Search results

I followed Belle (@bellecosby, @bonitaapplebelle), or Hanna, from Twitter to Tumblr. Her presence on the blog was thoughtful, defiant, playful, and informed. Looking through Hanna’s posts as Belle from Tumblr, she struck me as “Tumblr famous” – a type of microcelebity that uses Tumblr to connect with an audience and maintain popularity among other Tumblr users. Well before the #MeToo movement had caught fire in 2017, Hanna was ready and willing to challenge mainstream celebrity on behalf of the voiceless. On Twitter she laid out arguments to challenge the impulse to victim-blame when sexual assault survivors do go public challenging the impulse to victim-blame when sexual assault survivors do go public. This chapter traces how Belle’s online community was an opportunity for relationally understanding herself and expressing her identity to specific Tumblr networks, among like-minded peers that also confront social issues.

Although the early conversations of microcelebrity centered on Anglo-centric theories and context despite the varied backgrounds and cultural context of microcelebrity, this compilation of chapters seeks to assess and reframe the applications and uptake of microcelebrity around the world. Each of the chapters in this anthology contribute to expand the theoretical concept and contextualize the history and cultural affairs of those who are famous online. The case studies provide examples of how a microcelebrity emerges to fame because of their exposure and interaction within a group of niche users, a specific online community, or a specific cultural and geographical context through the social networks that emerge online. Academic scholarship on microcelebrity has crossed methodologies, disciplines and platforms demonstrating the wide appeal as the influence of these figures are on the rise. As preparation for the reader, this chapter offers a brief history of current scholarship, with an emphasis on shifting knowledge production away from an Anglo and Global North perspective. The introduction chapter serves as a road map for the reader breaking down each of the three sections of the book – norms, labors, and activism. Lastly, the co-editors have outlined different ways to read the text group chapters according to reader interest.