Crystal Abidin

Looking at the phenomenon of visibility labour and attention economies on social media, this open access book focuses on the Asia Pacific region to examine the use of ‘drama’ online for internet fame/infamy and financial gain. On social media, the attention economy shapes and governs our engagement. Social media actors use a variety of tactics to gain our attention, to 'go viral', and to become 'internet famous'. They manufacture extraordinary events, curate their lives for us to consume, and play on our emotions to draw us in. But relying on only the picture perfect, the pristine, and the prestigious a la ‘aspirational’ role-modelling is fast becoming stale to audiences in this very saturated space.Enter the use of ‘online drama’ to wrestle for the attention spans of audiences, when social media actors use discursive and visual narratives centred on angst, shock, fear, shame, pity to generate visibility, yield interest, and provoke conversations in the gladiatorial arena of social media. Through a range of lively case studies spanning platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube, and popular online for a in the Asia Pacific region, this book explores topics such as 'shamelebrity', the ‘influencer apology’, ‘call out culture’, ‘cancel culture’, and ‘meme factories’ to unpack that peculiarly contemporary online phenomenon: the culture and economy of online drama.The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) from the Australian government.

Looking at the phenomenon of visibility labour and attention economies on social media, this open access book focuses on the Asia Pacific region to examine the use of ‘drama’ online for internet fame/infamy and financial gain. On social media, the attention economy shapes and governs our engagement. Social media actors use a variety of tactics to gain our attention, to 'go viral', and to become 'internet famous'. They manufacture extraordinary events, curate their lives for us to consume, and play on our emotions to draw us in. But relying on only the picture perfect, the pristine, and the prestigious a la ‘aspirational’ role-modelling is fast becoming stale to audiences in this very saturated space.Enter the use of ‘online drama’ to wrestle for the attention spans of audiences, when social media actors use discursive and visual narratives centred on angst, shock, fear, shame, pity to generate visibility, yield interest, and provoke conversations in the gladiatorial arena of social media. Through a range of lively case studies spanning platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube, and popular online for a in the Asia Pacific region, this book explores topics such as 'shamelebrity', the ‘influencer apology’, ‘call out culture’, ‘cancel culture’, and ‘meme factories’ to unpack that peculiarly contemporary online phenomenon: the culture and economy of online drama.The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) from the Australian government.

While cohorts of Gen Z have flocked to TikTok, some governments are fighting to have it banned. But where has it come from and what has enabled its incredible market penetration across various countries and demographics? Crystal Abidin draws on original empirical work, news reports, and industry interviews to help readers understand TikTok as it has developed among youth cultures. Using anthropological methods to produce deep and insightful ethnographies about TikTok and its core users, TikTok and Youth Cultures will help readers develop a critical understanding of TikTok’s impact on society, its place in the social media landscape, and its cultural relevance around the world.

Social media is proliferating with influencers, but despite their prevalence and the extensive body of scholarship, there is no comprehensive book that frames the historical and contemporary phenomenon of child influencers. Drawing on original empirical ethnographic fieldwork and case studies from Asia Pacific and beyond, and spanning various digital platforms (e.g. blogs, fora, social media, messaging platforms), this book looks at the emergence of child influencers and online fame more generally. Crystal Abidin, a pioneering scholar in this field, discusses key historical milestones, scandals, and the social and cultural contexts that have led to ordinary children becoming famous online, and how changing public discourse has resulted in important pivots in the ways we perceive them. The book addresses and challenges some of the oft quoted moral panics against the visibility of children on social media and gives voice and agency to the children, their parents and guardians, and the agents and managers who have been striving to improve the child influencer market through their everyday practices and community norms.

Social media is proliferating with influencers, but despite their prevalence and the extensive body of scholarship, there is no comprehensive book that frames the historical and contemporary phenomenon of child influencers. Drawing on original empirical ethnographic fieldwork and case studies from Asia Pacific and beyond, and spanning various digital platforms (e.g. blogs, fora, social media, messaging platforms), this book looks at the emergence of child influencers and online fame more generally. Crystal Abidin, a pioneering scholar in this field, discusses key historical milestones, scandals, and the social and cultural contexts that have led to ordinary children becoming famous online, and how changing public discourse has resulted in important pivots in the ways we perceive them. The book addresses and challenges some of the oft quoted moral panics against the visibility of children on social media and gives voice and agency to the children, their parents and guardians, and the agents and managers who have been striving to improve the child influencer market through their everyday practices and community norms.

TikTok är en av samtidens främsta lekplatser. Vad som helst och vem som helst kan hitta en målgrupp. TikToks popularitet har inte gått obemärkt förbi, vare sig i forskningen, politiken eller i den offentliga debatten. På bara några år har appen vuxit till en av världens populäraste och mest omdebatterade digitala plattformar. Den är medskapare till populärkulturella trender med stor påverkan på andra plattformar och kulturella branscher. På många sätt utgör TikTok sinnebilden av dagens globaliserade masskultur. I den här boken närmar sig ett antal kulturforskare fenome- net TikTok för att förstå vad plattformen berättar om dagens samhälle, vilka funktioner den har för identitetsskapande och gemenskap, samt vilka behov den tillfredsställer hos användarna. Vi intresserar oss för både smala nischer och breda trender. Vi frågar oss hur plattformens genomslag kan förstås i relation till dess algoritmer och tekniska lösningar. Boken fokuserar på TikTok som mötesplats där kulturella fenomen och praktiker uppstår, utvecklas, korsas och sprids, samt låter sig studeras. Plattformens heterogenitet återspeglas i kapitlen, som behandlar generationskonflikter, ljudmem, musikbranschen, hälsotrender, bokkultur, ”dark academia”, akademisk prekaritet, får, radioaktiva samlingar, män med maskiner och medelålders kvinnors sexualitet. Boken riktar sig både till dig som förundras över fenomenet TikTok i allmänhet och till dig som har ett särskilt intresse av de specificiteter, nischer och gemenskaper som beskrivs i de olika kapitlen.

