Internet celebrity
Encyclopedia
An Internet celebrity, cyberstar or online celebrity is someone who has become famous
by means of the Internet
. Such fame is based less upon raw numbers, as with traditional media. Instead, the wide reach of the Internet allows people to reach a narrow audience across the world and so become famous within a particular Internet community.
. In many cases, they write anonymously or their focus is upon a specialist topic. But if the author has or develops a distinctive personality
, their fame will derive from this as much as from the content of their blog.
In some cases, people might rise to fame through a single event or video that goes viral. The Internet allows videos, news articles, and jokes to spread very quickly. Depending on the reach of the spread, the content may become considered an "Internet meme
," and thus, any of the people associated may gain exposure. For example, Zach Anner
, an Austin, Texas
-based comedian gained world-wide attention after submitting a video to Oprah's "Search for the Next TV Star" competition
Internet celebrity has also become a popular phenomenon in the China (PRC) with the likes of Sister Hibiscus, Shi Hengxia (Fu Rong Jiejie), who received worldwide notoriety and fame for her unashamed efforts at self-promotion via internet postings.
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
by means of the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. Such fame is based less upon raw numbers, as with traditional media. Instead, the wide reach of the Internet allows people to reach a narrow audience across the world and so become famous within a particular Internet community.
Rising to fame
Many millions of people write online journals or weblogsBlog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
. In many cases, they write anonymously or their focus is upon a specialist topic. But if the author has or develops a distinctive personality
Personality type
Personality type refers to the psychological classification of different types of individuals. Personality types are sometimes distinguished from personality traits, with the latter embodying a smaller grouping of behavioral tendencies. Types are sometimes said to involve qualitative differences...
, their fame will derive from this as much as from the content of their blog.
In some cases, people might rise to fame through a single event or video that goes viral. The Internet allows videos, news articles, and jokes to spread very quickly. Depending on the reach of the spread, the content may become considered an "Internet meme
Internet meme
The term Internet meme is used to describe a concept that spreads via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.-Description:...
," and thus, any of the people associated may gain exposure. For example, Zach Anner
Zach Anner
Zach Anner is an Austin, Texas-based stand-up comedian with cerebral palsy who gained world-wide attention with the submission of a video to Oprah's "Search for the Next TV Star" competition...
, an Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
-based comedian gained world-wide attention after submitting a video to Oprah's "Search for the Next TV Star" competition
Internet celebrity has also become a popular phenomenon in the China (PRC) with the likes of Sister Hibiscus, Shi Hengxia (Fu Rong Jiejie), who received worldwide notoriety and fame for her unashamed efforts at self-promotion via internet postings.
Examples
- Perez HiltonPerez HiltonMario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. , better known as Perez Hilton , is an American blogger and television personality. His blog, Perezhilton.com , is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities...
, an AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
blogBlogA blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger, whose blog, Perezhilton.com, is known for posts covering gossipGossipGossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others, It is one of the oldest and most common means of sharing facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and variations into the information transmitted...
items about musicians, actors and celebrities. His blog garnered negative attention for its attitude, its active "outingOutingOuting is the act of disclosing a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender person's true sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. Outing gives rise to issues of privacy, choice, hypocrisy, and harm in addition to sparking debate on what constitutes common good in efforts...
" of alleged closeted celebrities and its role in the increasing coverage of celebrities in all forms of mediaMass mediaMass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
. - Chris CrockerChris Crocker (Internet celebrity)Chris Crocker is an American Internet celebrity, songwriter, blogger, and recording artist...
, an American Internet celebrity, occasional bloggerBlogA blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
, and occasional recording artist. Crocker gained international fame in September 2007 from his viral videoViral videoA viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
"Leave Britney Alone", in which he tearfully defends pop singer Britney SpearsBritney SpearsBritney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
's comeback performance at the MTV Video Music Awards2007 MTV Video Music AwardsThe 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, honoring the best music videos from the previous year, took place on September 9, in Las Vegas at The Palms. The 2007 VMAs were the smallest VMAs ever held in MTV history, eliminating 13 awards, re-naming many of the remaining awards, and having only four...
; his video had over four million views in two days. The video received international media attention, hundreds of parodies and criticism for Crocker. - Lisa DonovanLisa DonovanLisa Donovan is an American actress. As of September 2011 her YouTube channel has 712,000 subscribers and 200 million video views, putting it in the top 100 channels on YouTube. Lisa is one of the co-founders of Maker Studios, which helps develop YouTube personalities.She is also a founder of...
, an American actress and writerWriterA writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
who rose to fame after self-producing comedic short films, published under the username LisaNova on YouTube. As she gained an audience on YouTube, she was given a featured player role in MADtvMADtvMADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licensed the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise had no connection with the humor magazine outside the animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first...
in February 2007. After appearing in four episodes, she moved to Los Angeles and founded Zappin Productions, a production company specializing in viral videoViral videoA viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
s. - Lucas CruikshankLucas CruikshankLucas Cruikshank is an American comedic actor. Living in Columbus, Nebraska, he created the character Fred Figglehorn for his channel, named "Fred", on the video-sharing website YouTube...
, an American teenager, famous for his YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
comedyComedyComedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
videos. He has been releasing videos since 2007, using the fake name Fred Figglehorn. He has since successfully released multiple music albums, guest starred on multiple television programs and is common among internet pop culture. - Jon LajoieJon LajoieJonathan "Jon" Lajoie is a Canadian comedian, actor, rapper, singer, musician and Internet celebrity from Montreal, Quebec.- Background :...
, a Canadian comedianComedianA comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, actorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, rapper, singer and musicianMusicianA musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
who became an Internet celebrity thanks to his many humorous music videos. - Germano MosconiGermano Mosconi-Biography:Mosconi has been a well-known television personality in northern Italy since the 1980s, through his sportscasting on Telenuovo in Verona. In 1982 he received the Cesare D'Oro international award for journalist merit....
, an italian sport journalist who became famous after the publication of a video on YouTube. - Allison HarvardAllison HarvardAllison Elizabeth Harvard is an American fashion model and internet celebrity. She is best known as the internet sensation "Creepychan." She was also the runner-up of the twelfth cycle of America's Next Top Model and is currently competing in Season 17 of America's Next Top Model "All...
, Model - mootChristopher PooleChristopher Poole is an American internet entrepreneur from New York City, noted for founding the websites 4chan and Canvas. He originally started 4chan anonymously, under the pseudonym moot .-Impact and activity:...
, creator of 4chan.
See also
- List of Internet phenomena
- List of YouTube personalities
- Usenet celebrity
Further reading
- "Internet Fame Is Cruel Mistress for a Dancer of the Numa Numa" at The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
- "The Flip Side of Internet Fame" at NewsweekNewsweekNewsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
- "Rise of an Internet Star - Parlaying YouTube Fame Into Big Business" at ReadWriteWebReadWriteWebReadWriteWeb is a Web technology blog launched in 2003. RWW covers Web 2.0 and Web technology in general, and provides industry news, reviews, and analysis. Founded by Richard MacManus, Technorati ranked ReadWriteWeb at number 12 in its list of top 100 blogs worldwide, as of October 9, 2010. RWW...
- "Internet Famous: Julia Allison and the Secrets of Self-Promotion" at WiredWired (magazine)Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
- "The new fame: Internet celebrity" at CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
- "The Microfame Game" at "New YorkNew York (magazine)New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
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