Are You Intimidated By Second Life Celebrities?

GoSpeed Racer, a Resident with a great avatar name and a cool blog, ponders the relationship between noteworthy SL citizens and their fans in a recent post, "On Celebrity in Second Life":

I have remarked many a time on how accessible SL “celebrities” are to the average SL user. SL is like a large town or small city where it is possible on any given day to run into the mayor, sheriff, newspaper reporter, tavern owner, etc... and it’s really no big deal.

She writes about meeting several avatar celebs, like jazz singer and talk show hostess Paisley Beebe and talented blogger Mygdala March, and finding them far more approachable than she expected.  I'm often a touch intimidated to meet talented and famous Residents I admire, and if I didn't write about them for New World Notes, sometimes wonder if I'd muster up the gumption to say hello.  What's your experience with SL celebs?  Image credit: GoSpeed Racer.

Comments

[Gahum Riptide]

Her post actually inspired me to message Paisley Beebe and compliment her album "Sweet Jazz" and we ended up discussing "Angel Eyes" and a few other things. I discovered she really is as charming, approachable and engaging as she comes across.

For me, I'm generally shy anyway, but I think most of the SL celebrities would rather they be treated as anyone else, rather than some rare thing to be looked at but never touched.

[radar]

Celebrity is an artificial construct. Some people love it, some don't. In reality, I respect achievements and skill over celebrity and hype. I'm betting most of those who actually are considered SLebrities feel the same way.

[Crap Mariner]

You know, there's a pattern of snapshots on this site... I'm trying to put my finger on it.

I'm turning into the Alfred Hitchcock of NWN.

Heh.

[Hamlet Au]

It's all part of a game I like to call Spot The Crap.

[Tinsel Silvera]

Are You Intimidated By Second Life Celebrities? Um, no. Should I be? They are just people like me sitting behind a keyboard. However, if you were to ask am I intimidated by the accomplishments of some people in SL, then the answer would be yes. There are a lot of amazingly talented people in SL who very much deserve the recognition they get. But I hardly consider them celebrities. In fact, I would consider the term celebrity an insult to their talents. Perhaps someone should coin a term to describe the accomplished virtual artists.

[Paisley Beebe]

I think we carry our real selves over to this platform and if you are intimidated by someone who is well known in RL you might be in SL. I met the late Michael Hutchence from INXS once, I worked for his mum actually, and he came to the little makeup school I taught at, there were only about 8 of us in the room, and I have to say I wasn't frightened of him, but...there was sooo much written about him in the press it was really hard to talk to him about "normal" things the normal way you might strike up a conversation with a stranger.. there was only a few of us at this little gathering, but I couldn't ask umm hello my name is...what do you do? how do you know our host? the weather seemed to be the only thing, we all knew what he did, who he was dating, who he had dated how he grew up in Hong Kong...I have to say it was the one time I was really stumped for conversation, I've talked to politicians and other famous people in real life but no one as famous as this guy! so I just didn't try, what a wasted opportunity! the poor guy probably felt like a shag on a rock. I judge people as I find them. If I had my time again Im not sure what I'd do, but I would at least say more than just Hello... I hope, if not only to try to make him feel more comfortable!!! thankyou Gahum Riptide for calling to tell me you liked my Album its such a thrill to know people like what I love doing!

[eggy lippmann]

It happens between SL celebrities too.
When I first met Catherine Omega, I was thinking something like *zomg* it's Catherine *genuflects*... later we became great friends, and she confessed that she used to have more or less the same attitude towards me! xD
Just talk to whoever you want, you will find that we are all human and surprisingly similar to each other.

[Marx Dudek]

My philosophy on SLebrity is that it's a lot like being a celebrity in Liechtenstein. You're fabulous, you're sensational, you're amazing ... in Liechtenstein.

[Marx Dudek]

Of course, that said, I count several of SL's brightest lights among my personal friends. On the other hand, there are amazing people in SL who do wonderful things in relative anonymity (Luna Animation's Jennifer Brennon and Splixxen Miles being two of them) who don't get nearly the exposure they deserve.

