-worthy" in another way- in the "entertainment" industry via YouTube. My argument is that the "stars" of these clips, like Sweet Brown and Antoine Dodson, have become celebrities without even trying. There have been lines used from their performances exponentially more as the amount of views increases, like "Ain't nobody got time for that" and "We gonna find you"-- lines that much of our YouTube entertainment generation population is familiar with instantly.
I'm sure when these people were being interviewed by reporters they had no idea that their performances would be celebrated and enjoyed over and over again just by typing in a few words and hitting the "play" button.
With that being said, I think the term celebrity is defined more broadly by this example. After all, the Webster definition of the word "celebrity" is "the state of being celebrated; a famous or celebrated person." The rise of YouTube has also caused a rise of the amount of the not-so-typical celebrities.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOMevcsI0lo&feature=fvst
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkOIP_Qiccg&feature=endscreen&NR=1
I think you make an interesting point. Celebrities now a days are not just movie and television stars but rather people who are easily accessible on the internet through websites like YouTube. While reading your post I couldn't help but think about all of the videos that have gone viral in the past couple years, and although the star of these videos are famous at first, it seems as though they quickly lose their fame. Once the next big video goes viral old stars are forgotten and new ones are put in their place.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. There are so many "stars" that have come from YouTube. With millions of users every single day, YouTube has become a huge platform for average people to become famous. It could come from doing something crazy, funny, or just from being dumb. Like Courtney said,however, they often seem to lose their fame as quickly as they gained it.
ReplyDeleteGreat post and I think your point on what a celebrity really is by consulting with Webster was great. :) When I think celebrity I think rich and luxuriousness. However, neither of these things are necessary to be a celebrity. Antoine Dodson is a great example of "rags to celebrity" thanks to YouTube!
ReplyDeleteActually cite your youtube videos instead of just providing the link, please. Thank you!
ReplyDelete