Are You Internet Famous?

Brian Solis — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 02:32:56 +0000

Original post on PR 2.0

After I finish the new (unannounced) book that I’m feverishly writing, I plan to finally pursue “Internet Famous – The rise of micro celebrity and the end of privacy.”

Alexia Tsotsis (disclosure, she’s a dear friend) recently wrote an intriguing article at the LA Weekly entitled, “Is All of Hollywood the Bitch in Twitter’s Sex Tape or Just P. Diddy?”

She links to a recent article written by A.J. Keen, author of the controversial book, Cult of the Amateur, in which he defends TechCrunch and Michael Arrington. In his articke he also observes that technology start-ups have become the “hottest celebrities in America… receiving the same kind of obsessionally intimate coverage from the media that was once reserved for kings of pop like Michael Jackson or Elvis.”

He is a brilliant thinker and writer. If you read his book today, I promise it will practically resonate now that we’re much more humbled by Web 2.0 than when we were initially enthralled by it. However, his quote, if for a moment, opened up the mental floodgates that have held back so many psychological reflections and emotional introspection. I could have started my next, next book, right now. Instead I simply commented on Alexia’s post, and I elected to also share the unabridged version with you here.

“To further expound on Andrew Keen’s perspective, I believe that Twitter is a media darling simply because we, the bitches, decide to tweet about our lives relentlessly. If Twitter is popularized and actively discussed in the media, then it somehow justifies our obsession with sharing everything about who we are, what we love, and what we’re doing. It’s not necessarily technology companies that are becoming the “hottest celebrities in America” because of their shiny new features, it’s us psychologically channeling our subliminal desire for recognition and micro celebrity through these social networks, thus transforming them into the celebrities in which we can live through vicariously. It’s a Freudian form of quietly, but surely provoking varying forms and levels of desired Web-based fame that transcends online and offline through a series of passive-attention seeking behavior”

#internetfamous

Please also read, “Significant” and “The End of the Innocence.”

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TechSet + Windows Mobile Rat Pack Party at The Belmont

Brian Solis — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 20:51:13 +0000

words and pictures by Brian Solis

The TechSet and Windows Mobile hosted very special event at the classic Belmont Lounge on Friday March 13th during SXSW Interactive 2009.

Guests relived the unique and stylish genre that conjured scenes from Las Vegas and Palm Springs during the Sinatra era. We were surrounded by incredible and pioneering entrepreneurs and influencers as we created our own Rat Pack rich with relationships that will propel us long after the curtain closed on SXSW.

In the end, 1,015 guests helped create one of the most exciting after dark events during SXSW.

Stephanie Agresta, the team at Windows Mobile, and I thank you for spending part of your evening with us!

I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of the story…

The line before the party

“Our” Frank Sinatra

Hugh MacLeod with Miiko Mentz and Alison McNeill of FutureWorks PR

Pete Cashmore and Michelle DeForest

John Erik Metcalf

Valeria Maltoni

MG Siegler and Maya Baratz

Larry Chiang

Who doesn’t love Stormhoek?

Gaia Borgias Brown and Drew Olanoff

Liz Strauss Wearing Joe’s Jeans

Gary Vaynerchuk and @geekmommy Lucretia Pruitt

Jeff Dowd, “The Dude”

Dan Patterson and Brian Solis

Leora Israel and Dave Mathews

Saul Colt

Jeff Pulver

Efren Toscano

Vanessa Camones

AJ Vaynerchuk

Charlene Li and Jeremiah Owyang

Hugh MacLeod and Deb Schultz

Francisco Dao

Hastags

Jacob Mullins and Kristen Nicole

Aaron Brazell

Gary Vaynerchuk and Sean Percival

Jake Dilley & The Color Pharmacy

For more pictures from the TechSet + Windows Mobile Rat Park party as well as the after party, please see my album on Flickr. For additional pictures from SXSW, please see below.

Please read:

The Human Network: The Social Economy is Influenced by How We Communicate Online & Offline (My philosophical analysis of what makes SXSW so special)

Which parties did you hit or miss?

Check em off at Diddit: SXSW Interactive Festival 2009 Party List

Pictures:

SXSW – The Calm Before the Storm

SXSW Day One

TechSet + Windows Mobile Rat Pack 2.0 Party

SXSW Day Two

Diggnation Party at Stubbs

We Flashmob the Driskill

AllHat @Allens Boots