How social media platforms enhance participation in the entertainment industry
“the entertainment industry… has integrated notions of audience engagement and fan participation more deeply into its logics and practices”. - Henry Jenkins
The accelerating development of technology in modern society has brought us ever closer to a 'Web 3.0,' with features that align more with this new era of internet. In turn, social media platforms have become the centre of communication, intertwining with every aspect of our everyday lives. The opportunity social media platforms– like Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram– have posed for more active media consumption and creation has thus enhanced participation to the point where fans and ordinary people outside of large entertainment companies have a more direct impact on the design of the entertainment industry itself. Arguably, the success of products produced by the industry hinges on participation across social media.
This participatory culture– defined as “a culture with relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement, strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations… in which members believe their contributions matter and feel some degree of social connection with one another” (Jenkins, Ito, and boyd, 2016)– has enhanced the formation and experience of parasocial relationships between entertainer and audience, fan bases as communities, and in some ways, broken the fourth wall, as consumers become producers themselves with tools social media has given them access to.
To start, parasocial relationships generated by the entertainment industry have been redefined. This is because social media has allowed celebrities and other influencers to quickly identify a specific need of their target audience to more effectively fulfill that need with the content they create (Alice Capelle, 2021, 5:41). The comment sections on social media, for example, allow these idols to have direct contact with their audience. Through features such as ‘Live videos’ with comment sections, on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, users can read and respond to viewers in real-time. They also have the option to reply to comments left on their posts with more videos, as featured on TikTok. Both simulate a real-life conversation and give content creators the ability to immediately answer the wishes of their audience, making fans feel acknowledged by the subject of their appreciation. However, unlike real-life interactions, social media leaves room for careful curation of personalities, and reaction rehearsal which, as a result, forms a relationship with their fans that does not resemble on the outside what it truly is behind interactions. Youtuber, Alice Capelle explains this through the case of vlogger/viewer relationships, and how some vloggers advertise themselves as “sisters,” “girlfriends,” and “friends” of their viewers. She also refers to PewDiePie’s video, Forced Positivity on Youtube, where he admits that in his older videos, he “might seem a lot happier” and “positive” but he “faked it” because he thought that was what it would take for people to want to watch his videos.
To some extent, the fan participation these platforms allow for only creates an illusion of true connection. It is arguable that the genuine emotional investment cultivated from both sides of the parasocial relationship manifests more intensely than it had in the past, as social media removes privacy– encouraging oversharing of personal lives and blurring the line between real and perceived relationships. The ‘Follow’ button used to subscribe to our favourite actors, artists, performers, and more, is the same button we press to connect virtually with people we know personally. A ‘like,’ comment, or ‘retweet’ can be shared and seen by anyone, regardless of social standing. This can lead some participants to believe that they are not only equal enough for a real relationship with the celebrity/influencer/content creator to be plausible and true, but also owed their time and energy. In truth, the usage of social media tools in this way simply helps members of the entertainment industry build a brand image and gain the loyalty of their audience by developing and maintaining these perceived bonds. The consequence, however, is that their continued success relies on their ability to keep up the persona and dynamic they have installed– a task that has become even more taxing with the demand for a constant social media presence. It is an increasingly sharp double-edged sword with the audience and the entertainer on either side.
On the other side, is the near-unstoppable force of the ‘fandom.’ The new generation, accustomed to a never-ending cycle of new media consumption at a very fast rate, has grown up with social media platforms which allow them to perpetuate this cycle– by inducting them into online communities based on their interests and app usage. This is why TikTok has so quickly become a top competitor among social media platforms. Introduced with a similar concept to retired apps such as ‘Musical.ly’ and ‘Vine’ of the early 2000s, TikTok’s 15-second video feature brought about the nostalgia of the aforementioned popular apps, but implicated features from updated versions of platforms such as Instagram and Facebook– like when in 2016, Instagram’s feed controversially changed from chronological to algorithmic. With personalised 'For You' pages, TikTok’s algorithm was designed to cater to the unique interests of users where the more they interact with its content, the more related content they will discover. Similarly, Instagram and Snapchat include 'Discover' sections, where users can scroll through an endless stream of content collected and pushed onto them, related to their liked, searched, followed content. Users can also stay up-to-date on viral content through ‘trending hashtags.’ It is easier than ever to locate and upload media that relates to specific interests, especially concerning entertainment, as users’ participation directly contributes to the algorithms that sort its content. With social media designed to push like to like, fans can more easily find each other and form 'fandoms': a united entity that, in a way, assumes control over their subject’s reputation. Those ‘hashtags’ can provide evidence of this. First used on Twitter by user @chrismessina in 2007 to filter content, the hashtag has grown to be capable of acting as a weapon against not only celebrities but anyone who stands out enough to be noticed by the Internet. Thus began the phenomenon of ‘cancel culture.’ This refers to the way the public may boycott or “cancel” someone or something, in response to an incident that individual or organisation was involved in, past or present. In 2016, one victim of cancelling on Twitter, American singer-songwriter, Taylor Swift became the target of the trending hashtag #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty. The drama and cyberbullying that ensued caused the pop star to delete everything on her social media accounts, before going on her first extended hiatus since the start of her career. Comparably, ‘K-pop stans’ have become “a group who has an enormous degree of cultural and political power in its own right,” with social media as their platform (Judy Knows, 2020). For example in 2020, fans teamed up to dominate right-wing hashtags countering the #BlackLivesMatter protests, such as #BlueLivesMatter and #MAGA, with k-pop and idol-related content.
