Microcelebrity and Parenting in Malaysia

www.sass.monash.edu.my

Celebrity Studies Journal Conference 2016University of Amsterdam

“Sooo cute”: Microcelebrity and Parenthood in Malaysia

Dr Julian HopkinsMonash University Malaysia


Microcelebrity

• ‘Micro’: smaller, niche audience (Marwick 2013, Senft 2008)

• Celebrity: professional self-branding/commodification (Marwick 2013, Senft 2012)

Malaysia/Singapore• Managing perceived intimacy and

commodifying privacy (Abidin 2013, 2014)

• Lifestyle blogs – ‘extended parasocial relations’ translating brands and leveraging authenticity (Hopkins & Thomas 2011, Hopkins 2016)

• “brands […] are also produced by consumers, through the everyday practices in which consumers use branded goods to create social relations and shared meanings and affect” (Foster 2007: 717)

• Commoditisation <> Branding • Labour – affective, emotional, domestic

(Carah 2014; Hardt 1999)• Consumption work (Foster 2005)• Actor-network theory: “economy of

qualities” and destabilising “voicy consumers” (Callon 2001; Callon et al. 2002)

Branding


• Brands are relations• Effectively creating those relations requires skill• Social media expands opportunities for this skill to be

monetised• Microcelebrities are good at this


Research Questions

• How do microcelebrities represent and share their experiences of parenting online?

• What motivations do microcelebrities have for sharing parenting experiences online?

• Does being a microcelebrity influence parenting choices? • What ethical questions do microcelebrities face with

regard to online representations of their children, and how are they resolved?


Method

• PhD research 2007-2010 – the monetisation of personal blogging – emergence of the lifestyle blog (Hopkins 2016)

• 2016 – online observation, textual analysis and interviews– Criteria: English language blog, income from social media, ‘social media native’, a

parent and talks about his/her children– 38 ‘About Me’ pages downloaded for emergent coding in NVivo– Two months of selected microcelebrities’ online activities downloaded– Ongoing observation and interviews

• Ethics– Names, URLs and brand names have been changed– Exact wording changed where requested

So you may be wondering how we finally got a nice canvas print in our bedroom, after leaving the walls bare for so long?

Well Printposters were introduced to me and the peeps there suggested that for my house I try a 3-photo collage instead of a 1-piece like many people

do. So I thought of my bedroom, and to make a story with the three photos!I decided to use photos from our wedding, the maternity photoshoot, and the

new-born photos :)

In just a few days the canvas print arrived at my door in a big box, together with a hook that you can stick on and also remove easily after use. So the boss did the

work, cos he’s better at that than me. Not that much skill is needed for this though :P

But just to be sure it was in the middle, I stood back to check while he tried it out. Hehe what a major project hor? Now you know why we didn’t get a picture up

before :’)

How do microcelebrities represent and share their experiences of parenting online?

amanda Now that we have our photos on the wall it makes a big difference to how we feel. Seeing the poster reminds us how far we’ve come and how blessed we are.

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See more on the blog – www.amanda.com (bio has link)nasha_tan I like it!!! maggie234 That’s awesome

amanda

amanda

amanda Our story.Customised canvas print from www.printposters.com. @printposterskongah Is the quality good? Hope you like the postersamanda @kongah Great! They are awesome :)rdbalipictures Wonderful!traceychowisme Oooh lovely!

No formal disclosure on Instagram

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We now have new portraits at home! Check it out and find out how you can have your own personalised canvas print with Printposters, and get a 30% discount too. Just follow Printposters on Facebook or quote AMANDALOVE in the checkout at www.printposters.com.

Amanda Chan shared Amanda Chan – amanda.com’s photo

www.amanda.com/2016/04/new-photos-on-the-wall

Amanda Chan – amanda.com’s photo


Magdalene

• YouTube – April (6), May (5). Mostly family and daily activities, one makeup tutorial

• Dayre – almost daily• Snapchat – daily• Twitter – rarely

Blog Instagram Facebook April May April May April MayAdvertorial 2 2 11 6 13 5Children 4 4 21 14 14 14Events 1 Family 1 1 4 3 1 1Personal 4 1 2 4 5 4Parent Post 2 1 6 2ootd 1 Consumer Post 1 Miscellaneous 1 1 1Total 11 9 41 30 40 27

• Malaysian-Chinese, English mother tongue • Married with two children: boy (3) and girl (1)• Age: 32• Undergraduate degree• Home-maker/self-employed

Blogging since 2004Instagram followers: 110,000Twitter followers: 18,500Facebook followers: 12,821YouTube subscribers: 1,378Dayre followers: 34,390


Amanda

• Dayre – daily• Snapchat – daily• YouTube – rarely• Twitter – rarely• She was on a

sponsored holiday in April – high number of Events

Blog Instagram Facebook April May April May April MayAdvertorial 1 6 14 12 10 17Children 1 1 8 4 8 9Events 1 1 27 4 27 3Family 1 1 2 1 4Personal 1 10 8 6Parent Post 1Food 1 1 2Consumer Post 4Miscellaneous 1 1Total 3 9 51 34 60 42

