Most of the art history I've come across in class is very Euro-centric, which I suppose is fair since the syllabus is set by a British university. But when it comes to local artwork, I hadn't realised how out of touch I was until I finally visited the National Visual Arts Gallery on June 10th. 

"A Tamil Beauty" Penang, 1910

Description of "A Tamil Beauty"

I mentioned in an earlier post that YouTube celebrities are so diverse that it's impossible to generalise them as a whole, so I figured for this post I'd narrow things down to one YouTuber. Or rather, the YouTuber, Felix Kjellberg, better known as PeeuuuuuwwwDeePAII (PewDiePie).

Felix is the most subscribed user on YouTube, with over 56 million subscribers and holds the distinction of being the most viewed channel of all time. He has a dedicated fanbase that he refers to as his "Bro Army", and was one of Time's "The World's 100 Most Influential People" in 2016.

PewDiePie's videos generally have between 3-6 million views, with most of the content being focused on video game streaming. He is known to have exaggerated responses to games, which is what his viewers find entertaining. In February 2014, Wall Street Journal released an article that used content from PewDiePie's videos to postulate that he might be portraying anti-Semitic values. This resulted in Disney-owned Maker Studio severing ties with him due them not wanting to be associated with his image. PewDiePie's defense was that all his videos were made for the sake of humour, and that he was being unfairly targeted by mainstream media because of his YouTube fame.

Rather than going on about PewDiePie's content, I want to explore what exactly makes him such a popular figure, with his "bros" supporting him even through the controversies he's faced.

In Charisma On Command's video on "Why PewDiePie Is Unstoppable", Charlie Houpert (the voice behind Charisma On Command) calls PewDiePie an "expert in capturing attention". Whether it's his video thumbnails or his high-pitched intros, PewDiePie makes people notice, for better or for worse. PewDiePie also utilises strong emotions in his "let's play" videos, often with exaggerated screams or swears when faced with monsters or in-game death. It's more likely than not that Felix does not respond that way to thing that happen in his daily life. He has perfected a persona which draws in viewers, and he knows how to monetize on it.

In essence, Felix seems to be an actor, with PewDiePie being the one role he plays the most. And the fact that his fans let him get away with paying impoverished people to hold up anti-Semitic signs means that his fans know it's all an act too. Surely no one is really that much of a caricature, they might think.

But that could just me my wishful thinking. When you're standing outside of the fan base looking it, seeing a sea of fanatic people practically worshiping one person just looks bizarre, whether it's PewDiePie or Jesus Christ. Surely people can't actually believe in this guy?

References:

Nicas, J., Fritz, B. and Winkler, R. (2014). Disney Severs Ties With YouTube Star PewDiePie After Anti-Semitic Posts. [online] WSJ. Available at: https://www.wsj.com/articles/disney-severs-ties-with-youtube-star-pewdiepie-after-anti-semitic-posts-1487034533 [Accessed 4 Jul. 2017].

PewDiePIe (2017). My Response. [video] Available at: https://youtu.be/lwk1DogcPmU [Accessed 5 Jul. 2017].

Sidenote: 

After checking in with my lecturer I was informed that essay topic 5, which I had mentioned in this post does NOT in fact mean "do specific mediums end up diluting a campaign's message, but rather "does the mere VARIETY of mediums dilute a campaign's message", I guess that's one less essay question I need to worry about considering.

Keeping question 2 in mind, the other type of celebrity I want to bring up is K-pop idols. K-pop burst into the global cultural sphere in the early 21st century, featuring various bands filled with young, attractive, members. Members of the K-pop fan base can range from as young as 10 to as old as 40. To capitalise on the fanaticism of fans, K-pop idols often have a no-dating clause in their contracts, which can last between a few years to the entire duration they are signed to a company (Harrison, 2017). K-pop Idols are seen as a commodity for fans to consume, with tight schedules, strict diets, and carefully curated images.

