The Project – Where it stems from and other babbling.

My project is lesser known to the web world for one simple reason: It’s stuck in my head. The problem with my project is that is a product of my mind. Born within my brain, nurtured, maintained and organized as a whole complex system of ideas interworking together, my project proves difficult to breakdown and convey clearly. It’s existence feels trapped within the confinements of my cerebral cortex.

I’ve been consumed by ideas relating to this project for 4 years now. Initially, the idea came to life through a combined interest in celebrity culture, marketing and social media. What started off as an interest quickly grew into a framework for a potentially revolutionary marketing concept.

The notion of ‘making it’ is something I’m deeply intrigued by. To think that a person can ‘make it’ and become known/celebrated for applying themselves to their skills and abilities is exciting to me. When you make it, you’re not only recognized for your efforts and achievements but also, endorsed, supported, financially rewarded and linked in to networks that allow you to continually create opportunities and expand on experiences and knowledge.

So, is it possible to market and campaign individuals in the same light as celebrities?

Celebrities are individuals whose lives are marketed to the masses in a number of ways – their personalities, interests, values and tastes are appealing to us and we consume them through magazine articles, interviews, photo shoots, tabloids, etc. It is this method of projecting themselves into the public sphere that allows for them to be recognized, related to, supported and endorsed (if they play their cards right). The celebrity’s ability to be approached and to meet people opens doors – they meet more people, build more diverse networks and create more opportunities for themselves. Simply put: Celebrities are an example of people being marketed. Like marketed products, they are consumed, put to work based on their abilities and even distributed all over the world.

The way I see it, the advent social media has created an opportunity for individuals to project their lives and personalities in ways similar to the ‘celebrity machine’. People can now be marketed to masses, they can build better networks and create more opportunities for themselves.