I want so badly to believe that Susan Boyle is a real phenomenon. I want to have faith that someone can appear out of nowhere, show off some talent, and have their life changed as a result. I want to believe that wasn’t possible before the internet existed, and everyone had their own channel and way of promoting something they view as important. But something doesn’t seem quite right. The whole thing seems manufactured. I feel like every tweet or blog post about Susan Boyle is all part of someone’s big marketing strategy and we are all just pawns in the effort.
Susan Boyle, of course, is the frumpy, never-been-kissed, middle-aged British woman, whose video singing on Britain’s Got Talent has become a YouTube sensation. And because millions of people watched her online, and tweeted/blogged/status-updated and everyting else about her, she has now become a mainstream media celebrity as well. The world, it seems, is obsessed with Susan Boyle.
But, Susan Boyle wouldn’t have become known around the world if she hadn’t appeared on a major network television show in the UK. She wouldn’t have appeared on the show if she hadn’t auditioned, or been found by a producer who was looking to generate great ratings. And she wouldn’t have become an international celebrity if the media hadn’t amplified what people online started to buzz about.
How many Susan Boyle’s are out there that haven’t been discovered — people with real talent who can’t make it to a television studio to audition, or whose story isn’t sad/inspiring enough to generate ratings?
How many people, who have real talent, or big ideas for how to solve complex problems in our society, put videos up on YouTube ever day — only nobody sees it?
How many other, better, ways could the energy and attention that is being paid Susan Boyle (who is singing cover songs, let’s be honest) have been applied – to help people in real need, or solve serious issues facing our society?
There is no doubt that the story of Susan Boyle makes us all feel good – and in tough economic times, and with everything else going on, that is probably needed. Additionally, there are probably some important lessons in how her story traveled that can teach us about how people get and share information and the potential for the internet to transform someone, or some issue, into a very big deal. Still, I don’t believe that just appeared, or that her story is that much more amazing than someone else’s. Her explosion into the public consiousness follows the same pattern as Paul Potts, and Captain Sully, and all the other incredible stories that capture our attention for a short while. It speaks volumes about our society, and what we choose to spend our time and energy on. It speaks volumes as well about the state of our news media, and why it should come as no surprise that nobody wants to pay for the content that newspapers and others are producing.
Buying in to the whole Susan Boyle movement, no matter how interesting or heroic or inspiring her story is, just seems naive. I feel as if I am being taken advantage of by the marketing geniuses of the world. What do you think?
Brian is Managing Director of little m media which provides strategic guidance and support to organizations around the use of the internet and technology to facilitate communications, engagement, education, and mobilization.