I’m not much of a celebrity watcher, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Tila Tequila. She seems to be one of the more genuine celebrities around, open about herself rather than continually pushing a public relations agenda. I’ve been particularly impressed with the way in which she uses Twitter, her @officialTila account is a model for any public personality who wants to boost their profile and connect with their fans.
It’s Her Life
My peer group of web designers, developers and bloggers spends a lot of time tweeting links and resources. If you’re a celebrity, however, people want to focus on the real person. They want to think that using Twitter is going to give them a special insight into that person’s life and personality. They don’t want a stream of mundane information like “taking the dog for a walk”, nor do they want to be overwhelmed with plugs for new TV shows, products, records, etc. People want a celebrity Twitter user to give them some insight into their lives.
I haven’t seen anyone better than Tila Tequila at using Twitter as a way for a celebrity to pass on a genuine lifestream. She’s clearly hugely interested in the medium, which makes her both active (over 20,000 tweets in six months!) and original in her tweets. More importantly, the tweets are a genuine insight into her life, uncensored and unfiltered. A great example is a couple of nights ago where she spent seven hours tweeting, in effect, her life story. An autobiography in miniature, with details and opinions that used to be the kind of secrets the traditional press would spend ages digging up.
It’s Exclusive
Tila also uses Twitter and its tools to their full effect, to provide her followers with content they wouldn’t otherwise see. She’s used TwitPics to post high school photos of herself, or candid “real life” shots. She’s linked to video footage of songs she recorded when she was a teenager. Even her Twitter profile page reinforces this, with regularly changing backgrounds and new images.
This not only means that following Tila as a fan means you get genuinely exclusive content (and for free), but it reinforces the open nature of her Twitter feed. The exclusive content she’s posting isn’t sanitized public relations shots, or glossy music videos she’s trying to sell. It’s very casual, honest and therefore much more real.
It’s Genuine
Tila’s Twitter account has only been active since March this year. In that time @officialTila has picked up over a quarter of a million followers. That puts her in the top 500 most followed Twitter accounts, but obviously still some way behind the several million who follow the likes of @aplusk.
The difference is that Tila’s follower numbers seem to be real organic growth. I’ve not heard of her talking on TV about trying to achieve a certain number of followers, or offering charity donations when the followers reach a certain amount. She hasn’t provoked contests with other celebrity accounts to see who can get the most follows. Those methods might provoke a lot of people to sign up, but not make them truly engaged with the person they’re following.
Tila’s simply tweeted. Sure, she had a public profile before she started using Twitter. But it does seem very much that her followers are there because they’re interested in her tweets. Not because they’re jumping on a bandwagon to help a certain person get x million followers by next Friday!
It Links Together
Tila is very effective at linking her main online portal, Tila’s Hot Spot, with her Twitter activity. Not only does that site itself have a very open and active blog from Tila, but she directly references back and forth. She posted a compilation of her seven hours of autobiographical Twitter discussion into a single article, which she could direct people to in her tweets. She uses Twitter a lot to interact with her “Tila’s Army” group, and maximizes that by focusing on the #TilaArmy hashtag. That’s great, because it reinforces the idea that you can get genuine insight from Tila’s tweets, but it also drives traffic to her main site and to her other fan groups.
It’s Interactive
For obvious reasons Tila’s followed rather than a Twitter follower herself (she follows only 77 people). That doesn’t mean she’s not interactive though, and I can imagine that replies directed at her account are probably more numerous that my own Twitter stream in full. But watch her Twitter stream, and see how many times she retweets other people.
The importance of being regularly retweeted has been discussed in lots of articles. It’s a demonstration of trust, and it gets your message and your profile to a wider audience. The power of a celebrity retweet is presumably even more, given you’re being retweeted to a huge audience and also receiving the endorsement that the celebrity found your comments interesting enough to repeat. It demonstrates that not only is Tila tweeting heavily, but she’s also paying attention to what her fans say.
A Role Model For Celebrity Social Media
I said at the start of the article that I had a soft spot for Tila Tequila. That was it, I just vaguely thought she was a pretty cool celebrity. I didn’t check her website or take time to watch her TV shows. I wasn’t engaged with her profile in any sense.
