Keeping Up With Kim Kardashian
The Kardashian family is a nationwide known name, and if not Kardashian, then Jenner. Out of the family of seven, Kim Kardashian seems to be the center of attention. While married to superstar Kayne and having an already iconic daughter, North West, Kim holds the spotlight in most magazines and media. However, she has been in the spotlight way before she had a name and business of her known. Kim started off in Paris Hilton’s closet, managing her clothes and lifestyle. However, after some growing physically and mentally, she climbed her way to being one of the most famous people in the United States. With being nationally famous, there has to be an outlet to reach all her fans… and she has every one of them. Kim posts updates mainly on Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. Although they are all part of social media, each one has a distinctive way of viewing different information. Mainly found as apps on smartphones, they are artifacts that aid in her “self-proclaimed” fame and allow the world to be kept up with what she is doing and the new trends she is setting.
About three years ago, Kim Kardashian was most known for “breaking the internet” with a nude selfie she posted on twitter (Alter, Charlotte). However, posting nude pictures of herself wasn't a rare act. Kim Kardashian posed for many magazines and photoshoots naked which she later uploaded on her social media accounts. Instagram allows her to promote her image in many good and bad ways; her pictures are very controversial which result in a lot of discussion between magazines, other social media accounts, and the press. Although they do not necessarily promote her image, they do spread her name and increase her social status and celebrity name. The purpose of this account is to show her life and work in a digital and visual way, her audience being all of her followers. An example of one of Kim’s Instagram posts is a picture of her posing for a photoshoot. However, Kim does post many pictures with her family, North, Saint, and Kanye West along with her other Kardashian and Jenner sisters.
Kim Kardashian West. Digital Image. N.p., 2 October 2016. Web. 30 January 2017.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLD408djiT4/?taken-by=kimkardashian
There are many aspects of the “Kim Kardashian” brand displayed in the picture from her Instagram. Kim is noticeably wearing a revealing outfit highlighting one of her most known features: her chest. Along with showy outfit, she is creating trends. Her outfit is simply a trench coat that is off the shoulders; the trench coat captures a sexy and secretive feel. Kim’s hair is also famously parted down the middle with long locks. In the background, there also many people who do not seem of much importance looking at her. Most of them are in neutral colors or black, making Kim the center of the picture.
Although the picture is what makes Instagram what it is, the caption has a lot of affect on the post. Her caption states, “Balenciaga. No make up today.,” which is eye catching because of the short statements followed by periods. Balenciaga is an upscale fashion designer which is presumed to be the person she is wearing (Balenciaga Designer Profile). However, Kim’s caption is most eye-catching because she says she is wearing no makeup. Celebrities are known for looking good on almost every occasion and in the media world it is almost a shock when women don’t wear makeup. The caption can be interpreted in two ways: women empowerment to defy beauty standards of wearing makeup, or how good Kim Kardashian still looks without make up. The interpretation is up to the audience, her followers, to determine the purpose of her post and caption.
Aside from just photos and captions, the way the app Instagram is formatted has a lot to contribute to what Kim Kardashian posts. Instagram is formatted into strictly square pictures that can be taken by camera or from camera roll. Once uploaded, there are many filters and effects to choose from to put on the picture. Kim, although not completely noticeable, uses some neutral toned filters. However, recently her Instagram pictures try to catch an aesthetic and old feel. Each picture can also be pinned with a location that can be searched or taken from the current location. This updates followers where the picture was taken, or where the person was or currently is. However, as a celebrity, Kim does not use locations on her photos often. Instagram also has the features to like, comment, send to, and save. The amount of likes and comments also appear under the picture; this gives the amount of followers Kim has and the amount of people who enjoy her post a way to connect directly with Kim. And finally, the way Instagram is meant to be used is different than that of Twitter and Snapchat. Instagram is more formal than both of those because of the different steps and amount of thought that has to be done to post the photo. The audience also differs; the age range varies from eighteen to sixty-five with mostly 18-24 year olds using it (G, B.C.).
Another social media account that harbors the life of Kim Kardashian is Twitter. Tweets are one-hundred forty character expressions that mainly compose of sudden thoughts and feelings. Although Kim will occasionally post a picture on Twitter, her account is mainly tweets about her everyday life and in the moment thoughts. Her Twitter account reflects who she is as a person more than Instagram because of the personal level. Her 49.8M followers have a direct way of viewing what she is saying and feeling. However, Kim Kardashian still has to keep her name and image up, so although she is personally tweeting, not everything she might want to say is being put out for the world to see. The purpose of this account is to connect herself with the world directly through written and visual digital media. Twitter also allows Kim to post pictures along with tweets which contributes to the visual aspect of this artifact.
Kim Kardashian, although does not have as many followers on Twitter as Instagram, uses the app most out of all three. Her dashboard of tweets displays the date and time each post was created, showing how frequently Kim uses it. In a completely different format than Instagram, Kim’s twitter activity comes up on her followers feed as retweets, quote tweets, and her original tweets. When retweeting, Kim’s username appears very small on the top of the tweet not giving her much credibility for retweeting. However, when quote tweeting, her thoughts or reply appear directly on top of the other tweet as if it was her own. Her Kardashian name is much bigger and the tweet more noticeable. When posting a picture on Twitter, there is an extra effort needed to view it. It appears on the tweet as a preview and to be seen in its entirety, the picture or video must be clicked on. For Kim’s sake, it would be less viewed due to this extra step. It would also be less replied to and liked because the picture would first have to be exited to do these actions. The features Twitter gives are also similar to that of Instagram. There is an option to favorite, reply, retweet, and send to. Like Instagram, Twitter also informs how many people favorite and retweet a tweet. However, the audience differs. Although the demographic for Twitter is also eighteen to sixty-five, mostly 25-35 year olds use it (Twitter: U.S. User Age…). This creates an older age group for Kim’s followers.
