Generation Y loves its celebrities. We love to see celebrities lose weight. We love to see celebrities find love. We even love to watch celebrities kick their cocaine addictions. And, with websites like Perez Hilton and What Would Tyler Durden Do, we can even track our favorite celebrities’ failed marriages and arrests, new babies and charitable contributions on a daily basis.
It’s one thing to watch our favorite celebrities on TV and find out what’s going on in their lives through their publicists or in a television interview, but following them on Twitter gives us a more raw view of who they are, what’s important to them, how bad their grammar is, and if they’re really worthy of our attention. Nowadays, we can keep up with our favorite celebrities in real time through their own 140-character-or-less expressions…for better or worse.
For better: I’ve always hated his music, (“Your Body is a Wonderland?” Come on!) but following John Mayer on Twitter has made me appreciate who he is as a person and a musician. His tweets range from philosophical to acutely observant to artistic to downright funny, as you can see in the following screen grab.
For Worse: I was really disappointed to find out that Jim Carrey, an actor I’ve always admired and imagined would be a really cool guy, is a total nut job – and not in the good way. For those of you who haven’t already made the mistake of following him, this screen grab will provide you with a comprehensive idea of what his Twitter feed looks like. Sorry Jim, you were hilarious in Ace Ventura and brilliant in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but I don’t know what the hell “BOING” means, and those smiley faces you add to the end of every tweet make me feel like I’m 14 years old again.
But even cooler than being able to get to know celebrities through their own words, is actually getting the chance to communicate with them.
Last year, as I watched my beloved Boston Celtics take on the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA playoffs, I had my first brush with a celebrity on Twitter. Remember those annoying Comcast commercials featuring Ben Stein and Shaquille O’Neal in which Shaq would place his name into words? For example, he suggests making a movie called “Shaqenstein.” My conversation with Shaq stemmed from that.
Unfortunately I was wrong, and Orlando did indeed win. I guess he’s not a “shaqological” liar, after all. But the experience of looking at my @ replies and seeing a response from Shaq (even though it doesn’t make any sense and his grammar is practically non-existent) was pretty damn exciting!
Although celebrity interaction seems like a Millennial’s dream come true, Twitter usage stats show that the average user age on Twitter is 39.1 years old and more than 60 percent of all Twitter users are 35 or older, begging the question, is Gen Y even listening?
Late last year Miley Cyrus announced she was quitting Twitter because she had “stopped living for moments and began living for people,” a sentiment many Gen Y-ers can likely relate to. Before he was “canceled,” millennial favorite Conan O’Brien devoted an entire segment of the Tonight Show to disparaging the mundane nature of celebrity tweets on a segment called “Twitter Tracker.”
Conversely, news of Cyrus’ departure from Twitter quickly sparked the trending topic #mileycomeback, and now she’s back on Twitter. Further, Conan O’Brien now boasts upwards of 1.2 million followers and has tweeted once a day, every day since February 24 (though he does not speak with fans and follows only one person).
Perhaps celebrities will help push Gen Y onto Twitter, rather than the other way around. And, despite our love-hate relationship with Twitter and social media in general, Gen Y certainly isn’t above the entertainment, infotainment addiction of our age.
Twitter gives us the opportunity to really get to know celebrities’ inner thoughts and daily minutiae, something that no television show or gossip website can offer. And, in some cases, it even gives us the opportunity to personally connect with them. What more could Perez Hilton readers and Rock of Love viewers ask for?
Have you had any interactions with celebrities on social networks? Please share them if you have!
I heard Vin Diesel is great to chat with, too. That’s just something I’d never have guessed. And somehow the weirdness or randomness of it makes it appealing. Apparently he’s just a nice guy very appreciative of his fans and is happy to talk with them. Never would have guessed.
Great article, as always! A pleasure to read.
Thanks, Jason!
Vin Diesel, eh? That’s so endearing, and now that I think about it, it makes sense considering the popularity of his Facebook account and the authenticity of his updates. Mashable wrote an interesting article about it last year (http://mashable.com/2009/05/12/vin-diesel-facebook/)
Marketers could learn a thing or two from these celebs who clearly have the hang of effective social media.
I love chatting with “celebs”/Athletes. I’ve had a few interactions with some athletes in the past week. Tim Thomas(Bruins goalie) who was wicked down to earth and an awesome guy. Bill Lee(Old Red Sox Pitcher) was hilarious and not afraid to rip into the Yankees or express his hatred for Steinbrenner. He also described in detail what should be done with Steinbrenner’s corpse, let’s just say it was a disgusting image.
Ok, now you’ve got me curious! I’m going to look for him on Twitter.
Great article, Jess! I had one celebrity brush on Twitter with the artist Banksy. Looking at my @reply from him, made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. “Wow. That’s really me!” Since @banksyart no longer Tweets, I was one of the lucky ones whose response lives on his “@reply wall” -until he starts up again…I, of course, took a screen shot just in case:) It’s kinda like a Tweetograph!
I may frame it someday. LOL.
My next mission: @ladygaga.
Ha! I just went to Banksy’s wall and looked. That is so cool! Unfortunately, Shaq tweets like he’s on crack, so his @ reply to me is probably lost amongst his plethora of crazy rants and terrible grammar. But I know what you mean – seeing that initial @ reply is so fun. Gaga will be tough…but I believe in you.
Thanks for stopping by.
Shaq was all about Twitter when he got on it. I recall hearing stories of a fan @ replying him, and then Shaq @ing him back for his phone number. They had a 30 minute conversation over the phone. Phone call or not, very cool seeing your interaction with him.
Ah, yes. I remember hearing similarly amusing stories about him being out in public searching Twitter for the “OMG I’m in the same restaurant as @The_Real_Shaq!” tweets and approaching them to confront them and say hi. I’m glad the big guy has such a sense of humor.