Internet celebrities may outweigh tv celebrities in the future

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Year ago, who would have thought that just about anyone could be a celebrity. Welcome to 2007, where we can all be celebrities in our own right. By unleashing our personal brands on the world, we are communicating our celebrity status to others. Gone are the times where we watched television praying that someday we would become something we are not. Today is the day that you switch your mindset from a hopeful to a determined web entrepreneur. Sure you may not be an actor, actress, film producer, radio voice or even a superstar athlete, but you are a BRAND!

Social media has allowed individuals who had no chance to be in the spotlight, to be noticed as pioneers and internet celebrities. Take Perez Hilton, who is not only obnoxious but demoralizes celebrities to make himself look controversial. Between his multi-colored hair and his loud mouth, he has claimed a show on MTV. Through differentiation, online community building, and internet popularity, his brand has flourished offline.

I consider social media to be a catalyst for your career. Those that have gone un-noticed or are introverted now have a channel to become a celebrity. Internet celebrities such as Om Malik, Adrianna Huffington, Mark Zuckerberg and Michael Arrington will increasingly gain more exposure than offline celebrities such as Brand Pitt. If you’ve noticed the trend, the predominant forms of press, such as The WSJ and NY Times have declined in readership, while social media sources such as Gigaom.com and TechCrunch.com have increased. I see this happening with celebrity figures as well. As individuals drift from TV to the Internet, these web luminaries will shine. It may even force “offline celebrities” to move online.

Picture of Dan Schawbel

Dan Schawbel

Dan Schawbel is the Managing Partner of Millennial Branding, a Gen Y research and consulting firm. He is the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Promote Yourself: The New Rules For Career Success (St. Martin’s Press) and the #1 international bestselling book, Me 2.0: 4 Steps to Building Your Future (Kaplan Publishing), which combined have been translated into 15 languages.

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