Internet Fame
On the internet, anyone has the potential to become a celebrity. Some actively seek internet fame by carefully cultivating their online identity; while others may become unwitting internet celebrities when a stray, unflattering image of themselves is used as the subject of a meme.
In this episode, David is joined by digital anthropologist Dr Crystal Abidin, to discuss the rise and fall of both ‘deliberate’ and ‘accidental’ online celebrities.
- Why influencers are more than just product-pushing advertisers (2.17)
- How the law affects social media influencers differently to traditional advertisers (9.23)
- How a social media platform changing, or closing down entirely, affects both influencers and their fans (14.05)
- The rise of people being memed and accidentally becoming celebrities (17.24)
- Why we’re shifting away from picture-perfect, professional social media influencers and valuing those who are more authentic (23.44)
- On the rise of virtual influencers and other trends (28.28)
Learn more
- ABC News: Students are fighting climate change, one TikTok video at a time
- BBC: How turning ‘likes’ invisible is changing Instagram
- BBC: Life beyond the meme: what happens after you go viral
- Drinktank: Seven wonders of the social media influencer
Got any questions, or suggestions for future topics?
Email thefutureof@curtin.edu.au.
Curtin University supports academic freedom of speech. The views expressed in The Future Of podcast may not reflect those of the university.
Music: OKAY by 13ounce Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Music promoted by Audio Library