[Vidal Tripsa]

I still find it quite astonishing to be Facebook-mailing a published author, myself, or indeed commenting on his news blog.

I definitely find myself intimidated by celebrity, but not in a negative sense. I always make a point of referring to the new folks I meet in a polite manner, i.e. by surname, but stretch this to cringe-worthy lengths when I'm approached or am standing in the same room as a well-known personality or artist. The argument that they are simply sat at a computer just as my puppeteer is holds no weight with me; FL celebrities eat, sleep and live in homes like my FL persona does, even if those homes, meals and beds are likely to be grander than my means!

[Aribella Lafleur]

I personally don't care about celebritiness in SL or in RL. People are special to me because of who they are inside. Actually I think I have seen Go's insides in SL.... I know I've been caught by that exploding candy of hers (WATCH OUT ALL SL RESIDENTS.... don't accept candy from GoSpeed). Like in RL, most SL celebs are people who (sometimes) have a talent that others respect and admire. Everyone has talents and should be treated with respect (not all deserve respect, but that doesn't mean I have to drop down to their level), and all the celebs I have met (in both worlds) appreciate being treated like a fellow human being, except maybe Crap Mariner.... I'm still trying to work out if he IS human. Hmmm, come to think of it, I'm not sure about a number of the others either... ok, treat them like a fellow sentient being, or poke them with a stick when no one is looking (I do).

[CronoCloud Creeggan]

Whenever I meet an SLebrity, I tend to say: "zOMG, you're you're famous!" Just out of fun. And yes, I sometimes get intimidated, by famous av's. I haven't friended Miss Tripsa yet, for example.

But here's something really interesting to think about. I was think about some of the commenters, contributors and some of the people mentioned. We tend to be connected,

[Laetizia Coronet]

Ha! Instead, I intimidate them!

All kidding aside - no, I am not intimidated. It helped that I worked in one of the best jazz clubs in Holland, where I saw that famous people are people first and foremost. Nice ones and horrible ones.

[callie cline]

i was totally in awe went i met the virtual bono, i knew it wasn't him but seeing him just made me very nervous... as a young sl'r i went to some talk with a lot of SLebrities i guess, (my friend wandering yaffle drug me along) and ALL the famous ppl were there, ppl like anshe, snoopy, and some famous lindens and i don't remember who else but i was listening to richard bartle speak, and since i knew no one and didn't think sl was a big deal, meeting or seeing famous ppl didn't matter much, the fake bono did way more.

then as i got older i remember seeing torrid midnight once and thinking oh wow, should i ask her a question? she was like so cool to me as her clothes were my favorites. she said hi and was really nice and i wondered if i should still keep talking to her as my hands shook.

now i'm not so in awe of SLebrities as i dont really know who the are "slebrities" well meeting crap, i was a bit scared, lol, and playing poker one night with phllip and some other "big lindens" was sorta intimidating, but... i dont really even know who the famous ppl are.

im sorta rambling but... hmmm, the people who i have met that are bigger celebrities have seened to be the most kind.

oh well no idea what im talking about but got me to think.

xoox, caLLie

[Mygdala March]

Wow ~ I'm flattered to be mentioned by GoSpeed, who I never would have thought considered me any kind of SL person of note. So, thanks! I sure don't think myself one, especially given my lack of useful talent and hefty absence of late. In any case, I think one of the great things about SL is that it's usually acceptable to approach people you find interesting, as long as you follow the golden rule: Don't be a dick. (Easier for some than others, sure.) Oh seriously, I know the thrill of IM'ing with someone whose writing I read every day, or whose design work makes my jaw drop. The accessibility of talented people is one more thing that makes our world so great, isn't it?

[Sophrosyne Stenvaag]

What a brilliant post and set of comments!

I started picking at this stuff - and it seems to me that "celebrity" can be picked apart into different flavors, or overlapping circles.

There's Talent, Influence and Fame: http://sophtopia.blogspot.com/2008/08/talent-influence-and-fame.html>I've played a little with the concepts and their SL forms here.

