‘Micro-Celebrity’: The New Term For People Made Famous On Or By The Internet, Academic Study Suggests

New academic study suggests that the internet can eventually change the way the industry for celebrities can be viewed and processed by many. Theresa Senft, New York University Clinical Assistant Professor of Liberal Studies researches about internet celebrities and ends up coining the term "micro-celebrity" to describe people made famous on or by the internet.

Internet has downgraded many forms of media through the years. And not only that, it has stuck in the consciousness of many aspirants who are making their way to stardom. The drive for seeking attention through the internet had since become the new "insatiable" hunger for a lot of people nowadays.

Very dramatically, earlier in 2015, TV viewers aged 18 to 34 were found to be watching TV for less than 22 hours in a span of the previous 4 years. Meaning, the maimed attention spent to television has made way for internet consumption to double up in the same span of 4 years, Associated Press reported.

This particular cultural shift from TV to internet is an exciting new form of dynamics. Alongside the shifting elements, the aesthetics evolve too.

As per observation by Theresa Senft at the New York University, the shift is inarguably so dramatic that it hinted the coining of the word "micro-celebrity". Nonetheless, it also poses the question about whether the term celebrity may have to undergo a "re-definition", Washington Square News reported.

Quite obviously, society's perspective of a celebrity has evolved in reflection to the sudden emergence of YouTube, Vine, Twitter and Facebook stars. Hence, there is no denying that 70-80% of the general media consumers nowadays believe that the internet has got to be the new media for stardom.

The likes of Vines, Snapchat, Facebook, etc. are exactly the new measures for success in the celebrity industry. All these are such because, internet is the new black.