After Michael Jacksons passing i jokingly suggested as my facebook status "Ladies and Gentleman the new king of pop, Justin Timberlake." Of course it was in jest as there will never be another Michael whether its for his amazing talent or tabloid frenzied personal life. I then asked myself if things would have been different for MJ if he was a young star in todays pop landscape? Besides the fact that it is never easy to recover from an abusive childhood (not to mention as a child celebrity)but so much has changed with our society and culture since Jacksons youth.
When Michael Jackson was coming up with the Jackson 5 there was still a fourth wall in an entertainers life. Of course there were paparazzi but no where near to such a current extent. Journalism was much different. Fans wanted to know who Michael was dating but at the same time there was a certain level of respect and privacy reserved for his private life. The fourth wall existed and was part of the mystique of celebridom. There was a distinct line drawn between Michael Jackson the pop star and Michael Jackson the citizen (eventhough you might not have known it when he released songs such as Just Leave Me Alone). Although fans and the media remained curious, they sought out information in ways that were not as intrusive and in ways could maintain the pop icon illusion.
As Michael Jackson grew older and his celebrity that much greater so did the media and with that, so did the fans thirst for all things Michael. As his iconic status pulsed with life, beating and expanding like a matastisized growth his fourth wall began to collapse, ultimately taking him with it. Now with the rise of personal media such as myspace, facebook, twitter and reality tv shows the fourth wall seemingly does not exist. Except for the fact that it does, its just that the notion of "celebrity" has changed with it.
As media changed and became more instant so has accessibility to a fans favorite celebrity and also how that celebrity now interacts (on a more immediate level) with his/her fans. Celebrities now use personal communications through their own filters (reality tv shows, twitter, myspace etc) turning themselves into their own media outlets. Celebrities now present themselves as their own news feeds and as a result are capable of sharing whatever image they wish to share. Of course tabloids and traditional news outlets still report on public figures as they wish but the celebrities who are more open with the media generally gain more respect. Its the give and take aspect of that relationship.
What was a form of cinema verite initially has now become a platform for celebrities to present themselves. With that the publics thirst for all things famous is quenched. Its almost as if society says "give us some of your personal life and we will attempt to respect it... most of the time." Now a larger then life figure like Justin Timberlake or Ashton Kutcher can manipulate the media into believing the fourth wall is non existant by opening themselves up to the public through their own social media. But in reality all they are doing is putting on a different kind of show. A show that Michael Jackson was never able to do because that media never existed for him. Michael could never control his own news and as a result became a victim of it. Perhaps if MJ had the opportunity he wouldn't have been on the verge of taking the Howard Hughes route before his untimely death.
All in all im just upset that Michael never embraced social media because i would have loved to seen his latest facebook status "Bubbles has hit maturity and is humping everything in sight! Run for your life Blanket!!!"
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