ELANA FOGEL
Dear Seija Rankin,
You have my dream job. Pop culture is something that I have been interested in since I was eight years old, staying up past my bedtime to watch American Idol and hanging Lizzy McGuire posters on my wall. I have observed stars like Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato from their infancy in the entertainment industry as Disney Channel actors, have watched singers like Justin Bieber and Tori Kelly release videos on YouTube far before their songs got playtime on the radio, and have read about Britney Spears’ shenanigans. When social media was born, the game changed. I could follow Miley on Twitter and see her not-so-safe-for-network pictures on Instagram. I could listen to six-second snippets of Justin Bieber’s new songs on Vine, or watch a live stream of an album release on Periscope. Then you have “celebrities” who wouldn’t even be successful if it weren’t for social media platforms like Vine and YouTube. Jenna Marbles, a YouTuber with over 15 million subscribers, has a net worth of 2.5 million dollars and her own wax figure in Madame Tussauds. Shawn Mendes posted covers on Vine before he catapulted to fame and became Taylor Swift’s opening act on her 1989 tour. Seeing the various ways in which people rise to fame is so interesting to me. I could spend hours watching YouTube content like celebrity interviews, or even just videos made by teenagers like myself. I’m a little more invested in pop culture than I would like to admit, and I would assume that you would be too, seeing that you are a writer and editor for E! Online Entertainment News.
In August you published an article titled “18 Moments From the 2015 Teen Choice Awards That Made Us Feel Super Old” that started a war between E! Online and it’s unhappy readers. In this article you offer harsh commentary on the Teen Choice Awards, an annual award show that honors teens and other talent who cater to a teen demographic. You start your article from a valid perspective, an older person watching a teen-focused show: “We’re not even that old, but watching last night’s Teen Choice Awards was kind of like watching an awards show in a different language… there’s nothing like watching a bunch of literal teens gallivanting around your television screen to remind you that you’re actually old as s--t. And it’s not the best feeling.” I know what you mean, because when I watch the Tony awards I feel totally lost because I am not a theater aficionado, and even watching current Disney Channel makes me cringe because the actors and plotlines are just not the same as how I remember it back in the day. The concept for your article had potential, but unfortunately it did not pan out. It surprises me that you aren’t comfortable with or knowledgeable about what is popular in the music charts or on the internet. You’re older than me but not that old. And if you do feel so old, why did you even bother to watch the award show in the first place?
Your article belittles many celebrities and internet stars who have worked hard to get where they are, and undermines the legitimacy of pop culture as a whole. Someone like 26-year-old Lucy Hale, who has worked in the entertainment industry for a long time and enjoys a hefty 15 million combined followers on social media might not take offense to your comment about her revealing outfit choice, but younger girls reading the article might. You list names of YouTubers and ask if they are even real people, which is not only rude to them but could be discouraging to other young people who engage on these platforms. As Jeremy Cabolana tweeted: “If you’re in media and know nothing about Internet talent, you’re not cute or clever, you’re genuinely irrelevant and terrible at your job.” While this is a bit extreme, it does point at a fundamental truth and a major fault in modern celebrity culture, that these internet stars are dismissed as nothing more than teenagers playing around in their bedrooms. Social media and celebrity culture offer more to young girls and boys than just a source of entertainment.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a psychological theory that shows what our basic human needs are, in the shape of a pyramid. At the bottom of the pyramid are food, water and safety, tangible items, but the top of the pyramid holds needs like achievement, respect of and by others, belonging, creativity, and acceptance, among others. These are psychological needs that can be met by watching and creating online content, and by more generally engaging in conversation or feeling like you are part of a whole. Celebrities and online influences that are often so vehemently dismissed of having value can be the catalyst for self-love and hard work, needs at the top of the pyramid that can lead to a more fulfilling life. Your article circulated on Twitter and Facebook, reaching an audience much wider than you probably intended. What you saw as a disappointing awards show was an opportunity for young boys and girls to dream and live vicariously through their favorite celebrities.