Kim Kardashian West. Digital Text. N.p., 21 January 2017. Web. 4 Feburary 2017. https://twitter.com/KimKardashian/status/823000484805869570
Kim Kardashian’s tweets vary from political to informative to personal to advertising. They mainly revolve around what is going on in the modern day world such as trending topics, and what is happening in her own life. In the tweet above, she is stating this message for women empowerment. The audience, although it is to her followers, is to men and women and also mothers. Being a mother, many of her posts are about appreciating children, her own and others. This tweet specifically is personal to her because it is an original thought, but it also correlates with today’s world and society for women. The rhetorical appeal, pathos, is also expressed here because it appeals to women and spreads a positive message. Twitter allows Kim to tweet little inspirations like this every day along with other different posts because of the way Twitter is designed to be used. It is supposed to be used frequently to keep updates up for followers.
The last artifact analyzed, but certainly not the last social media account Kim has, is Snapchat. Snapchat is a completely informal social media outlet only allowing the pictures or videos posted to last 10 seconds unless it is posted on “My Story”. In Kim Kardashian’s case, the snapchats meant for her numerous followers, 8-9 million to be exact, are put on her story (Milord, Joseph). A story on snapchat is a collection of snapchats, videos and pictures, that are able to be viewed multiple times by your “friends” list. The format of these pictures and videos are long vertically, taking up the whole phone screen. To skip a snapchat or move onto the next one, the screen is simply tapped. When posting a picture or video, the app is opened and ready for a snapshot. There are four filters that are able to be put on after the picture is taken along with the temperature, time, speed, altitude, and geotag. A geotag is a little marker on the screen to indicate where the picture is taken/where the picture taker is. It is connected with location and also events that happen in the nation. Kim, however, mostly uses the live filters. They are filters applied using face recognition such as butterflies around the head, or face morphing. Because of the fun and laid back aspect of Snapchat, the age demographics are mainly between 13-34 year olds (U.S. Snapchat User…). Snapchat is also only accessible through a smartphone app which affects the amount of users and the audiences’ ages.
KimKardashian. Digital Image. N.p., 5 February 2017. Web. 5 Feburary 2017.
Snapchat: KimKardashian
Kim Kardashian’s Snapchat mostly consists of her updating her followers on her every day activities. Her posts are more without meaning and more to just show what she does during the day. They are also meant to be silly when the live filters are used. Kim also posts many snapchats of her workouts, her children, nieces and nephews, and her sisters. With only 10 seconds to update her followers, she promotes her lifestyle and brand of “Kim Kardashian”. She also promotes other brands and services such as the snapchat above. In this picture she is posing with a beauty specialist captioning the picture, “Best La Mer Facial with @JGCzech”. She creates exposure for the specialist and also makes herself look flawless doing so. The snapchat also has a filter on it to make the picture seem more extra. The purpose of this photo was to show an everyday activity and treatment while helping herself and others. The purpose of her whole Snapchat account is the same: to update followers on her everyday feelings and actions in a digital, visual way.
Kim Kardashian is surrounded in the social world throughout these media outlets staying constantly connected her followers. However, along with these accounts, Kim owns a clothing store with her sisters, has a reality TV show, she has created a song of her own, featured in many advertisements, and other shows/movies. Her involvement in the culture surrounding young people is everywhere and has many different effects. Her posts on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat can be seen as body positive, woman strong, and family orientated. However, to some they are controversial. Her brand is interpreted in many different ways, good and bad. Although the reason she became famous is unclear to many people, her name will stay imprinted in the social world along with her other sisters’ names. Without these artifacts, Kim Kardashian would not be as big of a celebrity and have the opportunities she does. They are all incorporated in her image and create her ‘Kim Kardashian’ brand.
Works Cited
Alter, Charlotte. "What Does It Mean to 'Break the Internet'?" Time. Time, 12 Nov. 2014. Web. 06 Feb.
2017.
"Balenciaga Designer Profile." The Cut. New York Media LLC, n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.
G, B. C. "Instagram: U.S. User Age Distribution 2015 | Statistic." Statista. N.p., 2015. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.
Milord, Joseph. "An Absurd Amount Of People Watch Kim Kardashian's Snapchats Every Day." Elite Daily. N.p., 07 Oct. 2016. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.
"Twitter: U.S. User Age Distribution 2015 | Statistic." Statista. N.p., 2015. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.
"U.S. Snapchat User Age Group 2016 | Statistic." Statista. N.p., 2016. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.
REFLECTION ON PROJECT #1
Project #1 was all about Kim Kardashian and her interactions with social media. Because I am familiar with Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter, it was interesting writing about her way of using these accounts and how she separates the things she posts by these apps. I also became more aware of the differences between the three, such as the formatting of each. Although I had a difficult time understanding the project in the beginning, I had a breakthrough when I went to my conference session and began writing my third draft. I was provided with some great feedback and the project was clarified for me. I took the artifacts I had before, social media, Dash, and KUWTK, and focused just on social media. This took my project from being very broad to specific and detailed. I immediately knew this was my breakthrough because my paper became more aligned with the prompt and the expectations of the project. At this point I also fully understood how to rhetorically analyze an artifact: to the full extent and stepping over the boundaries. In class, I rhetorically analyzed things for my blog and that was great practice. But Project #1 was the game and I feel like I nailed it. Instead of just analyzing what Kim Kardashian posts on Instagram, I analyzed her captions, the filters, her audiences, and why all of this was being done. I went into the depths of social media and tried to analyze every part with respect to what Kim was posting. My writing became less generalized and more about my topic. Overall, I really liked this project because I was able to choose my topic and learn some new things on the way.