The article that caught my attention most during this weeks readings was the article “Tweeting @feliciaday: Online Social Media, Convergence, and Subcultural Stardom” written by Elizabeth Ellcessor . The article deals with the key concept of understanding what makes a star, and why stars are who they are. Ellcessor brings up the idea that the star is something that inherently only exists inside the mind of the consumer. The idea of the star is constructed between social media accounts, various medias reporting on the subject of said star. For example the existence of the paparazzi, combined with the social media of said artist or star allows the general public to create a ‘personality’ for this star. Thus, the star is simply something that is created within the mind of the consumer. The exploration of this concept through the Internet star Felicia Day is incredibly interesting, as she is someone who created her own stardom through the use of various social media and online tools. This foundation of an online presence through the creation of things such as “The Guild” combined with her incredible social media presence created a celebrity who interacted more closely with her consumers, thus creating a star founded on communication. Various people across the internet, in YouTube comments and forums, degrade her as a person who has no real merit, and has only been built up due to a massive social media presence. While most seem to be angry misogynists who refuse to grow up and respect a woman who has built an entire empire surrounding a comedic look at geek culture. Felicia Day stands as an integral example of how the Internet is a key player in new media, standing as person whose stardom is completely created inside the confines of social media such as Facebook, Twitter and others, creating a presence through the computer rather than through paparazzi photos and celebrity lifestyle.

Above: A key part of Felicia Day’s success online is the web-series “The Guild” which is widely available online for free.