2016 has been a year of death.
It seems every time I log onto social media, I’m seeing news articles breaking about how another beloved celebrity has left us. It’s sad, but of course all things come to an end. I think what’s hit harder than anything is the particular caliber of people that we’ve lost. Between Bowie and Prince, we’ve said goodbye to two artists so grand, so larger than life, that on some level we likely did think them immortal. These were people who dared to be different, to challenge what society considered “normal”. They defied norms of dress, music making, and expressions of gender identity. To us they were gods, and to see them fall as any other mortal would feels impossible.
In the wake of these deaths, many have spoken about the loss of the superstars. There’s been speculation that no other artist in the more recent generations has been able to achieve a similar status in the public eye. People like to bring up untalented and milk-toast artists who all sound the same, who all sing auto-tuned songs full of unimaginative lyrics written by teams of people. There is definitely some truth to this. When you listen to audible garbage like “Baby” by Justin Bieber, how can it hold anything against Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”?
There is, however, more to it then that. Artists have changed, sure, but there is still a lot of amazing talent out there. I think of bands like the Foo Fighters who write powerful, imaginative songs that showcase the talent involved. I think of artists like Lady Gaga who have talent and showmanship along with a daringness to be different and defy conventionality. The new generation has great artists; it has dreamers, visionaries, culture shapers, all the things that made the musicians who came before them great. So why are we convinced we’ll never have another Bowie, or another Prince? Well, I purpose it’s because of something this generation has that wasn’t around at the height of their fame.
Twitter.
Social media has changed the world in so many ways, but Twitter especially has changed the way we see celebrities. I remember when I was growing up how drastically different celebrity interaction was. If you wanted to talk to your favorite musician, actor, or whatever, you had to write a letter (ask your parents) to whatever address their agent or publisher designated for fan mail to go. You wrote your letter, sent it off, and maybe in a few months you might get some kind of response, though likely not.
When I was a kid, celebrities were untouchable. You only saw them in the movies or at concerts. The only glimpses you got into their “normal” lives were in magazine interviews or coverage of red carpet events. Everything about their lives was big and glamorous, and I feel the image of the god-like celebrity can only exist under circumstances like that. Twitter changed all of that. With Twitter, we can not only have a direct link to our celebrities, but we have a glimpse into the more mundane and…well…normal parts of their lives. Click follow on your favorite musician or movie star and suddenly you’ve got an all access pass to what they had for breakfast, what they’re thinking about, their feelings on current events, and whatever else they feel like sharing. More than that, you can tweet to them and have them answer you back, sometimes within seconds! The little girl me would have had her mind blown to know that would one day be possible!
It’s a new frontier, one full of new possibilities. But cultural shifts always leave old ways of thinking behind. We’ll likely never have another god-like superstar, but it’s not from a lack of talent or daring. The internet has touched our culture in more ways than we’ll ever be able to quantify, and as we think with excitement about what kinds of possibilities lay on the horizon, we must also admit that we’ll be leaving other things behind. Now, is it better to have the accessible star instead of the one shining brightly in the sky and out of reach? Well, I kind of think so, yea. There was always a fun to putting our idols on pedestals, but seeing them as just as normal as us offers more. Not only is the chance to have real interaction possible, but it’s a reminder that what they’ve accomplished is achievable to any who work hard and follow their dreams.
-Faith
The 4G Show 