The buzz of the “Beyhive” online is deafening with millions
of fans all thirsting for the already abundant content. Like a bee collecting
honey there is no end to the work of collecting and consuming beyond abundance.
For me it is hard to understand why but perhaps like the bee there is a small
effort by each which an effort in unison to support one “queen” results in an
amazing beautiful cooperation that can be seen as all involved benefitting from.
Or alternatively it could be seen as an exploitative system where the efforts
of the bee/fan and queen/Beyonce are robbed from to support the maintenance of
highly managed oppressive system. Clashing interpretations in the same way
ideas of globalisation are debated.
Beyonce, who topped the Forbes list of top earning celebrity
couples last year with husband Jay-Z, projects a public and private image that
is globally recognisable. I will be using Beyonce's various social media
accounts to look at her complex online presentation as a case study with
regards to the work of David Marshall (2010) and his concept of the
"Specular Economy", a way of interpreting celebrity culture and
social media. Beyonce's 'Beyhive Blog' which is produced apparently according
by Queen Bey herself as:
"MY WAY OF
SHOWING ALL THE INSPIRING THINGS
I COME ACROSS EVERY
SINGLE DAY.
THIS IS THROUGH MY
EYES."
This involves a transformation of identity of both Beyonce
Knowles the singer and her fans into a Queen and her Beys, a modification of
identity in line with what Marshal (2013) discusses: “the
public/private/intimate of celebrity discourse – have moved through our culture
quite dramatically beyond a system of representative individuals to an
expansive new presentation of the
self.” (2013, pg. 6) The celebrity discourse within the public yet intimate
online hub of Beyonce’s Beyhive has shifted to an inclusive active hive where
personas and presentations of the self are heightened according to a theme of a
beehive not just for the celebrity but for the fans too.
Beyonces plays upon words such as buzz, pollen and sting,
usually in reference to a bee, as slang terms for stalking, information and
defence. The “golden rule” of the Beyhive as explained by Beyonce herself in an
older post:
“We protect our own. We are all beautiful. One Bey should
never turn on another. We defend each other. Let love & respect guide you
and always be good to each other. Follow the golden rule Beys!”
This hybrid of identity and values outlaid as the golden
rule of the Beyhive is a transformational sentiment that is inclusive and moves
from simple celebrity culture worship to a way to live your life in and away
from the Beyhive cooperatively.
The framework of the Beyhive allows for organisation of
information and forms of production of media in a globally co-operative fashion
what Marshall describes as “intercommunication” (2013, pg. 9) a flow of
presentational media produced and serviced by individuals enabled by what can
be summarised as social media tools such as tumblr, instagram, youtube, twitter
and facebook to service what Marshall describes as a “micropublic” (2013, pg.
12).
Beys feel privy to the interpersonal messages of Beyonce the
individual forming a bond that is felt as a greater connection than possible
between a traditional fan and Beyonces public persona through her “online
doppelganger” (2013, pg. 12). This building of a more controlled micropublic
around Beyonce’s public presentation seems to me is a much more structured
discursive environment with the illusion of private access. There is no
controversial ramblings of the inner thoughts of Beyonce Knowles, the Beyhive
is a very polished and managed micropublic that must be edited and screened
produced by promotional elements rather than private access to the individual.
The website takes from instagram, twitter and youtube to
create a feeling, an officially endorsed emotional connection more than the
personal access. The site features very little text, mainly the page design is
comprised of tiles of images linking to companies and photographers pages while
videos are very seldom about Beyonce herself at all and if she does feature in
a video it’s only for a brief immaculate sound bite. An online shop page where
calendars, fragrances and clothing are available for purchase along with vip
tour tickets is also a key feature of the Beyhive.
Within the multiple networked media within the Beyhive an
organic method of performative practice of content collection and distribution
through performed intimacy, authenticity and access through the construction of
easily consumed personas of the Queen and her Beys can be viewed, in line with
what Marwick and boyd have found through analysis of twitter, as a balance of
power to maintain popularity. “Through analysis of tweets from 237 highly
followed Twitter users, we find that celebrity practice involves presenting a
seemingly authentic, intimate image of self while meeting fan expectations and
maintaining important relationships.” (2011, pg.140)
Beyonce’s relationships with friends and employees
fellow singers, stylists, choreographers and photographers are very much a part
of the Beyhive too which plays an important draw for Beys to feel part of Queen
Bey’s Hive. Her stylist even has her own tab on the main page of street fashion
photos of fans and just well dressed people walking around. Photos of Beyonce
at moments of relaxation on her tour of South America with her daughter mixed
with promotional video sound bites from her side of stage about performing her
new song merge the public and private popularity raising “news” items more
respectfully than a gossip rag or the traditional P.R. methods could ever
manage.
