Twelebrity

Twitter has only been around for about a year and a half, and yet it has already fundamentally changed the way we communicate. Whether we like it or not, Twitter is – and will continue to become – a standard form of communication…as standard as IM and text messages.

One way in which Twitter is changing the world is in how it’s redefining our definition of celebrity (ok, “twelebrity” might be silly…but regardless, it’s appropriate). It used to be that celebrities – writers, actors, politicians, etc. – were these untouchable, unreal icons. They weren’t human, they were human-like. We idolized them, we desired them, we felt in every way beneath them…because that’s what celebrity status is meant to do: create plateaus upon which the famous always stand higher than the average person. But you could never know much about their everyday activities, values, favorite food, which bands they like, or anything else that defines their personality.

Then along comes Twitter, and now we have people like David Lynch, Lisa Loeb, LeVar Burton, Björk, President-Elect Barack Obama, Dave Matthews, Shaq, Karl Rove, John Cleese, Erykah Badu, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wil Wheaton, John Hodgman, Felicia Day, Al Gore, Paulo Coelho, Tina Fey, Lance Armstrong, Britney Spears, Vice-President-Elect Joe Biden, William Shatner, etc. etc. etc.

Some of these stars are utilizing the system for PR purposes, and some don’t even send their own tweets. But others are using it as intended: to broadcast their personal status (though many of the latter are self-described geeks and would be the first to jump on the bandwagon anyway). As a society, Twitter gives us something that we’ve never had and yet often longed for: a glimpse into these peoples’ lives, and who they are as human beings. That sacred veil between the celebrity and the fan is being lifted, ever so slightly, to reveal the connections that exist between us…fear of visiting the dentist, going for a bike ride, enjoying the scenery, seeing a good movie, complaining about deli workers…all of these things are the normal day-to-day minutia that define our lives. And to see what defines a star’s life is to understand who they are as a person, which will bring you closer to them as a fan than you ever could before.

When I was young, my family went to bluegrass festivals a lot. I remember recognizing a fundamental difference between folk musicians and pop musicians: in pop music, the artist was always untouchable – they stood on a stage ringed with metal gates, separated from their fans by an army of bouncers. You were lucky if you got to be in the same room with them (arena aside), let along get a piece of scrap paper or picture with their autograph. At the bluegrass festivals, folk musicians would be mingling in the crowd before going onstage…you could ask them questions, chat, discuss the weather or their latest album. During a performance you would be close enough to reach up and touch them, and at night after the stage shows were over, they would walk among the campgrounds and jam with the attendees, late into the night. These weren’t some hometown stars either, these were Grammy winners and platinum recording artists (as an example, I once gave Alison Krauss a kitten that some friends and I had found after she asked about it).

Granted, a big part of that difference has to do with audience size…festivals are (were) naturally smaller than a footbal stadium. But apart from that, there was an attitude of friendlieness and trust that permeated the atmosphere of those festivals…an unspoken sense of “I’m more like you than you know.” Bluegrass has since become more mainstream, and thus things have changed somewhat…but there is something to be said for the beautiful truth in that original attitude.

On Twitter, your favorite stars can now talk directly to you, and you can talk back to them. When else have we had that opportunity in the past century? And if a celebrity responds to you because of something witty you said to them…well, that’s just like running into your favorite star at the mall, and getting to trade a line of conversation. What bigger high could there be for a fan? Now Twitter gives all people; large and small, famous and unknown; the chance to be on the same online playing field.

How long will it be before the opposite is true, and Twitter makes ordinary people stars?