Media Times| In The Time of the Microcelebrity: Celebrification and the YouTuber Zoella

Authors

  • Anne Jerslev University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Keywords:

celebrification, microcelebrity, YouTubers, vlogging, social media, celebrity culture

Abstract

This article discusses the temporal changes in celebrity culture occasioned by the dissemination of digital media, social network sites, and video-sharing platforms, arguing that, in contemporary celebrity culture, different temporalities are connected to the performance of celebrity in different media: a temporality of plenty, of permanent updating related to digital media celebrity; and a temporality of scarcity distinctive of large-scale international film and television celebrities. The article takes issue with the term celebrification and suggests that celebrification on social media platforms works along a temporality of permanent updating, of immediacy and authenticity. Taking UK YouTube vlogger and microcelebrity Zoella as the analytical case, the article points out that microcelebrity strategies are especially connected with the display of accessibility, presence, and intimacy online; moreover, the broadening of processes of celebrification beyond YouTube may put pressure on microcelebrities’ claim to authenticity.

Author Biography

Anne Jerslev, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Professor

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Published

2016-10-14

Issue

Vol. 10 (2016)

Section

Special Sections

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