Since I followed her Twitter stream out of curiosity I’m far more engaged with her profile and her activities. The way Tila uses Twitter provokes that level of engagement. And it’s not because she’s a beautiful girl, or that I’m a big fan of her music or her TV shows. It’s because she’s a very open, engaging and interesting celebrity who’s using Twitter to really open up to her fans. In that, she’s a model for great celebrity use of social media.
24 Comments
who is this Tila Tequira? I have never heard of her before. I’m not into Twitter but I’m pretty intelligent when it comes to the Celebrities, I’ve never heard of her before? I’ll have to do a little research and get more aqainted with her, thx!
this mainstream shit sucks
Dave i’m sorry i don’t mean no disrespect but how can you call yourself “pretty intelligent when it comes to the Celebrities” when you haven’t heard of TILA TEQUILA? i live 3000 km from the US and i still know who she is. where do you live? under a rock? Jeezz
Tila only retweets things about her that are flattering or things she can turn around to her advantage. She asked her followers to buy her b-day gifts and included a 4 page wishlist from amazon. She is straight-up conceited. Her tweets lack cohesiveness. Most of them are shout-outs to herself or her TilaArmy. The other day she called out someone who asked: “What have you done to contribute to society?”. She said “Oh, your gonna feel stupid. I am GOING to be working/donating to ” The point of the matter was that she hadn’t done anything and is only now rectifying that. How does that make the other person look stupid?
Furthermore, Twitter could be a more substantial social network if they didn’t have Tila Tequila. The only reason she is popular is because she spends most of her day tweeting. She has that kind of time because she is a B-List Celebrity with not that many jobs. She says she is working on an autobiography. I wouldn’t read that shit if you paid me! I used to be a huge fan of Tila’s but she tweets about the same shit day in and day out: her own self-importance.
ANTS! hahahahaha http://hurtyelbow.typepad.com/images/tila-tequila-antz.jpg
chloe I see exactly what you are telling us to a T, you hit the nail on the head with that one, well said!
@pucklewis – But surely for any celebrity, and indeed Twitter itself, mainstream interest and acceptance is an important factor for long term success? Sure, we’re talking about a celebrity Twitter user, but one who’s maximising its value, which benefits both herself and to some extent the service itself.
@chloe – Thanks for your comment. Certainly I’d expect any celebrity to be trying to maintain a positive image of themselves, though I do think that Tila’s posts on Twitter are more open and less sanitised than many others.
You’re right that a large part of her Twitter popularity is based on the fact that she tweets a lot. Whether you like the conent of those tweets or not, it demonstrates her ability to maximise the reach of Twitter by being genuinely active. I’m not sure how Twitter would be more substantial if she wasn’t there. It’s easy to simply not follow her, and therefore she’s got no impact on whether Twitter or not is substantial for you. For Twitter as a service as a whole, it needs a wide take-up, from specialised interests to celebrity users, to maintain a mainstream profile.
Tila builds a fan-base real fast. She communicates with her Followers and responds to her tweets. Shes got more followers than a lot of celebrities because she keeps her followers updated on EVERYTHING. She tweets her thoughts and opinions along with her everyday activities. Shes well-rounded and can connect with her followers because of her many points of interests. ( being bi-sexual, being Asian, living in the 3rd Ward in Houston, working hard as a child, and etc.) She has many life experiences that make her different from OTHER celebrities that have Twitter accounts.
ogrilledcheese
http://twitter.com/ogrilledcheese
all i remember about her is the time she posted a bulletin on myspace saying something along the lines of “i am so hot, i could just sit in front of the mirror playing with myself all day.” i unfriended her after that. i had too, i felt stupider after reading such a thing. z-list internet celebrity or fabricated humanitarian, i could really care less what she does now. her arrogant nature just irks me to no end.
@ogrilledcheese – Very much so. She tweets often enough that she can cover all these topics, and she seems open enough to do so. I’m sure there are other celebrities on Twitter who have equally interesting life experiences, but one of the ways in which Tila appears to differentiate herself is that she’s open enough to talk about them, rather than presenting a sanitized version of herself.
