Attention economy

Attention Economy

Marwick states that the “attention economy” is a world that treats “visibility as status.” In this way, when talking about micro-celebrities in the tech world, the more information you are putting out there (whether in blogs, Twitter, or other social media outlets) the more credibility or status you have as a mini celeb. This is important for anyone who is hoping to succeed in the technology industry because you unknowingly gain status and attention to the public or real world. Ultimately those who are seen and heard more frequently are more likely to become represented in this micro-celebrity culture. This is difficult for the tech world though because a majority of these individuals aren’t used to being in the public eye and aren’t necessarily prepared for constant observation. Because of this attention economy these individuals are now susceptible to scrutiny that major celebrities, and/ or entertainment celebrities, face on a daily basis. This lack of privacy and constant surveillance that mainstream celebrities encounter also affects micro-celebrities as well. Marwick discusses this term in regard to the uproar that the blog Valleywag brought upon the world of technology micro-celebrities. Many of the people who were scrutinized on this site were caught off guard and astounded at the gossip that appeared on the site about them. This newfound status brought them into a new environment that they were not entirely excited about being in.

“The idea of using the tools of celebrity culture to analyze the lives of regular people is problematic because the protections available to mainstream celebrities do not exist for micro-celebrities” (pg. 148).

Works Cited
Marwick, Alice E. Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity, and Branding in the Social Media Age. London: Yale UP, 2013. Print.