Why Kim Kardashian Is Almost as Smart About Social Media as Donald Trump
Now, I realize that the last thing you all want to read about is one of our political candidates…namely, Donald Trump. But don’t you find it a little astonishing how he has roped so many people in and gained as much popularity as he has during this election? Well, the answer is quite simple, actually. “Love him or hate him, many people give Donald Trump credit for understanding on an almost visceral level how the media landscape has changed — and how to use that to his advantage” (Ingram). Although Trump does have the social media skills it takes to become popular in today’s society, it is nearly impossible to talk about “social media skills” without mentioning the infamous Kim Kardashian-West.
In an article written by Matthew Ingram, titled “Why Kim Kardashian is Almost as Smart About Social Media as Donald Trump, Ingram explores the somewhat ingeniousness that both Kim Kardashian and Donald Trump encompass when it comes to using social media to boost their celebrity statuses. Even though it may seem like these two have little to nothing in common, “both have shown a superior ability to take command of their own media narratives — using the tools of social media and social networks — and turn it to their own ends”. How do they do so, you may ask?
Let’s start with Trump. Due to Trump’s massive following base on Twitter, he has been able to reach out to his fans directly with whatever message he wished to portray — political, or not. Alongside his social media fame, Trump has also been under the spotlight on television, as has Kim Kardashian.
The article I found “comparing” Kim Kardashian to Donald Trump seems a tad lopsided…there are only about two paragraphs addressing Trump’s social media genius, but about ten paragraphs about Kardashian’s! Perhaps it is because of the latest social media scandal Mrs. Kardashian-West faced with Taylor Swift regarding Kanye’s song, “Famous”. Swift complained that the song was “offensive and misogynistic, implying that they might sleep together” (Ingram). So, Kim Kardashian responded by doing what she does best, posting to social media. “She understands how the media landscape has changed, and uses that to her advantage” (Ingram).
“Instead of launching into a he-said and she-said, Kardashian posted a single response on Snapchat — a short, jerky video recording of West talking to Swift about the song” (Ingram). The “swift” move proved to be incredibly effective and devastating. Perhaps Kardashian’s message was so effective because of the platform she chose to post on, Snapchat. Her message spread like wildfire because of its nature and because her Instagram account consists of screenshots from her Snapchats. Ingram writes, “In effect, Kardashian relied on her social network to do the media distribution work for her in the same way that media outlets like BuzzFeed have taken a distributed approach to their journalism. That shows Kardashian is not only a smart businesswoman who understands the power of mobile apps and gaming, but someone who appreciates the evolution of PR and media as well.” On the other hand, Swift took to all social media platforms to share her complaints about the song, which sort of backfired.
This controversial feud between Kardashian and Swift is only a snippet of proof of just how powerful social media really is. Whether you are Kim Kardashian or Donald Trump, social media is in the palm of everyone’s hand, and the outcome of this digital era in which we live is constantly unpredictable.
