What do you want to be when you grow up?
This question is asked of every single one of us from the time we understand the occupation of firefighter and doctor are what Elmo clearly wants us to be. Then of course, as we become older, the idea of being famous sinks in as an option. Listening to the radio, watching movies, even strolling through the mall it becomes increasingly evident that having a cardboard cut out of yourself is exactly what must be aspired to.
Of course the years tick by and becoming famous seems further out of reach than it did at the age of eight, while degrees in engineering and business begin to be pursued. However, if anything, the past five years have shown all it takes is a little social media magic for just about anyone with an extreme passion to make it big. No we are not talking about Mark Zuckerberg and whoever the inventor of Twitter and MySpace are…. These are the bloggers, musicians, actors, and characters who had an idea and made it famous.
Perez Hilton– Celebrity Gossip extraordinaire. He manages to fill his blog daily with the latest celebrity news. Whether it’s Lady Gaga making a public fool of herself or James Franco’s new movie, Perez will likely find, and hilariously write about it first. One blog, and a captivating sense of humor is all it took for Perez Hilton to become a powerhouse. Maybe it also had something to do with his cook-y hair cut too.
- Justin Bieber– Even Martians on Mars know this name. His tiny body makes thirteen year old girls cry harder than they will on their wedding day, and his hair sold on eBay for over $40,000. It doesn’t really make sense, but it all started on YouTube from Justin’s Canadian couch as he crooned his way into the hearts of bored teenage girls and apparently music executives.
- Darren Criss– I don’t know about you, but I look at the cast of Glee as the chosen ones in the entertainment industry right now. They each have unique talents, killer vocals, gravity defying dance moves, the ability to rock, and the comedic delivery most dream of having. The newest addition, Darren Criss, was just hanging out at the University of Michigan working on his song writing and acting chops with a little project known as A Very Harry Musical. Yes, he played Harry Potter and wrote a majority of the songs featured in the play–turned-YouTube-sensation. It was only a matter of time before this YouTube hit snagged the attention of the head Gleeks, introducing Darren as Blaine the prep school songbird.
- Post Secret– There are books, college tours, and events dedicated to this endeavor, but it all started with a blog. Post Secret is the love project of Frank Warren who began the blog in 2005. People are encouraged to send in anonymous secrets and about 20 per week are posted on Sundays. The purpose is to create a community of acceptance, one where people realize they are not alone and everyone has a secret they may not be proud of or carry with them daily. “Every single person has at least one secret that would break your heart. If we could just remember this, I think there would be a lot more compassion and tolerance in the world.” –Frank Warren
- Huffington Post– Founded by Arianna Huffington this credited news source all started as a blog. It has now grown as one of the leading sites in news from all topics including entertainment, politics, and business. It’s essentially a socially interactive newspaper. Readers are encouraged to comment on stories, like a story, while joining the conversation on Twitter. These readers are technologically savvy with the need to remain updated and engaged. Kudos for making the news interesting again.
How would you become famous using social?
