Celebrities' Twitter Pages

For this blog post, I chose to look at the Twitter pages of Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan. Both of these women are young and famous and have large Twitter followings.

Britney Spears’ Twitter page appears to be mostly self-promotional. All of her tweets are about her new album, or a new music video, or a TV special about her – they don’t feel personal at all.

All of the tweets on her page are posted by either Spears or her manager, as identified within the tweet. Spears has credibility as a singer because she is so popular and has had several number one hits. She uses this credibility to promote and communicate news about her new album to her fans. Kairos is used on her Twitter page as well, because fans have been waiting a long time for new Britney Spears material, and Spears and her manager are posting tweets just when fans want them. There are no conversations with other people – it is clear that Spears’ Twitter page is just a medium for her to promote herself. In fact, the posts on her Twitter page and the posts on her Facebook page are identical, illustrating the clear purpose of social media to Spears. The background of the page is the cover of her new album, and this is consistent with the promotional purpose of her tweets. The image of the cover connects well right now with the other images of Spears circulating around. She is putting out a new album and seems to be doing well, so the flattering picture of her on the cover of the album ties back into her current positive image.

Screenshot, "Britney Spears," http://twitter.com/BRITNEYSPEARS

Lindsey Lohan’s Twitter page, on the other hand, appears to be mostly her tweeting her thoughts and having conversations with other people, likely because she has not come out with any new movies or music for a while.

Her tweets seem to come only from her and not from her handler. Lindsey Lohan used to have the ethos of “America’s sweetheart” when she was younger, and she is promoting this same type of ethos on her page now, even though she no longer has that image. She also uses pathos by tweeting about hanging out with her younger siblings and how she loves spending time at home with her family. This appeals to the public’s emotions and makes her seem like a nice, real person. Her conversations seem to be with her friends and other celebrities. The image on the background of her Twitter page is from the photo shoot she did for Vanity Fair, in which she is portrayed as a classic-looking All-American girl. This photo would have been consistent with the type of image Lohan used to have, but it does not match her current image. Lohan seems to be on a downward spiral, recently being charged with felony grand theft for stealing a necklace. The images currently circulating in the media of her in court stand in sharp contrast to the image on the background of her Twitter page.

Screenshot, "Lindsay Lohan," http://twitter.com/lindsaylohan

Spears’ and Lohan’s Twitter pages are very different. Spears’ page is all promotional material, while Lohan’s page is all about her personal life. The conversations that Lohan has with others make her seem more real than Spears, who does not interact with anyone. Spears’ page seems to tie in well with the person she is right now, while Lohan’s page does not match her current persona. But of course, she wouldn’t place a picture of herself passed out drunk or in court on the background of her Twitter page, even if it would be a better match.

As can be seen by these examples, the purpose of social media for celebrities can be either promotional or just a way for them to connect with and relate to their fans. Social media for promotional purposes is obviously something that is limited to the celebrity sphere, but a Twitter page about one’s personal life is something that can be and is utilized by the average person in our culture.