Twitter, John Mayer & The Importance Of Internet Rule 17

Today’s Ypulse Youth Advisory Board post is from Megan Reid on why an entertainer’s sparkling Twitter persona isn’t always an asset. I’ll let Meg explain.

As always, you can communicate directly with any member of the Ypulse Youth Advisory Board by emailing them at youthadvisoryboard at ypulse.com… or just leave a comment below.

Twitter, John Mayer & The Importance Of Internet Rule 17

On my Facebook wall this week, a friend posted what, in my opinion, was probably the most pertinent album review I’ve ever read. The final line:

Merely by existing, “Battle Studies” violates Internet Rule 17: Never let your Twitter account be more interesting than you are.

Yeah, I’m a John Mayer fan—I’ve been to concerts, bought the t-shirt, have the b-sides—, and don’t hate “Battle Studies,” but for all it’s harshness, the Washington Post review of his fifth solo project rings true. On his popular Twitter feed @johncmayer (2,624,416 followers, as I’m writing this), Mayer livetweets “Chelsea Lately,” posts jokes, articles, YouTube links and pictures, makes innuendo-laden puns, and posts the occasional video diary. In short, for all the album plugs and self-preening,  Mayer’s tweets read pretty much like mine and my friends. Except, you know, he’s number one on iTunes.

And that’s the appeal of Twitter for teen and young adult fans, I think: our perception of the actor/singer/model/host/author gets rounded out in a way that feels much more direct than press releases. No, it’s not particularly newsworthy that Taylor Swift (1,867,155 followers) has “cereal parties” with her parents, but her tweets do reinforce the overall persona projected by her “official” interviews and music (sweet, homey, girl-next-door), branded or not.

I remember spending literally hours poring over my favorite CDs in elementary and middle school, trying to figure out what exactly Britney was singing about in track three, or if I could somehow find hints of a Backstreet Boys/’NSYNC feud in the thank yous on album liner notes. Today, stars do some of that getting-to-know-you work for me when they live-tweet from recording sessions, at photo shoots, or after media scandals. We’re getting this information “live,” too, which adds to the feeling that teens know, or can know, their idols of the moment. From the same Washington Post review:

…For Mayer, whose whip-smart interviews and richly documented dating life suggest that an actual interesting person resides underneath all that hair, teeth and fondness for metaphors, such musical innocuousness is unforgivable.

The idea that Twitter gives fans of celeb “brands” another way to interpret and engage with star’s CD or movie is pretty much a given. Perhaps the bigger question raised by the review is: What happens when Twitter persona “branding” doesn’t match up with an artist’s product? And will teens and twenty-something fans notice?

I think we will, and do. The lesson brands, especially celebrity brands, need to learn is that just having a regularly updated Twitter feed isn’t enough, even when it feels authentic. Twitter’s a great way to raise hype, but it also raises expectations that the work the celebrity is actually getting paid for is as interesting as his or her persona in 140 characters or less…and vice versa.

And when it doesn’t? Well, unfortunately, that’s when we need Internet Rule 17.

About Meg

Megan began writing fashion articles for her local newspaper at age 15, and her work has since appeared in publications like Boston magazine, Mountain Living and CosmoGirl. A former art history and theater student, Meg loves traveling, writing postcards, YA lit, learning to bake, and planning adventures. When she isn’t studying, she’s probably dragging someone along on a late-night ice cream/Starbucks run. Meg has lived in four countries and six states, and is completing her M.A. in English at the Ohio State University. This is her second year as a Youth Advisory Board member.