However, the power that fandoms hold across social media can work in favour of the idol or work followed by the fandom. Because the bond they form tends to stay true to the word’s origin, “fanatic” (Jenson, 1992), the resulting polarisation of the “them vs. us” or “Othering” (Shaw, 2021) mentalities nurtured by fandoms often take their devotion to an extreme. For example, the “BTS ARMY” or the fandom attached to the most popular KPOP idol group, BTS (originally an acronym for Bangtan Sonyeondan) has been inducted by the group’s agency, Big Hit Entertainment to adopt a “purchase, promote, protect” mindset (Judy Knows, 2020). With this, they carry their idol onto a pedestal beyond the close, intimate relationships that were first formed when they were initially building their image and fanbase. Due to their humble origins and revolutionary breakthrough into mainstream media, BTS’s “underdog” status gives the ARMY a heightened sense of importance, where their unwavering support, “through buying, voting, streaming, producing, tweeting, etc.” is even more necessary. As a result, it feels like when their idol experiences a win, the fandom does too. Additionally, “when one becomes a part of the fandom, there is a real sense of being part of an “in-group,” an exclusive community, meeting primarily online through social media, where members feel deeply connected by their shared appreciation and duty. This connection is further deepened by BTS’s awareness of the fact that “what fans really care about is communicating with their artists.” They achieve this through South Korean-specific platforms, such as VLIVE, where they can live stream chat with fans, similar to Instagram’s live video feature. As business strategy professional, Judy Knows explains, this can be best represented by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The “sense of belonging” and pride in witnessing and contributing to their idol’s success satisfies the individual’s ‘love & belonging’ and ‘esteem’ needs.
To take it one step further, Jenkins also asserts that “Participatory cultures involve fans acting not only as consumers but also as producers and creators of some form of creative media.” Fans may follow the footsteps of their idols, entering the entertainment industry in a way that echoes those they observed before them. With BTS again, “all the opportunities to co-create stories with BTS through their narrative universes between fan fiction on platforms like AO3 and Wattpad and Big Hit’s BTS video game ventures” enable fans to “develop and flex their creativity and gain validation for their imagination” (Judy Knows, 2020). ‘Fanfiction’ as a genre was one of the first instances of fans using their creativity to become more actively involved in the content they consumed. In some cases, it even acted as the foundation for works that had reached a commercial, professional level in the industry. Examples include Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James, having its origins in Twilight fanfiction– which in itself derived from fanfiction– and the film, After, based on the Wattpad Harry Styles ‘fanfic’ by Anna Todd. More like these have also been shared across fandoms on platforms such as Twitter and Tumblr. New technology and social media pose these “new possibilities for production and also for reception, which make possible new kinds of collaboration and exchange, new kinds of engagement and creativity” (Meikle and Young, 2012) and, as a result, “the “consumers” … are becoming producers” (Jenkins, Ford, and Green, 2013). Hence a new era of “the prosumer” began. American comedian, actor, and content creator, Bo Burnham remarked that “social media is just the market’s answer to a generation that demanded to perform.”
As previously discussed, social media provides a direct line of communication that both A-list celebrities and ordinary people can take advantage of. The option to make Instagram pages public has introduced new players into the entertainment industry: ‘influencers.’ Utilising hashtags and other algorithmic designs to help get their content discovered whilst keeping an eye on the profile ‘insights’ feature to analyse the way other users interact with said content, has allowed regular people to gain a large enough following to make a living off of sharing content via social media. Addison Rae, a 21-year-old from LA, gained popularity on TikTok after a video of her dancing went viral. She has since signed to a talent agency called WME and even attended the 2021 Met Gala. Likewise, new Netflix and Hulu shows, Hype House and The D’Amelio Show turn ordinary teenagers– who also achieved virality on TikTok– into reality TV stars, calling to mind major celebrities like the Kardashian-Jenners. Many independent artists have also found that it is easier nowadays to promote music and get discovered, especially on TikTok, because of the vast array of social media platforms and the features they offer to aspiring musicians and other content creators. A single viral video featuring their original songs, posted by TikTok users, like Tai Verdes, Lyn Lapid, and Salem Ilese, has landed them and countless other musicians real record deals. TikTok's duet feature has also been used to start trends in which people add their own musical talent to another’s, creating a mass collaboration that is remixed and reposted over and over. This was particularly popular during 2020’s quarantine, when thousands of users participated in a rendition of The Wellerman sea shanty, started by Nathan Evans, an ex-postman who has now also been signed to Polydor Records. But social media has opened opportunities for more than just musicians. Small businesses– from handmade jewellery and candles, to clothing and original artwork– can thrive through social media engagement and can also utilise the new ‘shop’ tab on Instagram– similar to Facebook Marketplace– to direct people to their online merchandise.
In conclusion, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter enhance participation in the entertainment industry to the extent that it has completely transformed the dynamic between consumer and producer, performer and audience. The power is no longer solely in the hands of entertainment companies and agencies because “we now have to recognize audiences as creative” (Meikle and Young, 2012), and acknowledge not only commercial demands but the emotional needs of the fans, as the industry finds itself at their mercy. Social media has, therefore, exposed the complexities of the consumer and empowered them to be more active in how they are entertained.
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