If someone had approached you 20 years ago and told you that you could potentially become an "overnight celebrity," you probably would have nodded your head and thought to yourself, "yeah, i'll keep dreaming." However, thanks to the continuously changing, innovative technologies we have today, like websites such as Youtube and Twitter, the term "overnight celebrity" doesn't seem so unrealistic anymore.
One unique story I'd like to share is one of a young sixteen year-old Canadian boy. This boy, whose youtube channel is called "kidrauhl," created a channel for his family and friends who were unable to see his performances. What started out as a few simple renditions of this kid's favorite songs, happens to be a channel that now has over 912,133 subscribers and over 276,927,297 uploaded views; it is simply incredible. This kid, Justin Bieber, was found on youtube and signed to Island Def Jam Records with the help of singer, Usher, just weeks after he was contacted by his current manager. Justin Bieber, who will always consider himself to be the same boy from Canada he used to be, is now nominated for multiple Grammy Awards including Best New Artist and is now one of the 2011 Grammy Award's performers.
My other favorite youtube video deemed an overnight sensation is the unbelievably creative "Wedding entrance" video. This was a recording of one couple who wanted to share their joyous occasion with everyone around them; and with everyone was right. Since their wedding, the star's Jill and Kevin have been featured on multiple morning shows including NBC's The Today Show, for the video of their sensational ceremony where they had their friends and family dancing down the isle to Chris Brown's hit song "Forever." This video has garnered over 60,733,000 views and continues to be a huge hit today.
It is stories with outcomes like these that amaze me. They make me believe that with the media capabilities we have today, anything is possible.
Sydney,
ReplyDeleteYes, it is bizarre how Youtube allows everyone to have their 15 minutes of fame--as Andy Warhol predicted. So what does this youtube insanity tell us about society? And how is it affecting identity? Seems to make it's making life for a lot of people much more performative--as though an event is not real or significant unless it's downloaded to youtube, tweeted about, or documented as a photo on Fb. Is the mundanity of our lives worthy of all this documentation? And with people like Justin Bieber being discovered on the Internet, it seems like a lot more folks are scrambling to be discovered. I find it strange how many people yearn for this kind of celebrity, to be noticed, to be plucked from obscurity. And because there are now so many outlets where one can push one's celebrity or be discovered, it means a media onslaught for us observers. Pretty overwhelming, I'd say.