The Emergence of E-lebrity Culture

One click, one retweet, one text, one like….and you’re viral.

This “one click to fame” concept is a development unique to the 21st century. According to David Weinberger, the author of “How the Web Changed Fame,” “Everything important about fame has changed.”

“In the old days, fame was controlled not by the famous and certainly not by the audience, but by the owners of the media,” Weinberger writes, adding, “The rules didn’t apply to you. You had a certain ethereal glow. A glow of fame.”

However, due to the emergence of social media and constant exposure to the Internet, access to public recognition has drastically changed.

“Now fame is something we do — we the audience, we the people on the Web,” he explained.

Kevin Allocca, a trends manager for YouTube whose job is dedicated to analyzing why videos go viral, agrees. YouTube’s statistics report that over 48 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, but less than 1 percent of those videos reach over one million views.

For the “viral” 1 percent, their fame and success can be accredited to three factors: tastemakers, communities of participation, and unexpectedness.

Allocca describes the “tastemakers” as those who come across intriguing images and clips and proceed to share them with the rest of the community.

“Communities of participation” typically include individuals who actively interact with viral content by doing things like creating remixes or parodies. “We don’t just enjoy now; we participate,” says Allocca, echoing Weinberger’s sentiments.

But what truly appeals to today’s society is the third factor — unexpectedness. “In a world where over two days of video get uploaded every minute, only that which is truly unique and unexpected can stand out in the way that these things have,” says Allocca.

Unfortunately for us, though, “unexpected” can often overlap with “Why is this even a thing?”

Social media platforms such as Vine, YouTube and Instagram have warped the concept of fame and popularity.

Although some stars such as Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes owe their success and discovery to social media, so do people who seem to do nothing but utter and endorse seemingly useless trends and catchphrases.

People whose phrases, appearances, and actions go viral earn more than just a few seconds in the limelight; they create legacies worth a fortune.

Take Danielle Peskowitz Bregoli, for instance. You may not be familiar with her name, but perhaps her catchphrase, “Cash me outside how bow dah” will ring a few bells. After making an appearance on Dr. Phil as an “out of control 13-year old” who needed help, her brazen personality struck a chord with multiple audiences. In fact, her phrase, “Cash me outside how bow dah” spurred a three-and-a-half minute trap remix and a challenge to dance to the remix.

Although it may not seem that one meme is worth anything more than a few laughs, she has already generated an estimated $150,000 in net worth. In addition, she was featured in rapper Kodak Black’s music video “Everything 1K” that garnered over 15 million views and has even launched her own brand, cashmeoutside, which features blankets, T-shirts, hoodies and ceramic materials.

Although Danielle’s rise to fame was a one in a million chance, her current situation is not uncommon among viral stars. For example, Joshua Holz and Daniel Lara (aka “Damn Daniel”) had the opportunity to appear on the Ellen Show. Lara received a lifetime supply of Vans while Holz was given a surfboard that said, “I was on Ellen!” The white Vans Lara was wearing in the video have, according to the “New York Times,” sold for about $400,000 on eBay.

While “stars” such as Holz, Lara and Alex Lee (Alex from Target) are offered modeling contracts and movie deals, they are also stalked by fans, issued death threats, and sometimes even required to have body guards. For example, ABC News reported in 2016 that a group of teens prank-called 911, reporting that Lara had shot his mother with an AK-47. Police immediately stormed his house.

At the end of the day, it’s hard to remember these teen stars are usually under 16 and still have open-ended futures. This is most likely because they are regarded as “one-hit wonders.” For instance, PSY, a South Korean artist who went viral with his song “Gangnam Style” in 2012, still continues to release albums today, but his other singles are not as popular. Old social media stars such as Lucas Cruikshank (more commonly known as “Fred”) and Tay Zonday (the “Chocolate Rain” guy) are still active in the entertainment industry composing music, hosting shows and producing videos, but are hardly ever talked about today.

It’s evident from crazy cases such as Danielle’s and Lara’s that one click, one retweet, one text, or one like holds the power to derail the course of someone’s life.

What can we expect from the Internet next?