From fashion Instagrammers in Australia, YouTube gamers in Sweden, and beauty bloggers in the UK, to Mukbang eaters in South Korea, livestreamers in China, and parody tweeters in India, the face of internet celebrity is rapidly diversifying and evolving. Digital culture on social media and mainstream celebrity culture are weaving together, such that breakout stars from one-hit viral videos are able to parlay their transient fame into a full-time career.
This book presents a framework for thinking about different forms of internet celebrity that have emerged in the last decade, looking at forms such as memes, transient virality, trending social media posts, accidental celebrity from controversy and bad publicity, and intentional self-branded social media influencers.
Looking at the wide spectrum of social media platforms, content genres, and commercial formats, the book takes examples from the Global North and Global South comprising actors of diverse genders, age groups, and cultural backgrounds, to consolidate key ideas about global cultures of internet celebrity. The book discusses the landscape of internet celebrity; developments and trends in the internet celebrity economy; and cross-cultural lessons on global internet celebrity.