Frankie Avalon, David Cassidy, Donny Osmond and Justin Bieber have all sculpted their careers into a teen idol masterpiece. Thousands of screaming teenage girls from all walks of life join forces to stampede auditoriums and stadiums, just to witness the glamorous essence of their favorite star. However, with the growing power of social media, a new form of celebrity has emerged and with a new media outlet comes a new teen idol in tow. Those screaming fans have now moved on from concert halls to Beverly Hills mansions and the celebrity is an influencer.
Logan and Jake Paul are Youtube stars who have a garnered a massive following from all social media platforms. The success of their vlogs, challenges, and comedic videos enlarged the advancing opportunities: Jake snatched a role in a Disney Channel sitcom while Logan played minor roles in several films. Both Jake and Logan live in expensive mansions in Los Angeles with an entourage of fellow creators.
Troubles soon followed the brothers in their path to Internet super-stardom with a spoiled reputation and less favorable public opinion. Jake was kicked off of the Disney Channel show, as his obnoxious antics and revolting behavior reached a peak among his neighbors in the Beverly Grove community. In addition, a video was leaked that depicted Jake spitting on his girlfriend, Alissa Violet. Despite the upset, Jake's popularity still remains. Most recently, Logan released a vlog in which he giggles and makes faces at encountering a corpse in Aokigahara forest, all the while donning a Yoda cap. After witnessing the public outcry, Logan released an apology and a complimentary video, in which he elaborates on his regretful choices to film the video.
The major difference between the Paul brothers and former teen idols is that their creative content is self-created, promoted and released. Although success may bring media training, publicity teams and managers, Logan and Jake have the final say in the production of their vlogs and videos. The disturbing nature of Logan's latest video is isolated with this feature in mind. Which begs the question as to why would Logan find filming a corpse be appropriate for millions of subscribers?
The Logan controversy is a testament to how desperation for views can form insensitivity and unethical behavior. The future is unclear for Logan's career; although he is losing thousands of subscribers and formerly devoted followers, he is receiving national attention from several established news outlets. While some argue that Logan has reached the point of no return, Kotaku's Patricia Hernandez illustrates how the controversy may enrich Logan's celebrity in the most unimaginable way.
"For all the discussion around how YouTube needs to improve its moderation, it seems clear that some of the larger public wants to support their favorite YouTuber no matter what."
