Having begun my DA, creating content and gathering information, I have been able to identify epiphanies that have stood out to me in the process.
My Epiphanies
Ariana Grande Eras are very specific to the time her music was released. Each fan will have different memories and feelings that are associated with each era. Whilst scrolling through TikTok, it can easily be identified that each fan has their own unique account of what happened at the time a song or album was released and they are vocal about their experiences on the platform through the content they create.
arianaimhh, TikTok, 2021
My second epiphany comes from the identification of the difficulty of reaching my specific niche audience. The platforms algorithm is focused on showing users new content on their “for you page” making it difficult for creators to reach their desired audience. In the mean time, as I continue to create and post content, I have been taking screenshots of the videos I have interacted with as well as saving videos that give me inspiration to create similar content.
My third epiphany is the identification of the different content that can be found on the platform. Each creator is known for their unique video content and therefore their unique online persona. The exposure to such a vast variety of content and personas has allowed me to sculpt and refine the persona I want to portray on the platform and more specifically within my niche. This has now included refining the style of content I want to produce and publish.
The platform through the personas created have identified “micro-celebrities” who curate, rearrange, and recirculate what they consider to be their best videos online (Senft, 2013). The creators in my Ariana Grande Fan Niche have become micro-celebrities on my ‘for you page’ as they receive a large number of views and likes on their content. These personas have influenced me and the content I have begun creating for my DA.
My content is centred around using the current TikTok trends, music or style of video, and applying it a relevant Ariana Grande related topic. These videos try to include my personality to attract other fans in this media niche who after a few posts, I have been able to identify as being mainly younger females. This is suggestive to say that the niche is heavily saturated with younger females. My best option is to explore this in more depth and create my content targeting this demographic with the hopes of attracting their attention.
In the digital age, attention is an extremely valuable resource. The concept of the attention economy suggests that in the new realities of information overload, human concentration is limited, and attention is a form of cumulative wealth (Abidin 2020). Understanding my target audience will assist me in continuing my research in discovering the persona I portray in this niche by attempting to capture the attention of my audience niche.
References
Abidin, C 2020, ‘Mapping Internet Celebrity on TikTok: Exploring Attention Economies and Visibility Labours’, Cultural Science Journal, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 77–103, viewed 8 September 2021, <https://culturalscience.org/articles/10.5334/csci.140/print/>.
i miss it 😦 #fyp #arianagrande #arianator #arianatiktok #foryoupage #xyzbca 2018, TikTok, viewed 9 September 2021, <https://www.tiktok.com/@arianaimhh/video/7001892580963273989?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1>.
Senft, T 2013, Microcelebrity and the Branded Self, viewed 8 September 2021, <http://fws.commacafe.org/resources/theresa_senft_microcelebrity_branded_self.pdf>.
Olivia Lopez 
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