Olivia Jade Giannulli is a 22-year-old Youtuber with over 1.8 million subscribers. She is also the daughter of famous actress Lori Loughlin and fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli. Olivia’s content centers around beauty, fashion, and lifestyle, ranging from everyday makeup tutorials to vlog-style videos that provide subscribers a glimpse of her luxurious life in Los Angeles. Her audience consists primarily of teenage girls, particularly white teenage girls, who relate to or live vicariously through her. Aside from her Youtube channel, Olivia is more recently known for her involvement in the ‘Operation Varsity Blues’ College Admissions Scandal in which over 50 people — mostly parents — were charged for paying bribes to get their children into colleges across the United States. Olivia stopped uploading videos to her Youtube channel for over nine months after the news broke in early 2019. She lost over 100,000 subscribers during this time, bringing her 1.4 million subscribers down to 1.3 million. She also lost partnerships with brands like TREsemmé and Sephora. Her most-watched content pre-scandal was her ‘Luxury What I Got for Christmas’ videos, as well as videos that showcased her relationship with her mom. In one video, Olivia taught her mom and her mom’s TV co-star John Stamos “Slang Terms”.
Olivia made an official return to Youtube in January 2021 shortly after her appearance on the ‘Red Table Talk’ — a talk show hosted by Jada Pinkett Smith, her daughter Willow Smith, and her mother Adrienne-Banfield Norris — in December 2020. Since returning to Youtube, Olivia has received brand deals with White Fox Boutique and INH Hair. She also joined Season 30 of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars (DWTS). In Olivia’s most recent video, titled “weekly vlog | dwts, vegas, moving, etc”, she brings her subscribers along with her to the IHeartRadio Music Awards, Dancing with the Stars rehearsals and performances, and other “everyday” activities. The vlog begins at Olivia’s Los Angeles apartment where she shows the camera the outfit that she plans on wearing to the IHeartRadio Music Awards. Once she arrives in Las Vegas, the vlog cuts to footage of Olivia being interviewed on the Red Carpet. She is also shown introducing country music singer Walker Hayes on the IHeartRadio stage. Later in the vlog, Olivia gives her subscribers an inside look at her DWTS experience. She includes rehearsal footage from DWTS, the hair and makeup process, live footage of her first DWTS performance, and clips of her dancing with other cast members backstage. Olivia specifically states, “I am going to get some behind the scenes rehearsal footage for the vlog,” (Giannulli, 2021) as she films herself in the mirror. In the final portion of the video, Olivia has a conversation with the camera where she says that she is trying to find a balance between DWTS obligations and uploading Youtube videos. She added that she feels thankful that her subscribers have been patient as she navigates this new chapter in her life. This Youtube video is mainly vlog-style, with Olivia’s sister Bella filming the portions that Olivia is unable, like during the interviews at the IHeartRadio Music Awards and when she is performing on DWTS. By showcasing these aspects of her life on her Youtube channel, Olivia is engaging in microcelebrity practices.
The College Admissions Scandal has handed Olivia celebrity-Esque opportunities (regarded as a “second chance”) such as DWTS and presenting at the IHeartRadio Music Awards on a platter. However, these opportunities aren’t enough to constitute Olivia as a celebrity, as her Youtube presence reflects that of a microcelebrity. In Alice Marwick’s You May Know Me from Youtube, microcelebrity is defined as “a self-presentation technique in which people view themselves as a public persona to be consumed by others, use strategic intimacy to appeal to followers, and regard their audience as fans” (Marwick, 2015). In sharing DWTS rehearsal footage, a sneak peek of her Red Carpet outfit, and walking through her everyday routine with the same niche audience, Olivia acts as a microcelebrity. In doing all of this, she provides subscribers a sense of intimacy, albeit strategically, that celebrities don’t replicate on TV, social media, and other public platforms.
Crystal Abidan’s Communicative Intimacies: Influencers and Perceived Interconnectedness also heavily relates to Olivia’s Youtube presence. Abidan draws on the concept of parasocial relationships, which refers to how media personalities produce “one-sided interpersonal connections and an illusion of intimacy with their audience through conversational small talk that appears informal, casual, and responsive” (Horton & Wohl, 1956). After the DWTS segment of her most recent Youtube video, Olivia has a conversation with the camera in which she says “I just wanted to come on here and wrap up this vlog and say thank you so much for watching” (Giannulli, 2021). She goes on to say that while she is enjoying her time on DWTS, she is still trying to figure out how to balance rehearsals and filming content for her Youtube channel. The casual yet vulnerable tone exhibited by Olivia in this portion of the video has the potential to foster parasocial relationships between her and her subscribers. Additionally, informal dialogue like talking to the camera outfits that she wears to places like the airport and a restaurant before she leaves her apartment presents a perceived interconnectedness (Abidan, 2015) between her and her subscribers. Evidently, the videos that Olivia chooses to upload on her Youtube channel serve as a window through which her audience can keep up with the behind-the-scenes of her fast-paced life and, most importantly, create an allusion that they are part of it.
