The Mainstreaming of Internet Celebrity

Reality TV has spawned a crop of famous for famous stars, making “celebrity” increasingly difficult to define. But all the while, the Internet has been hard at work. As big name publications feature Instagram users, and vloggers hold their own conventions, the term so-called Internet celebrities are going mainstream.

“There is a parallel universe out there, on the Internet, of celebrity — true, valuable, vast opportunities for reach and audience connection,” writes Joe Coscarelli in New York.