Recently, digital influencers and/or celebrities have flooded our social media pages. They often have an influence over many people’s views, goals, drives, fashion, etc., and often parasocial relationships are formed with these digital influencers and celebrities. These influencers and celebrities are posting content constantly, leaving their followers and fans always checking their social media platforms to see new content that has been posted. According to Why Social Media Stars are so Popular with Audiences, Due to social media, there’s this fear of missing out, which results in increased level of engagement. This is true for the well-known make-up artist James Charles, who rose to fame for his Instagram account, which has 15 million followers. Charles is now well-known for his Youtube channel, but his Youtube was able to gain followers due to his success on Instagram. His page consisted of “looks inspired by…” where he copied make-up from other make-up artists. His fans loved his content, so they asked if he could post “how-to” videos. Taking their advice was the best thing Charles could’ve done for his success, as his Youtube channel now has 211 videos and 15,353,821 subscribers
Although James did have his Instagram followers follow him to Youtube, there were still many out there who had no idea who he was. To change this, Charles collaborated with famous Youtube make-up artists with the hopes of gaining their fan bases as well. This led to Charles gaining over half a million subscribers. About five months ago, Charles posted a video called “Doing Kylie Jenner’s Halloween Makeup.” Charles became so well known that he does make up for many celebrities, including the Kardashians and Jenner’s.
Many Youtuber’s gain followers by creating various challenges. Charles utilized and participated in Youtube challenges. He did this, so when people search various challenges, in particular make up challenges, more traffic would be brought to his page. For example, he made a video called “full face using no brushes makeup,” and the no mirror make-up challenge.
Since men aren’t typically recognized as role models for make-up, it was a huge deal when James became the first male spokesperson for CoverGirl. According to Why Social Media Stars are so Popular with Audiences, “75% of marketers said they partnered with social media influencers in 2015.” These marketers know that the social media influencers post a sufficient amount of content, so by partnering, it’s a win win for the influencer and the company being marketed. Charles becoming the spokesperson was a huge accomplishment, and motivated other men to aspire and dream big. Charles posted a meaningful Instagram post about his accomplishment, inspiring others to work hard for the things they want, and to remind others that anyone and everyone can be themselves. Charles success influences others to succeed in the things they dream of, whether that’s make-up related or not. By posting videos and always looking to please his fans, he has formed relationships with his followers. In the article Why Digital Influencers are Winning the Battle for Consumer Trust, Bill Connolly states that, “Research confirms that digital influencers are a force for building meaningful relationships with consumers, especially a younger demographic.” I personally know people who are “obsessed” with James Charles, as they aspire to be like him, idolize him for who he is and what he does, and simply love his content. They feel that from watching his videos and following him on various social media platforms that they have this parasocial relationship.
James Charles success, and building of that success didn’t stop here; in fact it was just the beginning. Following being the first male spokesperson for Covergirl, James made an appearance on Ellen in 2016. James on Ellen consisted of him talking about his sexuality, as well as the photographs he posted on his Instagram page that got recognized by Covergirl. Charles came out at 12 years old, and wasn’t fearful of this, rather confident. He mentions that because he likes wearing make-up on top of being gay, this led to people questioning whether or not he is transgender, which he says isn’t true. Men and make-up isn’t something that was accepted in the past, so the fact that he was a gay man who likes wearing make-up was a bit surprising and unusual to people. All of James Charles success happened just after 2 years of James posting his make-up photos on Instagram.
Charles Instagram page is filled with unique content that shows his fans and followers what he can do, as well as a little bit of his personality. Charles can be defined as an influencer who’s achieved celebrity status. Digital celebrities differ from conventional celebrities in that digital celebrities voice their opinions, and share personal stories that leads to the establishment of credibility and authenticity, according to Digital influencers have changed advertising. They’re changing journalism too by George Civeris. “This enables them to dominate the social media economy of likes and shares. And as they develop significant online power, the money from advertisers follows.” For example, many brands pay a sufficient amount of money to these influencers when they post a video or photo on Instagram or Youtube. Charles has a lot of power on the internet, and has had an influence over his followers. He has worked hard to get to where he is today, and continues to show success and build relationships with the online community.
Citations:
- “Alcohol Brands Get Creative With Influencer Marketing .” Mediakix. August 15, 2017. Accessed March 25, 2019. http://mediakix.com/2016/03/alcohol-advertising-social-media-influencers/.
- Connolly, Bill. “Why Digital Influencers Are Winning the Battle for Consumer Trust.” Olapic. Accessed March 25, 2019. http://www.olapic.com/resources/why-digital-influencers-winning-battle-consumer-trust_p1aw_g1lo/.
- Civeris, George. “Digital Influencers Have Changed Advertising. They’re Changing Journalism, Too.” Columbia Journalism Review. Accessed March 25, 2019. https://www.cjr.org/tow_center/digital-influencers-advertising-tow-center.php.
Sami Wills: Social Media 