References
Abidin, C. (2015). Communicative <3 intimacies: Influencers and perceived interconnectedness. (Links to an external site.): A Journal of Gender, New Media, & Technology 8.
Marwick, A. (2015). You may know me from YouTube: (Micro)-celebrity in social media. Pp. 333-350 in A Companion to Celebrity, edited by P. David Marshall and Sean Redmond. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Gianulli Jade, O. (2021). weekly vlog l dwts, vegas, moving, etc. [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIDexC7u5BI
Horton, D., & Richard Wohl, R. (1956). Mass communication and para-social interaction. Psychiatry, 19(3), 215–229. https://doi.org/10.1080/00332747.1956.11023049
Olivia made an official return to Youtube in January 2021 shortly after her appearance on the ‘Red Table Talk’ — a talk show hosted by Jada Pinkett Smith, her daughter Willow Smith, and her mother Adrienne-Banfield Norris — in December 2020. Since returning to Youtube, Olivia has received brand deals with White Fox Boutique and INH Hair. She also joined Season 30 of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars (DWTS). In Olivia’s most recent video, titled “weekly vlog | dwts, vegas, moving, etc”, she brings her subscribers along with her to the IHeartRadio Music Awards, Dancing with the Stars rehearsals and performances, and other “everyday” activities. The vlog begins at Olivia’s Los Angeles apartment where she shows the camera the outfit that she plans on wearing to the IHeartRadio Music Awards. Once she arrives in Las Vegas, the vlog cuts to footage of Olivia being interviewed on the Red Carpet. She is also shown introducing country music singer Walker Hayes on the IHeartRadio stage. Later in the vlog, Olivia gives her subscribers an inside look at her DWTS experience. She includes rehearsal footage from DWTS, the hair and makeup process, live footage of her first DWTS performance, and clips of her dancing with other cast members backstage. Olivia specifically states, “I am going to get some behind the scenes rehearsal footage for the vlog,” (Giannulli, 2021) as she films herself in the mirror. In the final portion of the video, Olivia has a conversation with the camera where she says that she is trying to find a balance between DWTS obligations and uploading Youtube videos. She added that she feels thankful that her subscribers have been patient as she navigates this new chapter in her life. This Youtube video is mainly vlog-style, with Olivia’s sister Bella filming the portions that Olivia is unable, like during the interviews at the IHeartRadio Music Awards and when she is performing on DWTS. By showcasing these aspects of her life on her Youtube channel, Olivia is engaging in microcelebrity practices.
The College Admissions Scandal has handed Olivia celebrity-Esque opportunities (regarded as a “second chance”) such as DWTS and presenting at the IHeartRadio Music Awards on a platter. However, these opportunities aren’t enough to constitute Olivia as a celebrity, as her Youtube presence reflects that of a microcelebrity. In Alice Marwick’s You May Know Me from Youtube, microcelebrity is defined as “a self-presentation technique in which people view themselves as a public persona to be consumed by others, use strategic intimacy to appeal to followers, and regard their audience as fans” (Marwick, 2015). In sharing DWTS rehearsal footage, a sneak peek of her Red Carpet outfit, and walking through her everyday routine with the same niche audience, Olivia acts as a microcelebrity. In doing all of this, she provides subscribers a sense of intimacy, albeit strategically, that celebrities don’t replicate on TV, social media, and other public platforms.