@Lulu – Sure, and I’ve no doubt that her personality will annoy some people and put them off. In terms of the larger view, however, I think she gets a greater benefit from being herself (love or hate her). It makes a change from what is the more traditional way in which celebrities present themselves, which is tested and as inoffensive as possible. By utilising the immediacy of Twitter, and being open about her personality, warts and all, Tila’s pulled in a powerful audience.
i love tila she the f best twitter is nothing with out tila she so real and always tweets back to people i have got atleast 4 5 tweets from tila she got me hook 2 twitter when i see that tila is not on twitter cuz i dont see my page full of her tweets well i get off cuz twitter is no fun with out tila yea am only 14 but who said i cant like tila she is a very cool person a very real person i<3 tila TILA ARMY! before i did not know tila know i feel like i know her much better i thought tila was this crazy party girl but i got to know her on much better and i dont think of her as a party girl i think of her as a sweet loving person <3 u TILA MY ASIAN AM HER DOMINICAN SHE SAID IT TILA ARMY! TILA ARMY! TILA ARMY! TILA ARMY!
@jessica – Thanks for your enthusiastic comment. :) In some ways you’re the proof of how Tila is maximising her appeal, getting new people interested not only in herself, and in Twitter. That you wouldn’t be a typical Tila fan shows even more how Tila is using Twitter to reach out and extend her appeal beyond her traditional base.
Tila has created a following that until recently, I was not made aware of. Her interest (and dedication) in the never-ending battle over demestic violence is unique. Personal issues aside, she has made it clear that she is serious in this movement, and has a loyal following…her TilaArmy.
Her recent Tweets concerning her life as a teenager is not only sad, but moving a the same time. She tells of life in a place that anyone in their right mind would want to leave…if they could. She deals with the situation for a long time, and then eventually decides to leave for a better life…but not without a regret or two. One has to think of what could have happened if she didn’t make that decision. A true rags to riches (sort of) story…and it continues…
She peaked my interest when she recently displayed her interest in science and evolution. Even if you don’t believe it all, for one reason or another, it is still a subject that holds lots of questions and peaks interest. I hope she continues on this subject. from time to timme. It shows that she really is human.
She really does reach out to her fan base; she is a motivator; a go-getter, and she makes sure that everyone knows it! She’s also a human being…with heart.
How lame some of you are to buy into her BS..she is a pathological liar and a desperate drama queen who has made up complete and utter lies about her past..I have known her longer than I care to remember and I can assure you that the girl needs help desperately but is too arrogant and in denial to admit she has serious problems. Manipulating 12 yr old boys with lies to keep her ‘fan’ base is about as vile as some of the things she has resorted to in the past. Anyone who plays games about committing suicide and encouraging her brainwashed followers to join her needs HELP..do not give this pathetic person any more attention..do as her family has done and cut her off
Tila is a legend and an icon, maybe not in the typical sense but in a new-age sense of social media and technology, she’s ahead of the game and her Twitter revolution is plain to see for all her fans! I agree with this article completely, and I’m excited to see what’s to happen with the Tila Army!
This irrelevant trick is so embarrassing and anyone who follows her is as lost as she is. She is desperately clawing her way into any form of attention and she has not yet realized that she is just making a fool of herself. Her haters are the wise who see right through her cheap persona and constant lies..she scoffs at her haters yet she obsesses about them all the time so its obvious she is just a mentally unstable, insecure loser who the majority of people would like to see shrivel up and blow away. It takes a very sick person to lie about her grandmother dying when it was a blatant lie, sicker still to lie about being hit in the stomach with a hammer while her fetus fell out ‘in chunks’, to lie about being abused when the fact is she was rejected, she has made a mockery of violence (she herself wished @ss rape on 2 celebs) and suicide. She should be ashamed of herself and take note that she is a very irrelevant, trashy looking sleaze who looks like she is in her 40’s. She is a joke and a cancer to twitter…shame shame shame on you, you lying, desperate troll
She’s deluded. Doesn’t anyone else see that? Her tragic story? Completely inconsistent. That’s how liars get caught in their lie.
The only reason why I still follow her is because I want to witness her imminent mental breakdown and departure from Twitter. Her account is set to private, right? I want to be there front row center not in the least bit surprised but amused by her histrionics.
She clogs up Twitter up with her crap. Would Twitter be better off without her? Yes. One less bullshit artist feeding off the sympathy of her followers.
