Twitter and the celebrity interview

Abstract

This article argues that moments of interaction between celebrities and audiences on Twitter are influenced by modes of intercommunication established in the traditional press interview. Through statistical analysis of the last 3200 tweets of the top 20 celebrity Twitter accounts in terms of followers as of June 2014, the article examines sustainability of celebrity performance on the site and levels of interaction. It shows how using constructs of the celebrity interview enables celebrities to articulate what it means to be an individual and a consumer within capitalist democracies. A discourse analysis of pertinent examples from leading Twitter celebrities demonstrates how these interactions are influenced by both thematic and linguistic patterns developed in celebrity interviews and how they now also occupy the space long held by the interview as a promotional performance. This article also examines how celebrities encourage their followers to participate in this performance through the reward of direct interaction and how this is then used to extend promotion and build celebrity brands.