Ghameli

The need for celebrities to be in constant touch with their fans has led to quite a number of them signing on to social media networks. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram among other mediums have come in handy as useful channels for touching base with the people who make them relevant. Vobolo , a micro voice blogging service that allows recording and sharing of voice data on Facebook and Twitter is the latest addition to the list. Some Ghanaian celebrities who have hooked on to the service include Chris Attoh, Ama K. Abebrese, Jeremie, Nana Aba Anamoah, Yvonne Nelson, Edem, Cwesi Oteng, Yvonne Okoro, Efya, Cwesi Oteng, and Deborah Vanessa. It is good business, considering the number of known figures signing onto it.  But were lies its future? Before Vobolo was Keek, and before the latter were some other ones, which have since gone into  hiding . The answers surely can be found in just how serious some of these celebrities treat the subject of fan-engagement....

Internet trolling is one of the many negatives celebrities who are active online have to deal with. Unlike the past where internet penetration levels were low, and a lot of people weren't online, celebrities these days wake up to daily fights with trolls. Wikipedia describes a troll as a person who sows discord on the internet by trying to start arguments and upset people. The troll’s way of upsetting a celebrity or public figure may either be by dissing them, unnecessarily comparing them to a competitor in the same field or veering off a question asked by the celebrity and go on the offensive. Weeks ago, an actress was in the news for all the wrong reasons because she insulted a supposed fan for calling her (actress) a  drag  queen. The actress took time to go through the said fan’s picture collections and re posted one describing the said fan in an equally distasteful manner. Who wins? I thought it was completely unnecessary for that, and the resultant counter-attac...

That most Ghanaian celebrities fail to recognize the crucial role social media plays in today’s world, is a matter of great concern to me. I find it difficult to understand why some simply don’t want to be a part of the new age. Assuming you are lost as to what social media is or what it constitutes, Wikipedia tells us it is the means of interaction amongst people in which they create, share and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. Social media networks/platforms that are usually used by celebrities over the world include Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Vine, Keek, Google +, Tumblr, Pinterest, Flickr, Vimeo  and to a larger extent YouTube. These have become means through which celebrities get to maintain personal and direct contact with their fan base. I have noticed however that with the exception of few of our celebrities, most dont see the relevance of social media. It’s either they are not signed on to any of the above or their existing o...