• Malaysian-Chinese, English mother tongue • Married with one child: boy (6 months)• Age: 27• Undergraduate degree• Self-employed

Blogging since 2008Instagram followers: 15,000Twitter followers: 2,344Facebook page likes: 8,606YouTube subscribers: 375Dayre followers: 2,476


Amanda on Instagram

• Instagram – younger and more engaged audience

• Consistent aesthetics• Representations of motherhood,

femininity, and family• Consumption and display• Caption is paid for


Yvonne

• Facebook – an online shop for clothes. Business posts: April (10), May (11)

• Has an active MLM business

Blog 1 Blog 2 Blog 3 April May April May April MayAdvertorial 1Paid Link Post 2 3 1 1 1Business 2 2 2 1Children 3 4 1 2Family 3 1 4 2Parent Post 1Personal 2 2Food 4 2 3 3Consumer Post 1 3Health 3 3Miscellaneous 1Total 18 16 11 12 3 4

• Malaysian-Chinese, Chinese mother tongue• Married with three girls: 13, 11 and 8• Age: 41-45• Diploma level• Self-employed

Blogging since 2007Instagram followers: 669Facebook page likes: 6,515


Wendy

• Her other social media platform use is limited to personal use

Blog April MayPaid Link Post 2 1Business 1Children 1Family 2Personal 3Food 2 2Consumer Post 3Miscellaneous 1Total 8 10

• Malaysian-Chinese, Chinese mother tongue

• Married with one child: girl (11 years)• Age: 46• Diploma• Employed

Blogging since 2006Pinterest followers: 207

Commodity Blog?

• Paid link• Globalised supply

chain– ‘content marketing’

So last weekend I was shopping and checking out some sales. While I was browsing, I saw a lady standing opposite me who had the same top on as me! Horror! She didn’t notice me so I quickly moved away and avoided her. But because I wanted to keep shopping there I used my bag to cover my chest to hide the top. It was a little embarrassing although a bit funny too. I bet if I had done my shopping online at portland store Guitar Centers, I do not have to worry about meeting someone with the same outfit again.

Has this ever happened to you before?Wendy


How do microcelebrities represent and share their experiences of parenting online?

• Half or more content is advertorials or commercially related

Multiple platforms• Blogs are still used• Instagram is important• Facebook often replicates Instagram

and/or the blog• Snapchat is becoming more popular• YouTube is in the minority – but seen as

important• Twitter is not popular• Polymedia (Madianou and Miller 2013)

Dayre – Magdalene and Amanda • A locally developed mobile

blogging app• More meaningful• Less commercialised


What motivations do microcelebrities have for sharing parenting experiences online?

Financial• Ability to earn up and above

to the average Malaysian salary (approx RM 2,500)

• Substantial additional income and goods for the family

• Domestic, emotional and affective labour is monetised

Intrinsic• Keeping memories• Creative outlet• Sharing information with

other parents

Branding and commodification is not a sufficient explanation


‘Baby Blogs’


My intent was to blog about my time through my pregnancy, being a mother and parent, hoping that it will be a good way for

her to find out about her childhood when she is older and can read.

Motivation Identity


Lifestyle Blogs (‘Pre-Baby’) ‘Baby Blogs’


My vision for the long-term (wow…) of my blog is that I will eventually be able to look back at all my posts when I’m older and

grey. This space will aid the future old and forgetful woman remember all the

blessings, ups and downs, and milestones of the life that God has sent to her. I

mean, me.

My intent was to blog about my time through my pregnancy, being a mother and parent, hoping that it will be a good way for

her to find out about her childhood when she is older and can read.

Motivation Identity

Taylor is also highly regarded in the fields of skin care, fashion, e-commerce, and social. She has been invited on a few

occasions to collaborate with brands as a model, ambassador and social media.

Taylor’s high sense of beauty and fashion as well as her strong based of followers have made her highly sought after on

social media.

Motivation

IdentityFinancial

I have even done a series of advertorials for Nappies in Mother & Baby magazines. Below are just a few of the articles which featured mainly Nurul and Naini, and their growth from little newborns to 1 year old toddlers! It was a lot of fun doing these. Thank you Nappies once again for this

great opportunity which serves as lovely keepsakes for me and my twins.

Taylor is also highly regarded in the fields of skin care, fashion, e-commerce, and social. She has been invited on a few

occasions to collaborate with brands as a model, ambassador and social media.

Taylor’s high sense of beauty and fashion as well as her strong based of followers have made her highly sought after on

social media.Motivation

Identity

Financial

Authenticity


The truth, the partial truth, and nothing but that which is true• Authenticity is asserted but there is no claim to purity• Negative content is avoided• Paid advertorials and content is the norm• The audience have different expectations and interests


Does being a microcelebrity influence parenting choices?

