Are you a social media guru? Do you spend much of your time liking statuses, tweeting and retweeting, double tapping, or do you ‘do it for the Vine’? We live in a day and age where if post a video of something memorable on the app Vine, you can potentially gain a lot of recognition for it. There has been much debate about whether or not individuals with many followers or re-vines on this particular social media outlet should be considered celebrities.
Before going any further, maybe I should explain exactly what ‘Vine’ is in case you are reading this and have no idea what I’m talking about. ‘Vine’ made its debut in January 2013 and it was something that many people had not experienced before. It was a form of social media where people could post brief six-second videos of them doing virtually anything including singing, pulling pranks, raising awareness, letting their inner child out, and much more.
Anyone with a cell phone or computer can create a ‘Vine’ account, but it is what you put on your account that gets you noticed. What makes this social network so much different than the others? You learn how to get really creative in a short period of time. I mean think about it; you have six seconds to get your point across and to grab your viewers’ attention.
But if you know your audience, then you have the potential to do big things.
Many people compete to get noticed on ‘Vine’ but who are some of the top contenders? Nash Grier, Brittany Furlan, KingBach, wolftyla, and UsTheDuo are among the top 100 ‘Vine’ personalities with the most followers.
Some people who started off as ‘nobodies’ on this social media outlet did not hesitate to make a name for him or herself. In fact, many people are now getting paid to create videos on ‘Vine’ or have developed acting careers as a result. For example, Jessi Smiles is just one of many who quit her day jobs to purse a career in acting, which all started with a ‘Vine’ post. Not to mention, there were various award ceremonies on ‘Vine’ in which people could win categories such as ‘Funniest Viner of the Year’. But all of this raises an important question. Are people with many followers or re-vines on this social media considered celebrities? I took an anonymous survey amongst UMD students and others to see how they felt about the subject.
Of those that participated, 91.43 percent of people said ‘yes’ to the question ‘Do you think people with a lot of followers or re-vines are considered ‘Vine’ famous?’ while only 38.24 percent answered ‘yes’ to the question ‘Can ‘Vine’ famous individuals be considered celebrities?’
Some participants in this survey commented on the latter question if they felt their answers required a different explanation. One participant said, “Yes to a certain point, [they’re] not major celebrities just d-list celebs”, while another participant said “As of now no, but in these next decades as social media continues to rule, they will be considered true celebrities.”
So, are individuals with many followers or re-vines on ‘Vine’ considered celebrities? Based on the results of my survey, it seems like there are mixed feelings so maybe the true question is ‘should we treat “Viners” like celebrities? I’ll let you be the judge.
Check out some popular Vines below!
Do it for the Vine: https://vine.co/v/MuqqQ1PLPlb
Nash Grier: https://vine.co/v/MBmKMZnm3Oq
UsTheDuo: https://vine.co/UsTheDuo