The Case of Justin Bieber: Can Social Media Really Make Anybody Famous?
According to Abidin (2018), an internet celebrity is someone who transcends the realms of social media, into the real world. Her inferences correlate with the normalisation of global cyberspace, which is not limited to just the online world. Here we’ll explore how social media, particularly YouTube, has merged into mass media and how the perception of fame was reshaped because of it.
Let’s consider a prominent example of YouTube and Justin Bieber, as he was discovered due to YouTube. It was after Bieber’s mother had posted videos of him on YouTube, that led to his first step towards fame. He was thirteen years old when he was selected by Scott Braun, a music promoter and talent agent. Bieber’s first album came out in 2009, and ultimately even reached the Billboard charts. His manager had perceived YouTube as a space for serious potential, regardless of age. If we go three years back into the time before 2009, we’ll understand how and why YouTube was perceived this way.
Bieber, playing for money outside on the steps of a theatre in Stratford, Ontario (2007)
So here’s the catch: Google bought YouTube and took over the World Wide Web in 2006. Some videos had started going viral in the early stages. Bieber was discovered in 2007, a year after Google’s acquisition and when YouTube was being taken as a serious platform and where viral videos were taking place. Having said that, not every video can go viral, but this shows that the ‘status symbol’ exists in the online world as well.
On top of that, Time magazine had portrayed a large mirror on the front page, with the caption, “Person of the Year.” This depiction of Time magazine’s concern over user-generated content had made the rounds in both traditional media, as well as online. Coming back to Bieber, his next big hits were in 2015, as in between, Bieber’s songs were unable to make a bigger impact. If we take notice of his 2013 album ‘Journals’– it went without any hit single. Why?
The Cover of Time Magazine (December 25, 2006/January 1 2007)
Copyright: Time Magazine
Just like YouTube’s status was changed by Google, the status symbol works for celebrities and also for the audience as to whom they like. Bieber’s offensive content being shared online was fueled and spread like wildfire by social media users. Hence, the Internet has become a sort of democracy on its own, but perception is still an individual asset.
According to Marwick (2013), Internet democratization is not to say that everybody will perceive something (including fame potential) in the same way. Rather, human behaviour as well as a society depend on the context. Throughout history, political, economic and social differences in places and times have affected the deployment and use of technology and vice versa.
As suggested by Abidin (2018), an Internet celebrity is also involved in traditional media, unlike a microcelebrity, whose existence is merely limited to online fame. So, Bieber, in that sense, gradually developed as an Internet celebrity and with his talent agent recognising him, he ultimately became a ‘celebrity’ too.
References
Abidin, C. (2018). Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame Online (SocietyNow). Emerald Publishing Limited.
B. (2020, February 25). Justin Bieber. Biography. Retrieved 27 November 2020, from https://www.biography.com/musician/justin-bieber
Justin Bieber: From YouTube to global superstar. (2019, September 3). CNN. Retrieved 27 November 2020, from https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/26/entertainment/gallery/justin-bieber/index.html
Marwick, A. E. (2013). Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity, and Branding in the Social Media Age. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
TIME Magazine Cover: Person of the Year: You — Dec. 25, 2006. (n.d.). TIME.Com. Retrieved 27 November 2020, from http://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,20061225,00.html
