To begin with, what is E-Fame? E-Fame is basically internet celebrity status. A person or event can become popular or notorious across the web in a matter of days. YouTube and other social media and networking outlets open the doors for internet users to voice their various talents or opinions. Specifically, weblogs, viral videos, and internet community interactions are the most prevalent routes to E-Fame.
In some cases, this can lead to amazing results and a league of dedicated internet fans. We can look to Justin Bieber's rise to fame as an example: his music career began with YouTube videos being posted for family members. Random internet users stumbled across his work and he grew a fan base. The popularity of his videos caused Scooter Braun, a former marketing executive of So So Def, to click on one of Bieber's 2007 YouTube videos. At this point, Justin Bieber's E-Fame turned into into real-life fame, as Scooter Braun introduced Bieber to Usher, leading to Bieber's current successful celebrity status.
Unfortunately, Justin Bieber's situation is less likely than the typical notoriety that bloggers and musicians experience on the world wide web (as we all know, bad news travels faster than good news). Let's look to another musician's experience with E-Fame: Rebecca Black.
Rebecca Black's E-Fame spurred from a single video. Let's take a look...
OK. So it is pretty annoyingly catchy, but I'm sure there are tons of videos just as confusing starring awkward teenagers and random rappers... but this video went viral and now Rebecca Black's name is known across millions of internet users. Some people are fans, but most people cringe at the mention of her name. With 375,683 likes and 2,706,251 dislikes, the criticism of her song "Friday" has led Ms. Black to E-Fame status. Her E-Fame has led to hate mail and death threats. Unfortunately, this is the reality for most E-Famous people.
Social posting sites such as myspace or 4chan can allow many misguided users to embarrass themselves or open themselves up to attack from other users. One myspace user's E-Fame has completely destroyed her life.
Kirsten Ostrenga became E-Famous under the alias of Kiki Kannibal. She began as a teenager in South Florida who posted edgy photos of herself on Myspace. The results were statutory rape, the suicide of her ex-boyfriend, death threats, vandalism, and online stalking. RollingStone Magazine posted an article on her tragic story five years after she earned this "internet celebrity" status.
All-in-all, the world of the wide web, and all of the social and media interactions that have spurred forth, can lead to fame and notoriety outside of newspapers and movies. E-Fame is a new class of fame; a person doesn't need to have money or even have a decent set of talents or knowledge. Internet users can choose to plaster their own names and faces all over the place, or post a video or two for friends and family, but both of these scenarios open the doors for adoration or abuse by other internet users.
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