You Better Belieb It! Justin Does Not Want to Take Pic’s With Fan’s Anymore.

Justin Bieber is laying down the law about his interactions with fans. Using Instagram, a social media platform on which he has millions of devoted followers, Bieber has posted a photo stating he is “done taking pictures” with fans when he is out and about. The Instagram post comes after an incident in Boston in which a family repeatedly tried to access Bieber to get a photograph with the star while he was in a private room at a bowling alley (Norwin). They were denied by security, but when Bieber left the premises they were waiting outside trying to get a picture with him, implying that because they bought his album he owed them a picture (Norwin). The controversy surrounding this has revealed the part social media now plays in the negotiated relationships between fans and their favorite artists, online and in the real world. Famous artist's providing insight into their daily lives through their social media accounts creates a sense of intimacy and authenticity for their fans, to the point where fans feel so connected to and invested in their favorite artists there is a sense of entitlement towards them. The direct interaction social media provides also means even when artists do or say something some fans do not like, as Bieber has, fans still feel closer to them in that it seems the artist is authentically revealing their inner thoughts and feelings. Bieber’s use of social media to discuss interactions with fans in the real world reveals the major role social media plays in fandom, and the high expectations fans place on artists because of this.

Advancement in technology means everyone has a camera on their phones, and in a time where selfies are a daily activity, fans feel entitled to capture a photo with artists if they are lucky enough to see them. Bieber explains himself in his Instagram post saying he feels like a “zoo animal” as people approach him and immediately expect to be able to take a picture without actually talking to him. It seems fans feel entitled to him. They listen to his music and follow his life closely through his social media accounts and so feel as though they know him well. Photographic proof of meeting an artist displays a fans closeness with the star, ensuring plenty of likes and envy if these pictures are posted on their own social media accounts. In 2014, pop star Taylor Swift wrote in The Wall Street Journal discussing how autographs have become “obsolete”, and she hasn’t been asked for one “since the invention of the iPhone with a front-facing camera”. She continues by saying the selfie is the “only memento” fans need these days as “part of the new currency” of posting your life on social media (Swift). It seems social media has become the centre of interactions between fans and artists, even if they meet in the real world. While many have spoken out claiming Bieber’s new stance on taking photos is rude, it is essential to remember just because Bieber is famous does not mean he is public property. Choosing this line of work entails some give and take, and admittedly Bieber cultivates his fame further through social media, interviews, endorsements and so on. However Bieber is still a human being, and one who has been in the unrelenting spotlight since a very young age. Bieber goes on to claim that he understands some people will be disappointed, but that it's the only way to “keep my sanity”. He points out that just because you bought his album does not mean he owes you a photo if you happen to see him, “you got what you paid for AN ALBUM”. Bieber is attempting to define his relationships with fans in the real world through social media.

In addition to placing boundaries on interacting with fans while out in his own time, Bieber also used Instagram to reveal he will no longer be doing meet and greets with fans at his concerts:

Once again Bieber is using his own social media account, that evokes intimacy and authenticity, to distance himself from his fans in the real world while maintaining a closeness online. By revealing his personal thoughts and feelings, his fans can still feel connected and important. It seems that through delivering the message to his fans in a more personal way, on his own social media account in his own words explaining his thoughts and feelings, it is possible fans will be more understanding. Where as if it had been released through a publicist's statement and reported through news media, this could create emotional distance between Bieber and his fans by Bieber seeming impersonal and uncaring. Bieber highlights the fact that he feels “emotionally exhausted” from meeting his fans, invoking sympathy from fans who care for his well being. Bieber feels the pressure of having to live up to who his fans expect him to be when they meet him. He does not want to disappoint them and in doing so feel disappointed in himself. It is often said that you should never meet your idols, as fans build up such high expectations of what they want them to be like. It seems Bieber feels he can maintain relationships with his fans with less pressure on social media.

