Some viral meme figures decline to extend or monetize their transient fame
Evidence
One classic example of this is “Ridiculously Photogenic Guy” who went viral in 2012. While the origin story of this meme has been studied in detail by meme scholars, I present here a few highlights of the meme’s trajectory. New York resident Zeddie Watkins Little was captured on camera by photographer William King during a race in South Carolina. When the photograph was uploaded onto Flickr and then Reddit, Little’s effortless smile amidst a sea of tired marathoners caught the eye of internet users. His picture became memefied and quickly attained virality. Soon, his home-town news network in Charleston traced down his father, before Little himself was persuaded to be contacted by the national media on ABC’s Good Morning America. This was his first national appearance post-meme virality, in which he candidly answered questions about his unexpected fame and indicated that he would like to retain some of his privacy by concealing the identity of his girlfriend who refused to be interviewed on camera. Shortly after, he conducted an Ask Me Anything (AMA) on Reddit, where users were curious to know about his reactions to being memed by the platform’s users, what his “real life” was like, and how his meme virality had impacted his life. Although he had a “meme talent manager” for a period, since then Little has not taken to digital nor traditional media to extend his fame, resurface himself for other causes, or reenter the public eye. He thus remains a mere “face” of a meme. Although it is unclear why Little chose not to pursue his transient celebrity, in an interview with Mashable, his manager Ben Lashes revealed that “Monetising [memes] can be totally different depending [on] the thing. It’s not just one formula… It’s not about what you can make. It’s about what you can do that’s fun that people will like… You need to connect with the fanbase and make it even cooler for them”. — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity, 165
Categorization
- XREF: Connects to the typology of internet celebrity stages being built in this chapter — the case illustrates the baseline ‘face of a meme’ stage before that distinction is formally defined next paragraph. — connects to: Viral fame is theorized as a commodity lifeline for its subjects — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame…, 159; Becoming a viable internet celebrity from a viral meme is rare and luck-driven — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame…, 162; Some viral faces become unwilling memes who reject their fame. — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame…, 175 (+6 more)
Broader Connections
- Some viral faces become unwilling memes who reject their fame.
#corroborates(0.95) — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity, 175 - Meme personae arise when meme faces intentionally monetize their iconized image
#complicates(0.80) — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity, 167 - Meme celebrities institutionalize their viral fame into sustained commercial businesses.
#complicates(0.80) — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity, 172 - Viral meme fame can be non-consensual, damaging, and unmanageable by the subject.
#contradicts(0.75) — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity, 182