• Possibly in financial ways• Offline influences probably outweigh online• Concern with judging

– e.g. Not sharing breastfeeding images because she might get negative comments

– The need to negotiate ideals of motherhood and femininity

What ethical questions do

microcelebrities face with regard to

online representations of their children, and

how are they resolved?

magdalene I’d like to teach the world to swing in perfect harmony. ♥ #battlerboy #michelleong #jimong #heyseanmichellebelle19th.king What’s battler’s full name?tupanga Miss timid michelle.. soooo cutesailormoon @19th.king Sean Maximus Ong! They call him battler because he was born premature due to pre-eclampsia but he managed to pull through and is growing well :)mickee_lim @susantonggh look on battlerleenapreena Peni @peterabulioqwertyjpelle Nice pun @magdalene! Haha19th.king @sailormoon Oh oh ic ix

magdalene


What ethical questions do microcelebrities face with regard to online representations of their children, and

how are they resolved?• Only Wendy hides her child’s face – because the girl is older and worries

about her friends at school, etc.• Yvonne explained that it was getting more difficult as they got older, so

she had to catch them at the right moment• Magdalene and Amanda both argued that it was an inevitable part of life

and as such it was not an issue• They would advise their children to practice basic online safety measures

such as not putting their address online, not trusting strangers, etc.• Abidin (2015) “micro-microcelebrities”: unclear legal position and parents

decide.


Relational Brands: the confluence of Commercial, Identity, and Relations

• Social media enables identity performance and the tracking of interactive development of interpersonal and social relations – stimulates commercial interest

• If brands are used in social and interpersonal relations, how are microcelebrities impacting their followers’ lives?

• Direct interaction seems to be lessening – i.e. less comments• Phatic and algorithmically quantifiable interactions

increased?• Importance of Likes, Followers, performance

Relations

IdentityCommercial

Brand

Microcelebrity & Parenthood

Brand/Commodity Blog

Baby Blog/Lifestyle Blog

DiversityLabour

Domestic

Affective AgeLanguage

Gender

Class

Ethnicity

Emotional

Global

ConsumptionLocal


Microcelebrity

• A label for a practice we don’t fully understand yet?• When do they stop being micro?• What is a celebrity?


• ABIDIN, C. 2013. Cyber-BFFs*: Assessing women’s ‘perceived interconnectedness’ in Singapore’s commercial lifestyle blog industry *Best Friends Forever. Global Media Journal: Australian Edition 7 (available on-line: http://www.hca.uws.edu.au/gmjau/?p=217, accessed 20 January 2014).

• ––––––– 2014. Privacy for Profit: Commodifying Privacy in Lifestyle Blogging. In Selected Papers of Internet Research 15: The 15th Annual Meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers. Daegu, Republic of Korea: Association of Internet Researchers (available on-line: http://spir.aoir.org/index.php/spir/article/view/918, accessed 15 September 2015).

• ––––––– 2015. Micro microcelebrity: Branding Babies on the Internet. M/C Journal 18 (available on-line: http://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/view/1022, accessed 24 June 2016).

• CALLON, M. 2001. Economy of qualities, researchers in the wild and the rise of technical democracy. In Seminar. Center for Theoretical Study, The Institute for Advanced Studies at Charles University and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.

• CALLON, M., C. MÉADEL & V. RABEHARISOA 2002. The economy of qualities. Economy and Society 31, 194–217 (available on-line: http://www.informaworld.com/10.1080/03085140220123126, accessed 19 November 2010).

• CARAH, N. 2014. Brand value: how affective labour helps create brands. Consumption Markets & Culture 17, 346–366 (available on-line: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10253866.2013.847435, accessed 12 March 2016).

• FOSTER, R. J. 2005. Commodity futures: Labour, love and value. Anthropology Today 21, 8–12 (available on-line: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0268-540X.2005.00366.x, accessed 13 November 2010).

• HARDT, M. 1999. Affective Labor. boundary 2 26, 89–100 (available on-line: http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.lib.monash.edu.au/stable/303793, accessed 12 March 2016).

• \HOPKINS• MADIANOU, M. & D. MILLER 2013. Polymedia: Towards a new theory of digital media in interpersonal communication. International Journal of

Cultural Studies 16, 169–187 (available on-line: http://ics.sagepub.com.ezproxy.lib.monash.edu.au/content/16/2/169, accessed 5 January 2016).• MARWICK, A. E. 2013. Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity, and Branding in the Social Media Age. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.• SENFT, T. M. 2008. Camgirls: Celebrity and Community in the Age of Social Networks. (1st edition). Peter Lang Pub Inc (available on-line:

http://uel.academia.edu/TheresaSenft/Books/130671/Camgirls_Celebrity_and_Community_in_the_Age_of_Social_Networks, accessed 28 October 2010).

• SENFT, T. M. 2012. Microcelebrity and the Branded Self. In Blackwell Companion to New Media Dynamics (eds) J. Hartley, J. Burgess & A. Bruns, n/a. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell (available on-line: http://terrisenft.net/writing/Blackwell%20microceleb/Senft_Blackwell_2012_Final_Microcelebrity%20and%20the%20Branded%20Self%20copy.pdf, accessed 23 July 2014).

Microcelebrity and Parenting in Malaysia

Education

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