Crazy fans are abound in all fan bases, and the K-pop fanbase is no exception. There is even a specific term for a crazy K-pop fan - "sasaeng", which refers to fans which engage in obsessive behaviors towards their idols. These can range fan letters written in blood, to getting on the stage to try to drag their favourite idol off it. The intensity of sasaeng obsessions led to South Korea amending their Minor Offences Act in March of 2013, implementing tougher punishments and fines for those convicted. One does wonder if this is enough to stop the fans from harassing their idols, though. A K-pop fan event in Malaysia in 2015 caused an uproar in the conservative Muslim community after seeing footage of female Muslim fans being allowed on stage to be hugged by their idols. This type of event is not uncommon throughout the K-pop sphere though, as fans are fed on information released in magazines or websites about what each idol likes or dislikes in a member of the opposite gender. K-pop fans almost seem to be encouraged to picture themselves as potential romantic partners for their idols, probably to fuel album and merchandise sales.

I feel the need to state #notALLkpopfans before someone gets defensive, but on the surface it does look like an unhealthy obsession with K-pop idols is not only common but possibly encouraged. I'll need to examine what makes up "healthy" celebrity-fan connections in a future post.


References:

Harrison, O. (2017). Dating Ban In South Korean Entertainment. [online] The North Wildcat Word. Available at: https://northwildcatword.wordpress.com/2017/02/05/dating-ban-in-south-korean-entertainment/ [Accessed 1 Jul. 2017].

 Korea JoongAng Daily. (2017). Get tough on stalking. [online] Available at: http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2976297 [Accessed 1 Jul. 2017].

Mail Online. (2015). Malaysian girls who hugged K-pop band threatened with arrest. [online] Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-2910312/Malaysian-girls-hugged-K-pop-band-threatened-arrest.html [Accessed 1 Jul. 2017].

seoulbeats. (2017). The Dogma Behind the Dating Ban. [online] Available at: http://seoulbeats.com/2012/05/the-dogma-behind-the-dating-ban/ [Accessed 1 Jul. 2017].

Due to the original post being over 800 words, I figured it made sense to split this into multiple parts each featuring a different celebrity. 

2. Compare and contrast the relationship of celebrities with their fans in two different creative communities. Which one is relatively more healthy in their connections?

Upon reading this, the first "celebrities" that came to mind were actually YouTubers. People who have, by sitting alone in a room making videos, amassed millions of devoted fans. Top names that come to mind include Pewdiepie, NigaHiga, and JennaMarbles. These online "influencers" gain revenue from YouTube's AdSense displaying advertisements on their videos, as well as via sponsors or affiliate links.

YouTubers tend to have a main content channel, featuring anything from comedy skits to gaming streams to makeup tutorials, but many also have a vlogging channel, which is supposed to feature less edited, more casual glimpses into their lives. YouTubers can use vlogs to reach out to their audience on a personal level, making themselves seem like relatable human beings. Without the barriers of production companies or recording studios, YouTubers can come off as more genuine in their connection with their fans, with popular YouTubers sometimes holding informal "meet and greet"s to interact with their fans in real life.

On the surface level, YouTubers seem to have a pretty "healthy" relationship with the fans, but this cannot be said for all YouTubers, since the spectrum of content is so wide across each channel. The less regulated fan interactions of YouTubers can also end up being a source of concern, as evident on the 10th of June 2016, when popular YouTube singer Christina Grimmie was fatally shot by an obsessive fan during a signing event in Orlando, causing shockwaves across the YouTube community. Some speculate that stricter security checks by the venue management might have prevented the issue, with the former general manager Kirk Colvin issuing a statement that after he and his team were replaced on the 1st of June, he believed that "the replacements hired were completely inexperienced and ill prepared to manage the Plaza". The lax security concerns are indicative of a perception that YouTubers are not "real" celebrities, and thus do not need the same level of protection.

All in all, it's hard to generalise the types of interactions they have with their fans. YouTube is a diverse platform for all sorts of content, and thus attracts fans of all creeds. I intend on delving further into this topic by picking one or more specific YouTubers to examine.