Killin it, Ellen! (Literally)

Talk about the best press coverage and public relations opportunity in the last decade, ELLEN DEGENERES BREAKS TWITTER WITH A SELFIE (read more here). On the night when fingers of Americans are at a constant hyper-speed typing on one keyboard or another about the Oscars, Ellen sets out to break a record of the most retweeted tweet on twitter (try saying that 10 times fast).  What started out with Ellen just simply trying to take a selfie with Meryl Streep, turned into a massive photo opportunity featuring faces such as Bradely Cooper, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Roberts and many more. Not only is Ellen sure to succeed, but she broke something else she didn’t expect to, Twitter itself!

It’s funny to think about how the word “selfie” wasn’t even in our vocabulary a few years ago, and now you can literally break a social media platform that itself wasn’t even around 10 years ago taking one. When I was watching this I could not help but think about all the after effects that this one moment could have on everyone and everything involved.

Here are just a few things I noticed:

1. It was a great moment for Twitter because there is bound to be a demographic that watches the Oscars who do not yet use twitter and may now feel more inclined to try and use it just so that they can be a part of the photo.
2. It was good publicity for the stars involved because it made them look fun, carefree and more personable.
3. The moment was some solid advertising on the part of Samsung which is sponsoring the Oscars and a Samsung phone was used to take the photo.
4. It was a positive thing for the Oscars and ABC Network due to the increase in viewers  who may have heard about the photo and now are reminded that the Oscars are on and may have the desire to tune in and watch.

Over the next few days I will be eager to see what happens with this photo and if it does become the most retweeted, if Samsung experiences a rise in sales, and how the story will change and evolve as it is talked about more in the media. All I can say for now is GO ELLEN! If it were me I think I would be more proud that I momentarily broke twitter instead of being proud of breaking the most retweeted record.

Fitspo, Belfies and “Fitness Trainers” on Instagram

As someone who spends an embarrassing amount of their time on Instagram, I pride myself in being able to recognize different Instagram trends. The most prominent of which seems to be the ever increasing “fitspiration” or “fitspo” accounts.  These accounts feature women such as, Jen Selter (2.0m followers) , Chalene Johnson (297k followers) , Stephanie Pacca (86k followers) and Kayla Itsines (337k followers). Every day they post motivational photos of their washboard abs, their tanned and toned legs, and inspirational quotes telling others to put the donuts down and go for a run.

The hashtag #fitspo has over 6 million photos associated with it and numbers are rising every day. The words “fitspiration” or “fitspo” is a blend of the words fitness and inspiration, and refer to a body or person that someone aspires to look like.  The images these women post make both users shield their eyes in fear of invading their privacy, and yet not be able to peel their eyes away in utter jealousy.

Another term I learned when reading an article in USA Today on this very subject, was “Belfie”. I couldn’t help myself but to laugh in the middle of the library when I learned that it is a blend of the word “butt” and “selfie”. Yup, you guessed it! It is most definitely a photo that someone has taken of their own posterior and then posted as motivation on the internet.

By posting these hashtags and photos, people are attempting to motivate others throughout the world of Instagram.  These women have become so popular that they are publishing nutrition and workout guides that they sell to their followers from anywhere of $19.95 – $150.

It is my belief that this trend is being fueled by many factors:

1. The sexual appeal of seeing women in very little clothing is undoubtably a factor.
2. The world wide push to make citizens aware of what they eat and the amount of exercise they commit to.
3. Instagram users associate these women as “real people”. They aren’t the typical model you see photoshopped in a magazine, but rather someone who has taken a quick selfie with their smartphone.
4. Everyone loves some good inspiration! A story or constant reminder of something that they desire, a goal if you will.