Show business is now beyond what an artiste
does that confers a celebrity status on him or
her. Nowadays it is all about the lifestyle and
actions of the celebrity. It is about the fan who
meets the celebrity in a shopping mall and
comes back online to explain that he or she
was snubbed when he/she demanded for a
selfie. It is about the celebrity’s constant desire
to engage even when on a vacation.
It explains why celebrities share photographs
of their work–out sessions or a new photo
event in the morning. By noon, the picture
would have been discussed by their fans on
Instagram while trending on Twitter. But, these
shots shared are part of what keeps the
celebrity in the minds of the people.
Unlike the past, when public figures could only
reach out to the public through interviews,
they now have the means to shape their own
news. Social media are predominantly styled in
the conversation format. People are bound to
talk about everything that goes on in the
society, even possibly sink their talons in the
dead flesh of an issue sometimes.
Today, public figures are required to engage
with their followers, answer a few questions,
absorb criticism and also offer feedbacks
where they need to. For public figures in
Nigeria, the situation is not different. It is,
perhaps, even tougher. I was on a visit to one
of the states in the southern part of the country
last week and we discussed how the leadership
of that particular state fared online. What I
understood from the conversation was that
those at the helms of the affairs of the state did
not really think it was important to embrace
the social media fully because of the way they
had been treated by critics.
It is the same situation in other states. The
difference is that others have learnt how to
manage it. Before now, celebrities allowed
their fans to freely express themselves on their
walls. But that is changing. Nowadays, some of
them fight back and a number of others also
offer very polite responses that make fans or
followers look silly. Because of the real-time
nature of social media, it is important
responses come without delay. And one of the
best ways for any celebrity or public figure to
keep a tab on their online mentions – on blogs,
mainstream media and other locations – is to
have an active alert system. Www.mention.net
and Google alert are two tools that perform this
work well. That way, anywhere their names or
aliases are mentioned they get a mail alerting
them of the mention and if it is one needing
their response, they can quickly react.
In fairness, there are activities of celebrities
that are worthy of negative criticism. What is
unfair is abusing them, and this is what is
gradually becoming the norm. It is not only
businesses that are brands online; individuals
are also brands. Public figures may choose to
sit and watch their colleagues, who are doing
well online, and learn from them. It is
ultimately about protecting that brand or
restoring the image of the brand when and if
things go wrong.
Celebrities and public figures that trade insults
with their attackers always realise, much later,
that it is a mistake. The fan often comes back
with friends or others who have been looking
for an opportunity to hit at the public figure
and things get messier and make headlines for
other blogs and broadcast media. The fan
remains anonymous and goes without any
damage, while the celebrity may need to keep
explaining what went wrong for another 12
months during interviews!
Being combative never wins online. One of the
best approaches is to use the opening as an
opportunity to explain issues that the fan or
attacker may not be aware of and excuse
oneself from the conversation before other
people latch on to it.
It is not out of place to try and win in the court
of public opinion before trying to use legal
means to isolate the anonymous person and
seek redress. For the witty, a humorous
response always wins. It always does.
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