Crystal Abidan’s Communicative Intimacies: Influencers and Perceived Interconnectedness also heavily relates to Olivia’s Youtube presence. Abidan draws on the concept of parasocial relationships, which refers to how media personalities produce “one-sided interpersonal connections and an illusion of intimacy with their audience through conversational small talk that appears informal, casual, and responsive” (Horton & Wohl, 1956). After the DWTS segment of her most recent Youtube video, Olivia has a conversation with the camera in which she says “I just wanted to come on here and wrap up this vlog and say thank you so much for watching” (Giannulli, 2021). She goes on to say that while she is enjoying her time on DWTS, she is still trying to figure out how to balance rehearsals and filming content for her Youtube channel. The casual yet vulnerable tone exhibited by Olivia in this portion of the video has the potential to foster parasocial relationships between her and her subscribers. Additionally, informal dialogue like talking to the camera outfits that she wears to places like the airport and a restaurant before she leaves her apartment presents a perceived interconnectedness (Abidan, 2015) between her and her subscribers. Evidently, the videos that Olivia chooses to upload on her Youtube channel serve as a window through which her audience can keep up with the behind-the-scenes of her fast-paced life and, most importantly, create an allusion that they are part of it.
References
Abidin, C. (2015). Communicative <3 intimacies: Influencers and perceived interconnectedness. (Links to an external site.): A Journal of Gender, New Media, & Technology 8.
Marwick, A. (2015). You may know me from YouTube: (Micro)-celebrity in social media. Pp. 333-350 in A Companion to Celebrity, edited by P. David Marshall and Sean Redmond. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Gianulli Jade, O. (2021). weekly vlog l dwts, vegas, moving, etc. [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIDexC7u5BI
Horton, D., & Richard Wohl, R. (1956). Mass communication and para-social interaction. Psychiatry, 19(3), 215–229. https://doi.org/10.1080/00332747.1956.11023049
Hi Tyler! I really enjoyed learning your thoughts on Olivia Jade and reading about her position/influence in popular culture. I was previously familiar with her due to the Operation Varsity Blues college admissions scandal, as well as her appearance on the Red Table Talk, but I did not realize that she was recently launched into more significant levels of fame. It is interesting to see how the negative press surrounding the scandal actually ended up benefiting her by bringing her name into the media more often and paving the way for new opportunities. This essentially proves the saying that “there is no such thing as bad publicity.” I had assumed that Olivia would lose her credibility as an influencer and micro-celebrity following the scandal, but it seems that she has actually improved her image and expanded her reach. Her status as a micro-celebrity has become verified as she appears in higher status media, including Dancing with the Stars, Red Carpet interviews, the iHeartRadio Music Awards, and more. While her parents would be considered traditional celebrities (her mom is an actor and her dad is a fashion designer), she has established her own brand as a micro-celebrity in the sense that she is a public persona with a large following and is consumed by others via digital media. She is also utilizing Goffman’s background theory by providing her viewers exclusive insight into the behind the scenes of various events, rather than merely focusing on the front stage labor that is accessible to everyone. In doing this, Olivia creates a sense of intimacy with her followers and establishes perceived interconnectedness which are both crucial elements that increase her followers and further validate her as a micro-celebrity and influencer. I appreciate your insight on Olivia and her role in popular culture, and I look forward to seeing what she does next with her position.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Tyler! As someone who has many followers on social media, I always find myself being cautious to not make any content that could be potentially offensive or harmful to any people, not that I ever would in the first place. I recognize my platform and potential impact and try to spread positivity and joy. Further, I try to reflect this behavior online to the real world. That is why for me, it is always shocking to hear stories about other influencers being problematic and ruining their career with bad choices or beliefs. When the Operation Varsity Blues scandal took place, I thought for sure that Olivia Jade’s social media career would be over. Olivia Jade not only lied to her millions of fans about her identity, but also showed people that money can truly buy anything, furthering the divide between economic classes. It was shocking to me after reading your post just how easily it was for Olivia to return to the social media scene as if nothing had happened. She continues to post videos flaunting her wealth and status, and the fact that she maintains high numbers of viewers on each video speaks volumes to the algorithms social media has in place. This relates to Noble’s work on Algorithms of Oppression, stating that social media algorithms tend to favor those in the elite upper class. The appeal of Olivia Jade is her wealth, beauty, and status, and algorithms eat that type of content up. I know that through my many years of experience with social media, videos of people with more symmetrical faces were favored by the algorithm over those that weren’t. Also, I have seen people who were not involved in serious scandals never be able to return to social media. I wonder now if the only reason why Olivia was able to come back was due to algorithms favoring her class.
ReplyDeleteHi Tyler!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about your assessment of Olivia Jade as a micro influencer and how her celebrity status shifted after the college admissions scandal in 2019. I never watched Olivia Jade’s videos prior to the scandal but I do remember that many of my friends were invested in her life and achievements at USC. Your discussion of her ability to narrow the gap between the digital interfaces and her users through forging a sense of interconnectedness and vulnerability is interesting for this example specifically as she received heavy backlash after returning to social media. Olivia Jade utilizes her interpersonal skills to forge perceived interconnectedness with her viewers in a way that paints her as authentic and regretful, successfully catapulting her back into the world of social media influencing.
