Celedonia, Karen L., and Elizabeth Nutt Williams. “Craving The Spotlight: Buddhism, Narcissism, And The Desire For Fame.” Journal Of Transpersonal Psychology 38.2 (2006): 216-224. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 June 2012.
This article follows the study that looks at the connection between Buddhist practices, narcissism, and the desire for fame. It shows that non-Buddhists show a much higher desire for fame than non-Buddhists. This article researches Buddhist ideals like humility and altruism and how they oppose many of the characteristics used in desiring fame. They also found a connection between narcissism and fame. Narcissism is looked down upon in Buddhist practices.
Cormode, Graham, Krishnamurthy, Balachander, and Willinger, Walter. “A manifesto for modeling and measurement in social media” First Monday [Online], Volume 15 Number 9 (3 September 2010)
This article questions the idea that online social networks can be treated and researched equally. It establishes that in order to maximize usage and user data, they must be analyzed separately. It shows that online social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, are constantly evolving and growing to fit the ever-changing user bases. It examines the reasons why Twitter, as a minimalist site can gain the same popularity that Facebook and Twitter have, with much more complex and challenging layouts.
Griffith, Maggie, and Papacharissi, Zizi. “Looking for you: An analysis of video blogs” First Monday [Online], Volume 15 Number 1 (29 December 2009)
This article follows the way that video blogs represent people online and the culture behind “vlogging,” especially in video sharing sites like YouTube. The researchers find that vlogs are often used as diaries, but through changes in popularity, they can become indulgent and narcissistic. However, they also provide a simple form of self-expression. This research shows that although video blogging is a form of self-expression, it is also simply a performance or an act.
Jean Christian, Aymar. “Real vlogs: The rules and meanings of online personal videos” First Monday [Online], Volume 14 Number 11 (26 October 2009)
This article follows the phenomenon behind video bloggers, or vloggers. It follows two popular YouTube bloggers, Lonelygirl15 and DaxFlame. These two bloggers are credited with beginning the vlogging phenomenon, as they found ways to create personas that an audience connected to. However, a vlog does not have to be purely a persona; it can be a representation of someone’s real life made public. The distinction between fake and real personalities are hard to find and can cause controversy among YouTube subscribers. This article creates rules and standards by which vlogs function both socially and by the rules of YouTube.
Murumaa, Maria, and Siibak, Andra. “The imagined audience on Facebook: Analysis of Estonian teen sketches about typical Facebook users” First Monday [Online], Volume 17 Number 2 (16 February 2012)
This article examines the reasons why the driving force behind social networks is youth. It follows a group of Estonian teenagers and their perceptions of Facebook’s audience. Most of them seem to believe that is a “student-only” site, when in reality, it is used by a much wider audience. It separates the different types of users and the way that they use the site differently. The results of the study ended up with the idea that people post to Facebook for an intended audience, not just their friends.
P. Alex Linley, et al. “Implicit Theories Of A Desire For Fame.” British Journal Of Psychology 99.2 (2008): 279-292. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 June 2012.
This article examines a study conducted that followed nine different factors that people follow in their desire for fame: ambition, meaning derived through comparison with others, psychologically vulnerable, attention seeking, conceitedness, social access, altruistic, positive affect, and glamour. These characteristics were found in people that aspired for fame, except for altruism and positive affect. The desire for fame stems from the remaining six factors.
Rockwell, Donna, and David C. Giles. “Being A Celebrity: A Phenomenology Of Fame.” Journal Of Phenomenological Psychology 40.2 (2009): 178-210. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 June 2012.
This article examines the effects of fame on the psychological health of fifteen interviewed celebrities. The study found that in relation to self, being famous leads to loss of privacy, demanding expectations, gratification of ego needs, and symbolic immortality. However, it also shows that celebrities are also concerned about the effects on family life wealth, and temptation. The negative effects of fame would normally make someone give up this lifestyle. However, the intoxication of fame outweighs the negative effects and many celebrities sacrifice psychological normalcy for their ego-boosting lifestyles.
Shifman, Limor. “An Anatomy Of A Youtube Meme.” New Media & Society 14.2 (2012): 187-203. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 June 2012.
This article examines the effects of YouTube as a purely user-generated content site. YouTube memes have become among the most popular and fast-spreading videos on the site. A combined qualitative and quantitative analysis of these videos yielded six common features: focus on ordinary people, flawed masculinity, humor, simplicity, repetitiveness and whimsical content. Each of these attributes marks the video as incomplete or flawed, creating further creative dialogue.
Smalley K Bryant, and William D. McIntosh. “The Loss Of Fame: Psychological Implications.” Journal Of Popular Culture 44.2 (2011): 385-397. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 June 2012.
This article is about the psychological effects of fame and popular culture. Interestingly, it focuses mainly on the loss of the fame. The interesting aspect of fame now is that it can be gained so quickly and lost just as easily. Celebrities often reluctantly cling to what made them shoot to stardom, such as a particular character or movie series. Depression and self-destructive behavior comes with the “downward spiral” of losing fame.
Uhls, Yalda T., and Patricia M. Greenfield. “The Value Of Fame: Preadolescent Perceptions Of Popular Media And Their Relationship To Future Aspirations.” Developmental Psychology 48.2 (2012): 315-326. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 June 2012.
This article examines why fame is a common goal of many young people. Social media may provide an outlet for this, but it also may be only a façade of fame. It provides a way to gain followers, but the longevity of their fame may be short-lived compared to their expectations of fame. However, it is through various social media that they believe that more followers or friends on these networks are goals of using them. Fame is an inevitable part of many social media sites.