Banyan Branch

Posted by Alex Fitch, analyst and Little Monster

Twitter has crowned a new queen: the inimitable Lady Gaga. On Friday, Gaga became the most followed person on Twitter surpassing pop princess, Britney Spears, with over 5.5 million followers.

In two quick years, Gaga, with her catchy tunes and savvy style, has become a mainstay in today’s pop culture world. With five #1 hits and two platinum records, she has proven herself to be pure pop magic. However, it is impossible to correlate her success to just her talent. In a very unique manner, Gaga has revolutionized the way artists market themselves, harnessing the power of social media and the internet in order to spread her message of acceptance and freak pride.

Not only is Gaga the queen of Twitter, but she is one of the first artists to have her music videos watched over 1 billion times online, and, on Facebook, she is the most liked person with over 16 million fans, even beating el presidente, Barack Obama. However, without fans and followers it is hard to reach these types of numbers. So how does she do it?

Part of the reason is because she emerged on the music scene at the right time. She is a part of Generation X, and, unlike artists who may be older, understands the power of technology. During the past two years, Twitter and Facebook have grown enormously with the advent of web 2.0. Fans want to interact with their favorite artists and by harnessing social media’s ability to connect with them, Gaga has created a unique, interactive brand for herself.

The reason why Gaga as a brand works and makes sense is that she brings her fans along for her journey towards success. She has dubbed her fans “Little Monsters,” making them believe they are part of an exclusive club. By claiming not to be a victim to the “fame monster” as many other artists are, she appears humble and grateful for the actual fame she has. Even though she appears to be this mysterious persona living in hyper-reality, she still seems human because her messages seem personal. For example, common posts to Twitter and Facebook show her doing normal things that her followers are interested in, such as attending Kiss concerts or baseball games. She also continually thanks her Little Monsters, reminding them they are always a part of her thoughts and responsible for her fame. In fact, she addresses her fans and thanks them for making her the queen of Twitter in the following video.

At the same time, she spreads a strong message of equality. Throughout her concert, the Monster Ball, she reiterates that her fan base of Little Monsters, composed of gays, freaks, and nerds, are actually indeed normal and that the real freaks are outside. She uses technology to raise awareness for distinct charities, her favorite being Re*Generation, which helps homeless teens of the LGBT community, because as she states, people are born gay, and the rest of the world needs to recognize and accept it. Fans can donate to the cause by texting to a certain number before the concert. During the concert one lucky fan even receives a call from Gaga thanking them for the donation.  The ability to recognize and fight for marginalized communities allows her to generate an even more devoted fan base. Her true fans feel like they belong and are at home when watching her videos, listening to her songs or attending the Monster Ball. They are loyal because she fights for and makes them feel welcome, and in return we fight for her making her one of the most successful pop stars in the world, and, of course, the newly crowned queen of Twitter.