Social media behind decline of civilisation
... says Katy Perry (whose 176m online fans have helped her amass £200m fortune)
SHE is the world’s biggest social media star, plugging everything from her albums to her make-up brand to 176million followers.
It has helped pop singer Katy Perry earn £200million, but she is now telling her fans not to emulate her online activities.
She even calls herself a ‘victim’ of social media and says it is causing the ‘decline of civilisation’.
The 33-year- old American, the former wife of British comedian Russell Brand, is the most followed person on Twitter with 108million fans – more than Barack Obama or teen pop sensation Justin Bieber – and 68.4million on Instagram. She sends out several messages a day, including two tweets about her make-up line only hours before promoting the interview in which she says she feels pressured to share every aspect of her life online because it helps her career.
‘We have to find a balance, and I’m trying to find my own personal balance with it because I’m just as much a victim as everybody else,’ she said.
And she tells fans: ‘You don’t have to leave breadcrumbs all over social media if you don’t want to. All the fame stuff is just a by-product of what I do, it’s not what I set out to do. I just wanted to tell stories and sing and connect with people.’
Miss Perry uses all her social media channels to promote her pop concerts – currently the cheapest tickets for her O2 shows in June cost £161 – while more than 300,000 often view her Instagram adverts selling her range of lip glosses.
Despite its undeniable help with her career, she lamented the Instagram culture where young people upload photos of themselves to try to win praise in the form of ‘likes’.
She told American entertainment website Refinery29: ‘A lot of us are living for that picture, and then the currency is the like.
‘It’s hard because I’d rather not care about that and just live my life. We buy clothing and products or pose a certain way or go to an event to get a picture – it’s not good for us as a society. I think it’s actually the decline of civilisation, if we’re going extreme about it.’
Miss Perry said she also used her massive following for good causes, claiming she wanted to discuss the world’s ‘social injustices’.
The singer is currently preparing for her role as a judge on the American Idol talent show, having bagged an £18million contract.
‘As much a victim as everybody else’