Me? I really am that shameless - I've got no problem talking to anybody, and Sophrosyne's Saturday Salon and Extropia's events are kind of turning that personality quirk into a job... :P

[CyFishy Traveler]

In RL, I have a vague sort of low-level fame and my brother-in-law is a writer of some repute who knows a number of people who are considered famous. My observation is that famous people are pretty much people who have more cameras pointed at them.

In the digital realm, it's easier to be become a 'celebrity' since you can set up and broadcast yourself on the same level as a media conglomerate--there are no real gatekeepers between you and the audience.

Since SL is digitally based, the main media outlets for information are likewise digital. Any avie can set up a blog, or a podcast or an entire internet radio stream. So any avie can become a celebrity simply by getting enough 'coverage' in those digital realms. I suppose I have my own 15 minutes of fame having been written about in NWN more than once. Nobody's asked me for my autograph yet, though.

So fame in SL is, like SL itself, a digital-based fame rather than a media-based fame. I think on one level, SL 'celebrities' are more accessible because (a) they rarely think of themselves as such and (b) if they do wind up with a crazed stalker, they have options like "Mute" and "Ban" that RL celebrities really don't have without getting the court system involved . . .

[Alex Lapointe]

I know I used to be somewhat intimidated by famous SL'ers. I think a lot of it stemmed from my early readings about SL. I spent about 4-5 months reading SL blogs and browsing the History wiki, so when I finally came inworld, I had this "young awe" about them all.

Interestingly enough, the first time I went to the Shelter, Torley was there and I had a mini-fanboy moment. It's fun to look at how I perceived him then to how I do now after having talked with him some and reading his blog for the past two years.

One of my favorite "celebrity" encounters was when the I Am Legend sims first opened. I went to check it out and explore but ended up getting chased around by Torrid Midnight and Barnesworth Anubis for half an hour. :)

[LifeFactory Writer]

I do not care much for the dynamics of celebrity in any world, and typically do not even know who the famous people are. I do deeply appreciate accomplishment and skill in any field, however.

If I met someone whose work I admired, I would speak with them as with anyone else. But if I knew they were “famous,” I would be less inclined to want to speak with them.

I remember encountering someone in 2005 whose work blew me away…really, amazing. I had been looking for such work my entire life and was so excited to finally find it! But I had no idea who the person was. Turned out it was one of the most famous people in the world. I didn’t know. It was such a disappointment to learn. It is not well-known personalities that I find distasteful, it is the scene around them. Blech.

No, people do not intimidate me. And others should not feel intimidated either, I don’t think.

I will say that most of the people I admire the most in the world (the whole world, not just SL), are ones who have contributed tremendously and do so in relative obscurity.

[Marianne McCann]

I've met a lot of SL "celebrities," and jes like in real life, most tend to be very down to earth, real people at heart. Why be intimidated? We're all human (or furriy or whatever).

[Jennyfur Peregrine]

Leaving Second Life and my purported Second Life Celebrity status behind last year was one of the best and easiest things I've ever done. I never found my own or other peoples SLeb status intimidating, but it did drive me crazy. I can honestly say that I don't miss it one bit. I don't care if people remember me or anything I did. In the grand scheme of things none of it was all that important anyways.

[Kiana Writer]

Very interesting topic indeed. ;) I must confess that I don't even know who SL celebrities are, I tend to treat all people I meet with the same respect whether they've been in SL for years or only just joined.

I truly admire what people are able to accomplish on this platform such as Vidal Tripsa and LifeFactory Writer who I recently met. ;)

Since SL is our fantasy world and we can make it whatever we want, it's so inspiring seeing these talented people sharing the products of their skills for the rest of us to admire.

I personally tend to just approach anyone really that I have something to say to... the Lindens just seem to run away from me too fast, wonder why :P

[Coughran Mayo]

At an evening event at NetSquared a few months ago, I saw Hamlet Au, in the (RL) flesh, and recognized him immediately. I introduced myself (we had chatted befor in-world) and found him to be exceedingly pleasant and friendly, despite his "celebrity" status. Later that evening, I was approached by someone who said "Are you Coughran Mayo? Wow, you are something of a celebrity among the non-profits of SL, it's great to meet you!" Who knew!