Daaaaaaamn Daniel!, major keyssss, ohhhhh hell naaaahhhhh!!!, eyebrows on fleek !!! Internet catchphrases like these have become mainstays of pop culture through the power of social media. Apps like Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat have become essential parts of any smartphone home screen, transforming how people connect and communicate one Snap at a time.
According to Recode.net, Snapchat’s 100 million-plus daily users are watching a massive 8 billion videos a day collectively on the video-sharing app and devoting an average of 30 minutes on the app every day. With all the attention focused on this social media tool, millions of people seemingly decide what content is popular and “shareworthy” — and ultimately, a chosen few Snapchat superstars are catapulted into a new stratosphere by their digital peers: into the world of Internet super-stardom.
Take Miami native DJ Khaled for example, who has produced award winning songs and has seen his fame and relevancy amongst millennials reinvented due to his charming Snapchat videos. Dedicated Khaled supporters have gathered his brief videos and pictures and reposted them on Twitter and YouTube. There now exists a parody Khaled Twitter, a Reddit thread that collects his statements and a website, theydontwantyouto.win, that displays his sayings with the snap of a button that says “Another one.”
Sometimes, one can become a star simply by fooling around with a friend. The video below is a collection of Snaps from Damn Daniel (also known as high school students Daniel Lara and Joshua Holz) who shot and narrated the notoriously funny Snapchats — creations which have seen them instantly rise to mainstream fame. Their videos landed them an appearance on the Ellen Degeneres Show and a lifetime supply of sneakers from skateboard company Vans.
And then there’s Myha Luong a.k.a. Lovely Mimi. In the past year, she’s posted hundreds of short videos and secured more than 1 million followers. Luong, who wears fake nails, fake eyelashes and hair dyed like a Troll Doll in her videos, wavers between what is perceived to be the stereotypical accents of urban America. Her characters range from a Vietnamese nail stylist, to an African American customer to a classic valley girl. Luong has recently tried her luck in stand-up comedy is looking to bag a reality TV show.
The power of social media is undeniable — its influence on the mainstream, politics and everyday life is present and ever growing. So the next time you log on to Twitter to tweet, Snapchat to snap a video or Instagram to share your lunch, think about how with the right words, gimmick and presentation, you too could change your life and become the next social media sensation.