Relentless negative online attention can be psychologically debilitating for micro-celebrities

Evidence

When I asked Allison how she deals with her detractors, she responded, “Hysterical tears, usually. It’s not been good for me. And one of my girlfriends who just got her degree … said that I reminded her of an abused woman.” She elaborated that the negative attention has “crush[ed] me a little bit” and is “beating me down.” She said, “It’s not even that many people, it’s just the relentless nature, and the sense that you’re constantly judged … It can be literally debilitating, and it’s very depressing.” — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 395

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the labor and emotional-burden literature on creative/attention workers (e.g., Brooke Duffy on aspirational labor), and to the psychological costs of attention economy work. — connects to: Micro-celebrity’s instant feedback loop is addictive and damaging when it stops — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 318; Micro-celebrity success brings psychic damage that can outweigh its rewards — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 319; Micro-celebrity transforms personalities without offering the protective infrastructure of mainstream fame — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 408 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Micro-celebrity transforms personalities without offering the protective infrastructure of mainstream fame #complicates (0.75) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 408