The Selena Gomez Phenomenon
In March of 2016, Selena Gomez became the most followed person on Instagram. She still holds that title today. When I initially heard about it, I remember that it struck me personally as kind of odd. Not to say Selena Gomez isn’t a cool gal — she actually seems pretty rad — or that she doesn’t deserve the recognition, but I figured if anyone was going to be the most followed individual on Instagram, it would be one of the Kardashians or Jenners. They seem to have so much influence on the social everything right now, not to mention pop culture in general. So I was surprised to discover Kim Kardashian herself only ranks number six on the list of most followed people on Instagram, and Kylie Jenner sits at number eight.
If you were born in the 90’s/early 2000’s, you may remember Selena Gomez from the Family Channel show: ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’. You may know her from her more recent music success. You may know her as that girl who recently started dating The Weeknd, but you may not know her as well as you know other celebrities. So upon finding out that Selena’s Instagram was so popular, and realizing I didn’t even follow the account myself, I searched it up. What made her Instagram account specifically so popular? As I scrolled through, I found myself oddly compelled by it. The account doesn’t feature a beautiful theme or loads of content, but there’s something about it that holds your interest. It is almost as though the account itself tells a story. I started to notice that the pictures worked seamlessly to help brand her in a way that wasn’t so glaringly obvious compared to other celebrity accounts. Selena’s Instagram seems to exist and focus on five key rules or themes. They are as follows:
The first is a rule that her account follows, and it’s sort of an anti-rule. Time. Selena doesn’t even post all that much, compared to other celebrities who post once a day at least. There are sometimes weeks between her posts. Recently, she took a break from the social media app and didn’t post for three months. This works to aid the popularity of the posts because each one is made significant, rare even. They are special moments, and if you follow her you get to see these small glimpses into her world, without being totally over-exposed to it, without it being constantly in your face. It gives her an almost mysterious quality. Because the time between posts is infrequent, many appear to be taken in-the-moment, and give off an authentic vibe.
This image features her and some friends. It is reminiscent of any girl’s social media posts. Selena’s Instagram draws in the audience by maintaining this theme of authenticity. It looks like it could be the Instagram account of your average girl, if that girl happened to have a crazy life as an actress, pop star, and style icon. She will often caption them with something her audience understands or perceives to be honest and sometimes even vulnerable. On a recent post showing her first American Vogue cover, she said “ok freaking out a little”. Another example is from when she shared the following post about meeting with Netflix and talked openly in the caption about how nervous she was, and how she appreciated the support and hard work of her mother during the project:
Selena’s Instagram is extremely relatable for a celebrity. While many flaunt their unique and glamorous lives, Selena has posts that take a step back from all that. It’s very down-to-earth and honest. She takes the time to be a real person. Among the posts of her magazine covers and concert stills, there’s the occasional post like — this one — where she’s just eating a doughnut and loving herself in the company of a friend.
Then there’s this gem which features her eating a slice of pizza. She’s in an expensive dress, but eating pizza all the same. Minus the dress, this could be a picture of any girl at any party. And again, this picture doesn’t appear all that posed. It’s very natural and in the moment. These posts give Selena authenticity and a genuineness that isn’t found in many other celebrity Instagram accounts.
Also, there is an element of beauty to her posts that draws her audience. We like looking at pretty things, and Selena’s account doesn’t force these on us constantly while scrolling through her feed. A lot of these posts give variety and versatility in fashion, which we like because we get bored of seeing the same thing over and over again. The styles she wears can sometimes be casual, something that we could recreate. They can be effortless, sometimes quirky, sometimes timeless and classy, reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn. These posts feed into what we want to see aesthetically from a celebrity, but they are not necessarily motivated by brands.
All of these photos have an almost vintage look to them, and they are contrasted by pictures of her concerts or photo shoots that feature modern clothing and setting. There is a healthy balance of casual and nostalgic images as well as fresh new bold images. It would be hard for anyone to pull off all those looks without compensating a specific brand or character, but Selena is able to do it, and she does it well. It suits her personality.
Selena’s account, while being very personal, is also welcoming. She is constantly featuring friends, family, fans, etc. on her feed. Her family is something she has always said she is extremely grateful for, and she demonstrates it in posts like the second one shown. This leads me to my third point, which is her appreciation and gratitude for her fans on Instagram.
One of Selena’s main brand focuses is her love for her fans. They are known to be quite a passionate bunch, and she gives back exactly what she gets. In the same way she is grateful for her parents and their role in her success, she credits her fans as well, and has made several posts thanking them.
This appreciation of her fans fuels their love for her, and it adds to that genuine, down-to-earth branding that she’s known for. Posts like the one above are compelling because they’re very human. Reading the caption, you feel you’re getting to know her, and it’s almost intimate.
Posts like the ones that follow demonstrate a caring side to her, and one that likes to make people happy. Many celebrities pose with fans for the purpose of creating good publicity, and it is obvious in how the posts are posed or captioned. Selena is able to take these situations and seemingly make them truly genuine. Perhaps this is accomplished because the rest of her account is there to back up that aspect of the branding.
Finally, I believe one of the reaons that Selena’s account is so popular — besides those four branding themes — is that she is very human about the whole thing, and she is able to practice self-care online. With all this intimacy she has achieved through her Instagram account, she’s able to confess to her fans how she’s feeling. Not only does this give her a way to take a step back, but it builds on the relationship she’s already developed with her fans. She said she ‘freaked out’ upon becoming the most followed Instagram user — who wouldn’t? — and took a three month break from the social media app. Honestly, good for her. Knowing when to take a break can be tough. It can be especially tough when your social media is so important to your career like it is for celebrities. But she is open about her struggles, and I think it’s not only brave but also adds to her as a person. She’s compelling, and lets every single side of that show in her Instagram, even when she’s not posting.