The Beyhive is run with many Entomological references with
“wasps” being haters of Beyonce who need to be “stung” or defended by the
“Beys” who are her fans. In reference to the insect, the bee, Beyonce officially
dubbed the types of Beys, and the characteristics and names a fan can be. Beyonce
has officially dubbed herself The Queen Bey, as the leader of the Hive who
works night and day to provide "honey" (or content) for her Beys.
Fans have the option of naming themselves a type of Bey
depending on which category they fall into, given the options of Honey Beys,
Bumble Beys and Digger Beys. This is a process of symbolic language Marwick and
boyd describe that can “provide value to their fan base and to emphasize
commonalities between the practitioner and his or her followers” (2011,
pg.147). It is a uniquely linked cultural symbolism that creates a lasting
association to strengthen popularity.
Although twitter arguably allows for much more intimate look
at celebrity than the rather closed Beyhive it seems the same practices are
taking place managing fans expectations. Both are new practices very different
from the traditional fan/ celebrity relationship where “celebrities” have
become “celebrity practitioners” using a set of practices as Marshall (2013), Marwick
and boyd describe (2011, pg. 141).
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| Image: Beyonce's Instagram |
The reaction to Beyonce getting a shorter haircut earlier in the year prompted a staggering response. Shocked fans on social media expressed themselves venomously across all platforms after the innocuous Instagram snap was posted from her official account and intrigued media outlets ran the 'story' multiple times across the breadth of the expected gossip rags and fashion media all the way to mainstream news coverage.
Interviews with stylists, celebrities, hairdressers, fans
and her personal friends contributed to the thousands of words of opinions
spread across users of social media on the new look. Close analysis of her
presentation over the following days built a singer's new hairdo into a media
wildfire that seemingly couldn't be sated. A 23 page analysis of every
different hairstyle she had over the last 10 years and 32 of InternationalBusiness Times favourite do's perhaps going the furthest to explore the
follicle folly.
This seemingly democratic interactivity of new and old media
scrambling to exchange opinions on the presentation of a celebrity through the
seemingly personal window of the original image is a demonstration of
Marshall's Specular Economy as "An entire new industry—an economy of
circulating images, information, text, conversation and interpersonal
exchanges—has been built to service the now more pervasive and oddly democratic
construction of public identities." (2010, pg. 502) She has built up her
public value and grown a "networked culture" based on her public
persona through her Beyhive Blog, a more than likely closely managed front page
for her Tumblr and Instagram accounts as well as various other links of her
'inspirations', trending fashions and images and videos of collective fan
appreciation.
The Beyhive is buzzing with the work of her fans or 'Beys'
busily "becoming part of the media ebb and flow" as Marshall
describes (2010, pg. 500). Her very own realm of personal presentation produces
a seemingly private and intimate discourse with all content stamped with her
genuine approval. Fashion brands, restaurants, car customisation companies,
upcoming tours of hers as well as other artists she chooses to promote as well
as various other more subtle promotions such as maintaining the edge of her
iphone 5 in focus within the above viral shot, all link the promotional with a
personal touch.
Beyonce within the Beyhive has become a public personality
system that is seemingly private and intimate opening the discourse for her
worker Beys to consume and contribute to her success like a real queen bee in
its hive cared for by it's drones and workers.
Marshall, P.D 2010, ‘The Specular Economy’, Society, vol.
47, no. 6, pp. 498-502
Marwick, A, & Boyd, D 2011, 'To See and Be Seen:
Celebrity Practice on Twitter', Convergence: The Journal Of Research Into New
Media Technologies, 17, 2, pp. 139-158, Communication & Mass Media
Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 7 October 2013.
Marshall, P.D 2013, ‘Persona studies: Mapping the
proliferation of the public self’, Journalism, published online 2 June 2013,
Sage Publications http://jou.sagepub.com/content/early/2013/05/28/1464884913488720
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