The digital landscape is changing. The search engines, social media and advertising as we know it, are going to require a whole new game, new set of rules and possibly a script. Confused? I’m talking about the era of social celebrities.
I read one of the best blog posts ever by a student in Limerick, who told a story about her little cousin who was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up.
‘A celebrity.’ She replied without hesitation.
Do we all in some way aspire to be a celebrity? Well, that occupation could be expanding to encompass the online world as the role of social celebrities becomes apparent.
Market Indicators
A surge in digital communications has seen some in the trade rising in popularity. It has also seen many not in the trade basking in the spotlight (and most are small business owners!). Training events are featuring those who have attained a degree of success online. Invites to speak, more followers, more sway – hmmm (thoughtful face).
All the big name companies are shuffling across to cloud methods and adopting Gmail (Google). This gives easy access to Google’s Search Plus Your World where social interactions intertwine with web pages. Social influencers (that you follow) may well take the top spots, making standard
Could this trend of changes mean that social celebrities will influence decision making by popping up with an answer for:
”Where should I stay in Ireland?’
And behind the scenes businesses contact online celebrities to ask them to recommend them online. Pay them even.
If you are a blog follower, and a Facebook power user, then it’s more than likely that you subscribe to various feeds from people you admire. This means you can read updates by people that you are not ‘friends’ with.
Facebook shows a selection of ‘people to subscribe to’ based on your Facebook preferences, your friends and who your friends subscribe to. Despite choices being engineered by Facebook, familiar names will grab your attention.
Social celebrities that pop up here gain extra visibility, can amplify their messages and can be approached by businesses to recommend their products and services.
In my mind, a social celebrity is a powerful social media user with a strong network and following both online and offline.
- Media attention
- Attending networking events
- Speaker slots
These are all sure-fire ways to get yourself noticed and could be the start of a new career as a social celebrity.
What are your thoughts on social celebrities? Is this a fair trend?
Image: “famous woman posing/Shutterstock“