Musicians owe their careers to their fans. Without fans, musicians do not have a livelihood, as they are essential to the commercial relevance and thus economic success of a star (Baym, 287). However the relationships between fans and the musicians they love has changed drastically since the birth of social media.  An artist needs fans to support them online, liking their YouTube videos so they become more popular, consuming the artists social media, and the online news media in which they are talked about, in order to remain relevant. Ultimately fan support online allows an artist and their music more exposure. It also ensures economic benefits, such as being able to make more money from endorsing products as companies feel you are a safe bet with such a strong fan base. Nancy Baym discusses how social media erodes the distance between stars and fans through a perceived intimacy (288). There is also the expectation of a higher level of interactions between fans and musicians, in that both are able to respond to the other instantaneously (Marwick and Boyd 156). This is evident in how a follower commented on Bieber’s original post on Instagram about not taking pictures anymore, and Bieber screenshotted this comment and posted it, responding in the caption:

In this picture it is apparent the two sides fans have taken. Some feel Bieber is being a “douche” because he owes his fame and fortune to his fans and thus they deserve a photo, while others like ‘cloudvsull’ support Bieber wanting to maintain his longevity within the industry by setting boundaries. Bieber replying to a comment on his Instagram is revealing of the expectations fans have that artists will respond (Baym 293). Baym suggests that where once artists “were expected to be aloof and inaccessible”, now the opposite is true (293). The feelings of ‘braekess’ were expressed by many fans and thus Bieber acknowledging it and responding to it reinforces that he still cares about his fans and he is not completely unavailable to them (Marwick and Boyd 156). Demands from fans have become greater as they feel both a degree of closeness to artists through social media, as well as that they have contributed to the artist's success by buying their music, the products they endorse, and so on. For someone like Bieber who originally became famous on the internet using YouTube, some fans have been there from the beginning, supporting him as he has become a massively successful artist. Using a similar type of online platform that started your career to tell your fans you don’t want to take pictures with them anymore may make these fans feel spurned. Or, as previously mentioned, fans could feel sympathy and understanding in that he has told them in a seemingly personal and intimate way. There is also the aspect of authenticity. Even though some fans may object to Bieber’s new stance on taking photos, there is value in that he has relayed this message directly to his loyal followers in a way that gives insight into how Bieber feels about his fame, how it affects him, the pressures he feels, thus presenting an authentic image for fans to connect to. Social media is being used as a platform through which artists can reveal that a real, authentic person with thoughts and feelings exists behind the celebrity, ultimately bringing them closer to their fans.

Bieber has used social media, and the close connection his fans feel to him through social media, to implement distance from his fans in the physical world. Even though some fans are upset about this, by presenting a seemingly authentic look into his inner thoughts and feelings about fame, and garnering sympathy, Bieber’s fans can feel even closer to him. It is apparent social media plays a major role in how artists and fans connect, and this is affecting real world interactions. Only time will tell if Bieber’s ban on photos and meet and greets will last, or affect his amount of loyal Beliebers, but what we do know is he’s pretty good at writing songs about being sorry so he can always utilize that to get them back if he needs to.

References

Baym, Nancy. “Fans or friends?: Seeing Social Media Audiences as Musicians do.”

Participations Journal of Audience and Reception Studies 9.2 (2012) : 286-316. Print.

Buboff, Josh. “Do Not Ask Justin Bieber to Take a Photo if You See Him in Public.” Vanity Fair.

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Caldwell, Kayla. “'I don't owe anybody': Justin Bieber Responds to Irate and Heartbroken

Fans on Instagram After Announcing He Will No Longer Take Photos With Them.” Daily Mail. 11 May. 2016. Web. 8 June. 2016.

Marwick, Alice and Danah Boyd. “To See and Be Seen: Celebrity Practice on Twitter.”

Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies

17.2 (2011) : 139–158. Print.

Norwin, Alyssa. “Justin Bieber’s New Decision Not To Take Photos With Fans Explained: Why

He’s Upset.” Hollywood Life. 11 May. 2016. Web. 8 June. 2016.

Swift, Taylor. “For Taylor Swift the Future of Music is a Love Story.” The Wall Street Journal. 7

July. 2014. Web. 8 Jun. 2016.