As a writer of a widely read online entertainment source, I would consider you to be an influencer, someone who can use her platform to impart important messages to others, regardless of their age. If you’re still a little fuzzy on the concept I can give you some examples. Tyler Oakley, New York Times bestselling author, YouTuber, LGBTQ advocate and internet personality, who has appeared on The Ellen Show and has met and interviewed President Obama, came out as gay on his YouTube channel. His coming out has influenced other YouTubers to come out publically, and has influenced the general public to be the most genuine version of themselves, and to love themselves. Zoe Sugg, more commonly known as Zoella, uses her channel not only for beauty and fashion but to talk about her struggle with mental illness, sharing her life with her nearly 9.5 million followers. While you don’t have an audience quite as wide, you too had the potential to share important values with your readers.
A collaborative study was conducted titled, “Parasocial relationships and self-discrepancies: Faux relationships have benefits for low self-esteem individuals.” A parasocial relationship is a term to describe the relationship a celebrity has with their audience through the media, how the celebrity doesn’t know who you are, but you know everything about them. These seemingly pointless relationships actually have benefits to both parties involved, but especially the audience. In this study three conclusions were made: 1) Low self-esteem students felt a sense of connection with celebrities who were close to his/her ideal self; 2) As these students familiarized themselves with that celebrity they became closer to his/her ideal self; and 3)People become closer to their ideal selves through celebrities rather than through their own personal relationships. These are real effects studied by real people. There are kids out there who follow Amanda Steele, a Youtuber who you included a picture of and noted, “we’ve literally never seen this person in our lives”, who absorb her words of wisdom and advice, look to her for fashion tips and as their role model. You may feel more connected to an older generation of celebrity, but that does not mean the younger ones don’t count.
Teens are well versed in pop culture and digital platforms compared to their older counterparts, a phenomenon that social media scholar dana boyd calls being a “digital native.” Author dana boyd has spent a decent amount of her career studying how teens use social media and how it affects the quality of their lives. She explains in her book, it’s complicated, that “teens are ‘digital natives’ and adults, supposedly less knowledgeable about technology and less capable of developing these skills, are ‘digital immigrants.’” So it isn’t necessarily your fault that categories in an award show like Choice Viner or Choice Instagrammer don’t fully make sense to you. Author boyd also examines the fact that even though teenagers are the primary producers and consumers of digital content, this does not mean they are the most apt to critically analyze and make meaning of it. Those “digital immigrants” (that’s you!) can still be reflective and add to the conversation. Just as much as I look to you to better yourself, I look to E! Online as a corporation and news source to use its platform as a way to contribute positively to the conversation about pop culture. Pop culture is so often criticized as unimportant and superficial, which can be exacerbated when we are talking about kids on the internet or people who don’t even seem to take themselves seriously. But as someone who works for an entertainment news source, and as a decent human being, you can help change people’s perspective and show why these people deserve to be recognized, why their work is important and impressive and how times are changing in the entertainment industry.
The problem with your article is that it is unclear what readers should be more disappointed in -- your inability to use humor effectively, or your ignorance and plain rudeness toward the Teen Choice Awards and those involved. I don’t doubt your background as a writer or your moral character, but I do doubt your judgment in writing this particular piece. After the article blew up, you responded with a tweet: “E! Online will be holding a Master Class in Sarcasm, and judging by Twitter post-Teen Choice Awards it seems like all of America needs it.” So it was just sarcasm, that’s it? Should we stop arguing on behalf of the people who were directly bashed in your article, their fans and anyone else in the industry? Twitter didn’t think so. Grace Helbig, a YouTuber whom E! signed as a host last year, called your article embarrassing, and another YouTuber offered sarcasm right back at E! Online: “Hi @eonline! My name is Joey Graceffa, a YouTube creator and New York Times bestselling author, so nice to meet you!” If your intentions were truly to be sarcastic and a bit self-loathing due to your relative old age, you easily could have mentioned how unaccomplished you feel compared to these 14 year olds with millions of followers. There was opportunity to compare your conservative taste in clothing to the more outlandish style choices of today, or to say that while you had no clue if these people were even real, you actually see that they are pretty impressive people.
I can’t ask you to take back your words because the damage has already been done. But what I am asking of you is to change your attitude. Just think about what you have written, think about what your goals were and if you truly achieved them. Next time you publish an article, if this one wasn’t deterrent enough, think about your desired outcomes and what methods you can use to achieve them. Think about who you reference and how you do it, what angle you take and what rhetorical strategies you use. Don’t be ignorant. Do research. Consult a friend or coworker. Double check your tone and any implications behind your words and learn from your mistakes.
Sincerely,
Elana Fogel