The Internet has given us unrestricted access to the world, and with that the people who inhabit it. Transforming the way we communicate, the web has also changed the way we interact with celebrities and prominent figures.
Gone are the days of waiting for a popular monthly magazine to tell us what celebrities are up to. We now have 24/7 access to the lives of the rich, famous and beautiful. Thanks to social media, we also have their attention.
Social media has proven to be fertile ground for interaction and connection. Social platforms, like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, provide an unfiltered content stream that often flows right from a celebrity directly to their fans and global audience.
The definition of celebrity has also been altered since the rise of the digital age. “In this day and age of quick communications, the word celebrity has been redefined. Celebrity is no longer reserved for actors, singers, politicians, sports personalities,” write Iam Wire contributor Zafar Rais.
After all, the fundamental definition of celebrity simply means being well-known among a group of people.
The popularity of the Kardashian clan is one such example of becoming famous through online presence. The concept of being a celebrity has been redefined and by default in this new age, being a celebrity also means in many ways being more accessible and interactive.
As social media has gradually become a significant component of our daily lives, it’s led to the creation of a universal place to create and share content. Vlogging, also known as video blogging, fashion blogging and podcasting have become lucrative careers, in part due to the onset of social media.
Most of us have heard stories of people who started blogs, podcasts, or online video channels and gained a following over time.
Finding the best ways to reach and engage an audience is a primary focus of aspiring celebrities and those wanting to remain relevant in today’s hyper-information age. Creating a unique website or using niche content channels can often expose creators to a broader audience, while also allowing them to create richer, more robust content.
For music creators and artists, Soundcloud and Vevo provide alternatives to the heavily saturated YouTube and help expose a musician to a wider audience pool.
However, while social media has provided a global tool for information dispersal, it has not built easy ways to monetize the content that creators make. As a result, we have begun to see the rise of content channels and mediums allowing artists, celebrities and other creators to earn income from what they publish online.
One of the tools being used in the paid-content revolution is ConnectPal, an online community that allows users to put up a paywall for fans and others to access their content. With a user-friendly interface, ConnectPal isn’t as labour intensive as building a website from scratch, but is equally effective for branding and content monetization.
Featuring a growing list of celebrities, podcasters, musicians and even fitness trainers, ConnectPal’s unique subscription model gives content creators the ability to profit from their brand and content under arguably a more sustainable model than models currently offered by popular social media sites. Indeed, as more celebrities and artists have created their own ConnectPal pages, the site has experienced increased visitor traffic, a trend that is likely to continue.
The art of content creation and promotion is all about getting your work in front of new audiences, while consistently tending to your existing fan base. Looking for new avenues to publish and monetize content should be a chief concern of those who make a living creating web-based content.