Shifman’s piece describes how memes encourage sharing and interaction with existing content. Additionally, capitalism incorporates memes into culture industries. This is relevant to Olivia Jade as she took advantage of her negative press and used it to enhance her stardom. While she took a brief social media hiatus, her return has been met with increased viewership and interest due to her involvement in scandal. The drama that has ensued has been enjoyed by the public through the participatory culture of memes and trolling culture. In Olivia Jade’s case, being made fun of online through forms of internet trolling, negative comments on her posts, and memes, only served to make her more recognizable.
It is also interesting to consider Olivia Jade to be performing emotional camping. Psarras analysis on emotional labor describes how celebrities act in certain ways, conveying proper emotions and feelings, in order to complete a job and satisfy a certain role. Emotional camping is a deliberate camp where a celebrity acts intentionally to satisfy the ever content-hungry public eye. While Tyler describes Olivia Jade to be a microcelebrity and emotional camping applies specifically to celebrities according to Psarras, I believe that by publicly announcing her shame regarding her involvement in the college admissions scandal and her attempt to integrate into different medias such as Dancing With the Stars demonstrates how she is doing emotional labor in order to rack up an audience and supportive fanbase. By putting her emotions online for anyone with social media access to view, I think that she is exploiting her vulnerability for fame and revenue (without fully accepting responsibility for her actions).
Thanks for posting such a great piece!
Hi Tyler!
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading your post, I was curious to see whether you classified her as more of a micro-celebrity or an influencer while simultaneously seeing where my thoughts lay. Like you, I think that I would also classify Olivia as a micro-celebrity. While I do not follow her channel, it is no secret that her life was pretty drastically impacted by the college scandal, which you highlighted as well. Like others, I was surprised to see that the scandal was not the end of her career but instead a turning point of sorts. I think that based on what I read, I would have viewed Olivia as more of an influencer before the scandal who used influencer-like tactics to reignite her career before becoming a full-blown micro-celebrity. Olivia’s decision to go on the red table talk put her under a microscope and allowed her to display a sense of transparency with her audience. While the setting of the red table talk is inherently more formal than her bedroom, the same idea of showing her true self and not putting on a performance is present in the decision to expose her true feelings surrounding the scandal. However, while she used influencer-like tactics to reignite her career, the opportunities she has been given since, to fully reestablish herself, lean more micro-celebrity. By appearing on dancing with the stars and cohabitating with other big-name celebrities, Olivia becomes untouchable in some ways. Despite trying to appear reachable by providing behind-the-scenes footage, it is clear that it is not out of a genuine want to let her audience in yet the “use of strategic intimacy to appeal to followers” (Marwick). I think that your post highlighted the interesting ways in which Olivia has walked the manipulated line between micro-celebrity and influencer to further her career, which has seemed to be successful for her thus far.
- Amber Tapscott
Works Cited
Marwick, A. (2015). You may know me from YouTube: (Micro)-celebrity in social media Download You may know me from YouTube: (Micro)-celebrity in social media. Pp. 333-350 in A Companion to Celebrity, edited by P. David Marshall and Sean Redmond. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Hi Tyler,
ReplyDeleteI found your blog post on Olivia to be really interesting! I used to watch Full House all the time so when I heard about this scandal at first I remember being really shocked about Lori Loughlin. I had heard of Olivia before and I think maybe seen a few videos but not much more than that. Hearing about the scandal really made me think about colleges and how the system works. Money can really do a lot and while I knew that before, this was definitely eye opening to just how much it can do for a person. After the scandal, I did not think that Olivia would be able to come back. I knew people had before but I thought for sure she would not be able to. Then when I heard she would be on dancing with the stars I was shocked. I did not watch the season but I saw her tiktoks about it and even though there would be mean comments she would still keep making content. I like that you tied in microcelebrity and parasocial relationships because those are what I immediately thought of as well. The term microcelebrity is so interesting now because it is not that new and is also changing over time. It is amazing how these micro celebrities are able to make a career out of their everyday lives. I also think in regards to Abidan’s piece, it is fascinating how by trying to open up and show people her life, Olivia was able to gain more supporters back. As you and Abidan note, she uses a casual, more intimate style in some of her vlogs and people like that. It gives them more insight than they might get from a regular celebrity. All in all, I really enjoyed your analysis!
-Maia Curry