Author and poet Celina Vega, 22, once received a comment back from celebrity James Franco on her Instagram picture. A third-year English major at the University of Illinois-Chicago from Oak Lawn, IL. In September of 2013, Celina commented on a picture on actor James Franco Instagram page. The picture was a quote about being true to yourself and following one’s dreams. Miss Vega said it intrigued her and inspired her to leave a comment on it. From there, Vega posted a picture of him on her page and tagged his account @jamesfrancotv. Within 24 hours of commenting on his photo, and posting a picture of him on her page, James Franco liked the picture she had posted, and also commented saying, “nice” on a picture of a bracelet her boyfriend had bought for her.
“I was so excited but couldn’t believe”, says Vega. “I clicked the profile that popped up of him looking at it and it was him with over two million followers so I knew it was him”. The moment that a celebrity responds to any of their fans or followers can cause an outbreak excitement (positive or negative). If a celebrity responds to one person on their social media account, other people will cause a frenzy and “demand” (through negative comments) that their comment should have also been responded to. While looking on a few celebrities pages on Instagram I have seen the comments left by the crazed and excited fans. Many have left harsh comments in order to get the attention of the celebrity to receive a response while other leave sensible and thoughtful comments. College Magazine is an online magazine for students across the country and there is an article describing another student’s encounter with being retweeted by a celebrity (Sara Bareilles). Through her article, she describes how she felt being retweeted by Bareilles and how her family and friends reacted. When celebrities talk back there's a possibility for a positive and negative response. In Celina’s case, she received the positive.
I asked Celina what made this the most interesting day in her life? “I feel it’s the most interesting day because I got to speak to someone I really admire as a creative professional who I felt a great energy with and who I always respected and he acknowledged me as well”. Fans are intrigued by the physical appearance of celebrities they admire but Vega described how she admired his intellect. Franco and Vega were in communication with one another through direct message on Instagram from September 2013 until January 2014. She was able to get to know him on a personal level in such a short time. Not trying to promote herself, or use his stardom for her own personal gain, she was able to develop a professional relationship of some sort. She talked to him about his career and asked him questions about how she could fulfill her goals. A few questions to ask yourself: How many celebrities respond back to their fans? How long are they in communication with these fans? What would you do if a celebrity responded to a message or comment you left on their social media page?
Social media has impacted how we function day to day. We follow our favorite celebs, comment and like their posts, post our favorite pictures or quotes by them, and frequently check their pages to stay up-to-date with the hottest new trends. Celina was able to log into her Instagram account feeling excited because she was able to experience a life changing moment interacting with James for four months straight privately. It is not every day a person can log into their Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram and start up a conversation with celebrities like Rihanna, Beyonce, or Chris Brown. Fingers are crossed and celebrities are constantly tagged in comments and posts with hopes for responses. Celina is one of the lucky fans who’s life changed by just being in contact with Franco. Now, Celina only has an Instagram account solely for business inquiries. In March 2014, she published her first poetry book called Paradox, which is now selling on Amazon. In July 2015, she published her second book of poetry, The Journey. Her experience with James Franco heavily influenced her creativity and promoted her admiration towards writing poetry. When the stars talk back, it’s a major impact. In this case it was a life changing experience for Celina.
“I was so excited but couldn’t believe”, says Vega. “I clicked the profile that popped up of him looking at it and it was him with over two million followers so I knew it was him”. The moment that a celebrity responds to any of their fans or followers can cause an outbreak excitement (positive or negative). If a celebrity responds to one person on their social media account, other people will cause a frenzy and “demand” (through negative comments) that their comment should have also been responded to. While looking on a few celebrities pages on Instagram I have seen the comments left by the crazed and excited fans. Many have left harsh comments in order to get the attention of the celebrity to receive a response while other leave sensible and thoughtful comments. College Magazine is an online magazine for students across the country and there is an article describing another student’s encounter with being retweeted by a celebrity (Sara Bareilles). Through her article, she describes how she felt being retweeted by Bareilles and how her family and friends reacted. When celebrities talk back there's a possibility for a positive and negative response. In Celina’s case, she received the positive.
I asked Celina what made this the most interesting day in her life? “I feel it’s the most interesting day because I got to speak to someone I really admire as a creative professional who I felt a great energy with and who I always respected and he acknowledged me as well”. Fans are intrigued by the physical appearance of celebrities they admire but Vega described how she admired his intellect. Franco and Vega were in communication with one another through direct message on Instagram from September 2013 until January 2014. She was able to get to know him on a personal level in such a short time. Not trying to promote herself, or use his stardom for her own personal gain, she was able to develop a professional relationship of some sort. She talked to him about his career and asked him questions about how she could fulfill her goals. A few questions to ask yourself: How many celebrities respond back to their fans? How long are they in communication with these fans? What would you do if a celebrity responded to a message or comment you left on their social media page?
Social media has impacted how we function day to day. We follow our favorite celebs, comment and like their posts, post our favorite pictures or quotes by them, and frequently check their pages to stay up-to-date with the hottest new trends. Celina was able to log into her Instagram account feeling excited because she was able to experience a life changing moment interacting with James for four months straight privately. It is not every day a person can log into their Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram and start up a conversation with celebrities like Rihanna, Beyonce, or Chris Brown. Fingers are crossed and celebrities are constantly tagged in comments and posts with hopes for responses. Celina is one of the lucky fans who’s life changed by just being in contact with Franco. Now, Celina only has an Instagram account solely for business inquiries. In March 2014, she published her first poetry book called Paradox, which is now selling on Amazon. In July 2015, she published her second book of poetry, The Journey. Her experience with James Franco heavily influenced her creativity and promoted her admiration towards writing poetry. When the stars talk back, it’s a major impact. In this case it was a life changing experience for Celina.