How relevant is the “Relevance Room”?

Andy Warhol coined an iconic phrase "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes."

That future he predicted is Today!

First week of February, the viewers of social media were treated to one of the most nauseating lowest of low PR stunt. Someone faked her own death! The same someone, who first rode into limelight by promising to strip naked in 2011 if the Dhoni-led Indian Team, won the World Cup. Both her claims in 2011 and the one this month didn’t come true, but both were equally shocking, disgusting, and cheap publicity stunts that worked brilliantly for her and triggered all of us. Ooops!

Ok let’s pause here for a second and sink in a couple of questions in our mind before we read this blog further:

1.   Is she the first one around the world to make outrageous statements just to get attention (viewers/followers) and then build content?

2.   If social media algorithms were made to go viral (like it does even for all kinds of content), imagine if there was no social media, would this PR stunt have been viral and made her a celebrity?

In this case, clearly even some media channels which covers verified news fell for the fake death PR stunt. Though some like Faye D'souza, who knew what to anticipate, did wait for more information before carrying the news. Even if mainstream media is controlled in various countries for propaganda, when it comes to triviality, I think they have some sanity left.

Ever wondered, today what leads even media house to break the news before verifying it? They, too like all the others want to have the most viewed, liked and shared /retweeted posts.

Number of likes/followers > Authenticity of news

People will forget a temporary uproar, whereas, she got content to stay relevant for a little more time, the more we talk about her, her viewership and numbers increase. Likewise, with media and influencers who covered the news and posted their views, their handle remains relevant before the next Breaking News.

That’s the bone of contention: Relevance.

Wait, did we not hear this word a few weeks ago on Karan Johar show: The Relevance Room, by Orry

The desire for relevance is seemingly insatiable. Platforms like Twitter, Instagram and TikTok in the West provide a ready audience (algorithm decides, who wants what) for individuals to display their daily activities (jeez all the running data that I posted) and opinions (ah my blogs). Is this quest for visibility truly contributing to the any betterment of humanity, or are we will forever be trapped in this trapped in a cycle of self-promotion, devoid of meaningful innovation? Maybe, maybe not. I think not, we will always evolve, my first blog this year(2024 IRL) is probably an indication of many of us seeking a Real life and not a Reel one.

The commodification of fame and the superficiality of celebrity culture. In a world where attention spans are limited, trends change swiftly; the idea of attaining enduring fame has become increasingly elusive. Just as Andy Warhol predicted, our ephemeral nature of living in this digital world, where each one of us would have moment in the spot life is here. Today it’s possible for ordinary people to become momentarily famous due to media exposure. The idea is not necessarily about achieving lasting acclaim but rather experiencing a fleeting period of widespread recognition. Is that a good or a bad idea? That’s where a ‘profound’ Orry says “I am planning my own digital demise” having achieved fame just a few months ago.

Let’s look at the flipside. The allure of gaining (well acquiring in some cases) followers, likes, and comments has become a powerful motivator for many individuals. Before social media became relevant, it would have taken years for an Orry to get any recognition and would have required a lot of hard work. It is an era of smart work right? Is anyone of us doing any hard work anymore? It’s all smart work, and optimisation- they are doing the same.

I think Orry is not just famous for being famous. He is just like any other professional in their field where they studied demand and supply for years before plunging their skills and assets into capitalising on what the market needs. That’s what WE need. The problem is with us. Our dopamine scroll addiction.

Orry is planning his digital demise, Poonam executed one for real, and probably her PR team took a leaf out of his strategy. Smart Work & Disgusting Execution at the same time.

Poonam is doing/did what she can for her Relevance. Who doesn’t lie, politicians, the CEOs, everyone does. Marketing initiatives by companies and government alike to capitalise on a trending topic is not new. And she as an individual did that too, as soon as the budgets announced about vaccines cost for cervical cancer. She probably has no remorse on the backlash she received for the act. She wasn’t just playing to the audience; she was playing to the algorithm. We will talk about this for a week or a month, and the algorithm has taken care of her Relevance for some more time.

When I first heard about the phenomenon called ‘Orry’, I was amused. I did not ignore it though, in fact I deep dived to understand who could this be , is he the next Kardashian from India? You cannot just wake up one day and have a signature pose, get clicked with celebs and even get invited to all the events and shows. This as he says, he has been planning for years. Is what he does relevant for me? No/Maybe. Why maybe you ask? Consumer behaviour is important for me to understand, so if consumers are consuming Orry, then it is relevant for me to know him. When asked what he does : to say he is Liv-er, knowing very well he will be made a meme of and algorithms will take him to sky rocketing popularity is the truth. He never for a moment thought his statement will make a generation of teenagers quit everything and become Live-ers, that didn't happen, he just wanted to be talked about.

What’s different about him compared to let’s say to one of the western ‘Famous for being famous’ characters? Orry constantly projects his strategies with all honesty and doesn’t pretend to be something else. His language is clearly “You want entertainment, now I am here giving it to you. You will be bored, my brand will digitally die, then you will be bored again and then you need another dopamine, then I will come back in a new avatar and entertain you more.“

In our race filled serious lives, we have always enjoyed trivial information. Earlier, it were gossip magazines pretending to tell us the truth, then social media and today it has reached a stage of “Hey I know you need some trivial stuff, so I am going to make trivial things for you to enjoy by letting you know it's trivial, but hey u still want it, so take it ;)”

Amusing isn’t it?

I think social media needs to be redesigned to probably limit the value we place on fleeting moments of recognition YOLO. We should encourage a deeper exploration of the convergence of information, art, culture, and the forever evolving dynamics of fame. (Old am I?)  Like last week, I happened to come across a fellow runner’s brilliant podcast about Heart Health especially for endurance athletes like me. @dagasaga as he is digitally known, makes meaningful and perfectly cringe content for his followers, He has that perfect balance of sharing knowledge and giving entertainment. I highly recommend that each one of you listen to this podcast its relevant for all of us.

I write my blogs to express my thoughts on global news, spanning technology, philosophy, sports, and politics. While my opinions may vary among readers, expanding my audience is a definite goal. While I may not resort to PR stunts, I'm committed to writing diligently to enhance relevance and increase viewership. I will be happy if some of my readers will connect with me after reading this blog, sharing their views on what they'd like to see more of. With your input, maybe i will visit my "relevance room” to write for a broader appeal. Like orry, I have no plans for digital demise; I'll strive to remain relevant and engaging:)