The Gaga Phenomenon

Upon starting this blog, I never would have imagined that I would be writing a post about Lady Gaga. But last week, something struck me as needing some investigation: Lady Gaga was rated as the most influential person of 2010 in the Time 100 poll.

I've always known her to be an unusual and attention-grabbing celebrity, especially when it came to her performances that seem to constantly push the media's limits. But was this really enough for her to be viewed as more influential than the likes of the Obamas, Oprah Winfrey, the Clintons, and Jon Stewart?

Though I had heard a lot of her music on the radio, I had never really listened to her lyrics or analyzed her music videos' content. I first went to her YouTube channel to see what it is that makes her so "influential." The first video to play was her newest one, titled, "Judas." Despite the title, I did not anticipate for it to have so many biblical references and images throughout the video. Considering some of her work that seems to be the antithesis to biblical, I am surprised she hasn't received more criticism.

Next I watched her "Born This Way" video. I was surprised by the images that were reminiscent of the Matrix. The pairing of the visuals with her title of "Mother Monster" and references to fans as her "little monsters," seems almost cultish to me. However, seeming like a cult, isn't necessarily bad, as in my classes we learned that some of the most successful brands, strive to have a cultish following, to become a Lovemark. But in order for this following to remain, the brand must be ritualized. Lady Gaga's ritual: social media.

I then went on Facebook, where I first noticed that she had over 36 million "likes." President Obama, who attributes a significant amount of his campaigning to social media, only has over 21 million in comparison. More impressive than her 10+ million followers on Twitter, is the fact that she (or her publicists) make an impressive effort to interact with her fans on an individual basis. This interaction is apparent over YouTube, as well. So impressive, in fact, that Google partnered with her for a commercial for Chrome. It features videos submitted from Lady Gaga's fans showing their admiration for the artist's music (shown below), along with the features available with Google and its new browser, Chrome, such as the web apps and image search. This fluid integration reminded me of their "Parisian Love" spot that aired during the 2010 Superbowl.

Starting off a skeptic, after digging a little deeper into what Lady Gaga is really all about, and observing the relationship she has with her fans, I certainly have a better understanding of why she was voted most influential person of 2010.