Launched in 2007, tumblr became a safe haven for LGBT youth, social justice movements, and a counseling station for mental health issues. For a decade, this micro-blogging platform had more users than either Twitter or Snapchat, but it remained an obscure subculture for nonusers. Katrin Tiidenberg, Natalie Ann Hendry, and Crystal Abidin offer the first systematic guide to tumblr and its crucial role in shaping internet culture. Drawing on a decade of qualitative data, they trace the prominent social media practices of creativity, curation, and community-making, and reveal tumblr’s cultlike appeal and position in the social media ecosystem. The book demonstrates how diverse cultures can – in felt and imagined silos - coexist on a single platform and how destructive recent trends in platform governance are. The concept of “silosociality” is introduced to critically re-think social media, interrogate what kinds of sociality it affords, and what (unintended) consequences arise. This book is an essential resource for students and scholars of media and communication, as well as anyone interested in an influential but overlooked platform.

Launched in 2007, tumblr became a safe haven for LGBT youth, social justice movements, and a counseling station for mental health issues. For a decade, this micro-blogging platform had more users than either Twitter or Snapchat, but it remained an obscure subculture for nonusers. Katrin Tiidenberg, Natalie Ann Hendry, and Crystal Abidin offer the first systematic guide to tumblr and its crucial role in shaping internet culture. Drawing on a decade of qualitative data, they trace the prominent social media practices of creativity, curation, and community-making, and reveal tumblr’s cultlike appeal and position in the social media ecosystem. The book demonstrates how diverse cultures can – in felt and imagined silos - coexist on a single platform and how destructive recent trends in platform governance are. The concept of “silosociality” is introduced to critically re-think social media, interrogate what kinds of sociality it affords, and what (unintended) consequences arise. This book is an essential resource for students and scholars of media and communication, as well as anyone interested in an influential but overlooked platform.

Why is our world the way it is, right now? SocietyNow presents the best academic expertise examining key events, trends and phenomenon of current times. Readable, accessible and digestible commentary on the most complex and defining topics of the 21st Century. Written by leading experts in their fields and published when the issues are a focal point across the globe, titles in the series offer a thoughtful and concise response to the major political and economic events and social and cultural trends of our time. Titles included in this set: The Trump Phenomenon: How the Politics of Populism Won in 2016;Becoming Digital: Toward a Post-Internet Society;Understanding Brexit: Why Britain Voted to Leave the European Union;Selfies: Why We Love (and Hate) Them;Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame Online;Corbynism: A Critical Approach;The Smart City in a Digital World;Kardashian Kulture: How Celebrities Changed Life in the 21st Century;Reality Television: The TV Phenomenon that Changed the World;

Instagram is at the heart of global digital culture, having made selfies, filters and square frames an inescapable part of everyday life since it was launched in 2010. In the first book-length examination of Instagram, Tama Leaver, Tim Highfield and Crystal Abidin trace how this quintessential mobile photography app has developed as a platform and a culture. They consider aspects such as the new visual social media aesthetics, the rise of Influencers and new visual economies, and the complex politics of the platform as well as examining how Instagram's users change their use of the platform over time and respond to evolving features. The book highlights the different ways Instagram is used by subcultural groups around the world, and how museums, restaurants and public spaces are striving to be 'Insta-worthy'. Far from just capturing milestones and moments, the authors argue that Instagram has altered the ways people communicate and share, while also creating new approaches to marketing, advertising, politics and the design of spaces and venues. Rich with grounded examples from across the world, from birth pictures to selfies at funerals, Instagram is essential reading for students and scholars of media and communication.

Instagram is at the heart of global digital culture, having made selfies, filters and square frames an inescapable part of everyday life since it was launched in 2010. In the first book-length examination of Instagram, Tama Leaver, Tim Highfield and Crystal Abidin trace how this quintessential mobile photography app has developed as a platform and a culture. They consider aspects such as the new visual social media aesthetics, the rise of Influencers and new visual economies, and the complex politics of the platform as well as examining how Instagram's users change their use of the platform over time and respond to evolving features. The book highlights the different ways Instagram is used by subcultural groups around the world, and how museums, restaurants and public spaces are striving to be 'Insta-worthy'. Far from just capturing milestones and moments, the authors argue that Instagram has altered the ways people communicate and share, while also creating new approaches to marketing, advertising, politics and the design of spaces and venues. Rich with grounded examples from across the world, from birth pictures to selfies at funerals, Instagram is essential reading for students and scholars of media and communication.

The face of internet celebrity is rapidly diversifying and evolving. Online and mainstream celebrity culture are now weaving together, such that breakout stars from one-hit viral videos are able to turn their transient fame into a full-time career. This book presents a framework for thinking about the different forms of internet celebrity that have emerged over the last decade, taking examples from the Global North and South, to consolidate key ideas about cultures of online fame. It discusses the overall landscape, developments and trends in the internet celebrity economy, and cross-cultural lessons.