SOCIAL MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT: THE NEW INTERSECTION OF HOLLYWOOD AND SILICON VALLEY

摘要

If you have never heard of Gigi Gorgeous, Ingrid Nilsen, Tyler Oakley or Felix Kjellberg, then Social Media Entertainment is probably the academic book you should read to become acquainted with this fascinating world of social media creators - although Instagram: Visual Social Media Cultures by Leaver et al. (2019) is a good runner-up. In their book, Stuart Cunningham and David Craig provide a compelling analysis of the brand-new media universe featuring personality vloggers, influencers and professional streamers who are rapidly becoming the next-gen stars and cultural icons, especially among younger generations of media consumers. During the COVID-19 crisis, some of these social media celebrities have helped governments to spread accurate information on the dangers of the virus and share tips to stop the spread. This entire ecology of 'social media entertainment' is sketched as an emerging proto-industry that uses innovative, creative formats and storytelling techniques, and that provides technical affordances and commercial opportunities for content creators. While emphasizing the interplay between the cultural, technological and industrial dynamics, the book provides an ecological approach to social media entertainment and contributes to the further development of critical media industry studies. Indeed, the complexity of social media entertainment calls for a combination of political economy and cultural studies, and allows for a holistic understanding of both its economic and cultural footprint.