Social media stars take over

By: Caitlin Moynihan, Columnist 

It’s no secret that we are living in the age of technology. We have eons of information at our fingertips and often get upset if something takes more than 15 seconds to load … or is that just me?

It’s weird if people don’t use laptops in class to take notes, and accidentally forgetting your headphones in your room is an instant mood changer. We are constantly surrounded by technology that has ads encouraging us to buy even more technology. While the tech world has infiltrated our daily lives, it has also drastically changed Hollywood.

Famous people used to be described as celebrities, but now there are different classifications of fame. Vine and Instagram have become a medium that lets people share their lives and creativity while getting paid the big bucks.

Hayes Grier, a 15-year-old who found fame on Vine, was even a participant on this season’s “Dancing with the Stars.”

While these forms are becoming more and more popular, YouTube is the undisputed overlord of the generation of Internet celebrities. YouTube has produced some of the most well known names and faces in the fame game including “The Holy Trinity” made up of Hannah Hart, Grace Helbig and Mamrie Hart.

These women have released their own books, been on multiple tours, produced a movie titled “Camp Takota” and continue to upload at least one video a week to their YouTube Channels.

Grace Helbig also had her own show on E! and will star in the upcoming TV series “Electra Woman and Dyna Girl” alongside Hannah Hart.

The trio is known for their honest humor, obvious friendship and insane creativity with their specialty including getting drunk on camera and doing ridiculous tasks.

If you don’t know anything about them, go watch their “My Drunk Pumpkin” video from 2014 and you’ll get a good idea of who they are. They have ads on billboards and are in many commercials, so there is a good chance that you would recognize their faces even if you’ve never heard of them before.

Another big name in the industry right now is Tyler Oakley. Oakley just released his first book, “BINGE” at the beginning of the month and is currently on a book tour to promote and meet his fans.

While on his book tour, Oakley uploaded a trailer for his new movie onto his YouTube channel and pandemonium ensued. His docu-movie, “Snervous,” which is a combination of scared and nervous that Oakley coined, focuses on Oakley’s rise to fame and highlights his tour where he would reenact past favorite videos in front of a live audience.

I got exhausted just writing about everything Oakley is doing in his life, so it makes it even harder to understand how he is able to do it all with a big smile.

Before technology forced its way into our daily lives, there was always a disconnect between celebrities and their fans. It would be like them living in a beautiful glass box while we are just there to watch but never interact with them on a personal level.

Enter modern day technology and these Internet celebrities are completely changing the game. They now invite us into their personal lives and tell us of their struggles and their past. They have tours, performances and meet-ups to get to know their fans on a personal basis. They see fans as friends instead of a nuisance.

With the way things are going for The Holy Trinity, Oakley and the hundreds of others who gained fame from the Internet, I wouldn’t be surprised if regular celebrities started taking a cue from them and changing how they approach marketing themselves.

Technology has done a lot for me, but I’m hoping that its biggest contribution is making it easier for me to meet Orlando Bloom one day.

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