<p>"Microcelebrity is the phenomenon of being extremely well known not to millions but to a small group a thousand people, or maybe only a few dozen. As DIY media reach ever deeper into our lives, it’s happening to more and more of us. Got a Facebook account? A whackload of pictures on Flickr? Odds are there are complete strangers who know about you and maybe even talk about you…</p>
<p>If you really want to see the future, check out teenagers and twentysomethings. When they go to a party, they make sure they’re dressed for their close-up because there will be photos, and those photos will end up online. In managing their Web presence, they understand the impact of logos, images, and fonts…</p>
<p>Adapting to microcelebrity means learning to manage our own identity and “message” almost like a self-contained public relations department. “People are using the same techniques employed on Madison Avenue to manage their personal lives,” says Theresa Senft, a media studies professor and one of the first to identify the rise of microcelebrity. “Corporations are getting humanized, and humans are getting corporatized.”</p>
<p>I spoke with a visual artist this weekend who has hired a “social networking consultant” in order to boost and enhance his Web presence. As Ricky Ricardo would say …ai-yi-yi!</p>
<p>I post a lot on two or three sites ( including CC) and use the same screen name for all- but so I remember my password and screen name- not cause I want to be recognized.</p>
<p>I do have Facebook- but did so as a requirement of an anthropology class I was taking ( I am still in the program). I was first horrified- then mildly amused that the prof as well as students take * lots* of pictures where I am tagged( as well as everyone else)- and they end up not only on facebook, but at poster sessions at local conferences.</p>
<p>Unlike my beautiful children- I don’t think I am very photogenic- although my red hair stands out- but even though it seems like I spent my childhood hiding from my fathers photography obsession, it doesn’t bother me much anymore to be in photos.</p>
<p>I didn’t read the article, but I think it is good to be aware of how we are perceived. Even if we aren’t on the web- what we do- is who we are, and being conscious of that could make us more present in our daily life and consider our impact on people we have not met.</p>
<p>( I did read a column the other day - about while most laptops have webcams and we certainly have the technology for video phones- is there a huge demand for skype with video? Who wants to use a video camera when you are calling in sick to work? You either look like crap because you are really ill, or you are on your way out the door to go skiing! )</p>
<p>my son wants me to get skype so we can see each other when we talk, especially if he’s studying abroad in the fall term. I’m not even sure what it is, really. But at least he’s used to seeing me when I’m not necessarily at my best!</p>
<p>I tried Skype this weekend for the first time. I don’t have a mic so I typed and S and others spoke. It was fun to hear everyone interacting at his end. It seemed more natural than talking on the phone. Now I have to figure out how to install a mic.</p>
<p>I have a completely different screenname on SomethingAwful, a forum that’s about as disparate from CC as it could possibly be, and someone asked a question about structural engineering. I answered, not giving a lot of information about myself. Someone posted, “Waaaaait, are you aibarr on CC?”</p>
<p>:eek:</p>
<p>If I’m not a microcelebrity, then maybe I should behave a little more like one so I can “manage my image,” since my “image” seems to be a little more public than I thought it was…</p>
<p>I’m comfy in yoga pants and a polo shirt today. Dark gray and navy blue. Haven’t brushed my hair today, and I’ve got a cold. The micropaparazzi would have a field day.</p>
<p>I am ‘famous’ in my field of say 5-10,000 scholars…people cite my work in their own publications, I oversee our professional association, people in my field know ‘of me’ if we’ve not met. I also do expert witness, and govt commissions which gets press, I talk to the media quite a bit (local TV news, but also media interviews with NYT, Chic Tribune, Wash Post). A few talk shows too along the way (to the point where the kids would not be remotely motivated to leave their laptop to see mom on TV). But, alas, no one on CC would ever have heard of me, and I am positive no one would take my picture at a party (aside from friends). What is wrong with people? More importantly, what is the point? This is just stupid.</p>
<p>Skype (and/or iChat) is wonderfully awesome when someone has a young grandchild (or child, or niece of nephew) who lives far away. When babies and little kids are growing and changing fast, it is amazing that loved ones who live far away can now hear and watch them say their first words, read books to them, and play peek-a-boo via the web cam.</p>
<p>But when everyone’s an adult and you already know what each other looks like … the wonders of Skype/i-Chat dimish quite a bit.</p>
<p>Kelsmom you are so right on that…I feel so stupid…like an pompous ass without a sense of humor. Oh if only there was a way to take back posts we make sometimes!</p>
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