I just read an article where Tila had stated that Shawne was lying about her been drunk the day of the incident since she’s allergic to alcohol… I could do nothin but laugh about that!!! She has been seen on tv drunk, she’s been seen in many parties with a drink in her hand all the time, she took shots of tequila on “A Shot At Love” many time, and even took a champagne bath with one of the contestants!!! She even said when she was first starting to be famous that she named herself Tila Tequila because is her favorite drink and everyone knew her for it, and now she’s saying that she did it because of the irony because she doesn’t drink!!! lol, either this girl loves to lie or she just can’t help it. I was a fan of her until I found out how she has always lied about been bisexual just to get attention and about her past and how she clearly has no life since all she does 24/7 is tweet I mean even normal non famous people dont spend that much time on that is just too weird, I really think she’s just tryin to have people feel bad for her to get more attention and publicity which is very sad and proves how unprofessional and untalented she really is. She’s going to end up worse then Britney Spears did when she had her meltdown but at least Britney Spears was talented and extremely famous. So sad so sad….
Again, it’s kinda unimportant to the main thrust of the article whether you like Tila Tequila or not. I’m writing with an interest in her social media impact, and how effectively she’s used Twitter to develop her profile, which I think has been impressive.
The fact that people have taken time to comment here and criticise the content of Tila’s tweets, or make negative comments about her in general, is largely irrelevant. So are the comments that say merely “Tila rocks” or similar – I’ve deleted those too. But if anything the negative comments demonstrate the effectiveness of Tila’s profile building, that she provokes people to take some time out of their day to make comment about someone they supposedly hate. That, in itself, is engagement that’s provoked by her social media usage.
you call her a celebrity! LMFAO- I did my home work and sorry to say I’m not big into the music channels. No real Celebrities there, they seem to be called reality losers, Gave me a good laugh! This chick is nothing but a liar and a story teller, but i get the point of the article, she has alot of followers on twitter and knows how to keep um watching! POOR THING!
A few things you have left out, not in any particular order –
Her recent suicide tweets, obviously done only with the intent of gaining attention to herself
The pics she claimed were her in high school that were nudes (and have since been removed)
How she constantly says she is quitting twitter
In the past couple of months, she has been recording an album, going on tour, reading a movie script, doing a photo shoot, going to commit suicide, been physically abused by Shawne Merriman, going to write an autobiography, training at night in trees with her katana sword and tonight, was telling people it was ok to break the law. Yes, break the law. She claims to be forming her army, and had tweets from people that said they have relatives that could get past Airport Police at LAX, get people out of tickets and more.
Her tweets do what she intends. They draw attention to her and away from things that really matter. She makes false claims on a daily basis. Anyone with a little knowledge in hacking knows that over half her RT’s are to herself. The accounts are there, but they come up with the same IP address as hers.
If you look at her followers, they are mostly teenagers who are easily influenced by what she says and does. Anyone who even slightly disagrees with her is a hater. If you read her tweets and read any of her so called blogs, you can tell they are not written by the same person, yet she claims all are hers.
It comes down to if you want to follow someone for entertainment value, if you want a few laughs most every night, by all means, follow her. If you are expecting truth, you need to look elsewhere!
@dave – Certainly an internet celebrity. To be fair that’s where she got her start in terms of public profile, which she’s maximised to get TV shows, music deals etc. And yes, very much the point of the article is to highlight how effectively she uses Twitter to develop a strong base of followers.
@Brad – Sure, it’s an entertainment feed primarily. I think that (regardless of your opinion of the truth or not) they successfully give the impression of being more open than the standard celebrity Twitter feed. In regards to social media interest, that impression is important.
Robin, you seem deluded in that fact that she has revolutionized Twitter. You wanna read a GOOD celebrity tweeter? Read Howie Mandel’s tweets. He interacts and jokes around. He asserts an opinion on matters. Meghan McCain’s tweets are relevant and very much sane. You want entertainment- read Chelsea Lately’s tweets or E! Online’s. Tila Tequila’s? Not so much anymore. Claiming that she is a ninja and is in training? Yeah, ok….lame.
CNN tweets are more exciting to read than Tila’s.
Promote celebrity tweeters that actually contribute to Twiitter, not detract from it.
Hell, Twitter has blocked #TilaArmy from being on trending topics. They tried to ban her from Twitter at one point. Tell me, what has Tila done for Twitter?
@chloe – I don’t think she’s revolutionized Twitter at all, and my focus is what she’s done for herself rather than whether she’s done anything for Twitter. I think she’s utilized it very well to develop a large follower base. Whether by fluke or intention her Twitter activity and it’s effective linking to her other web presence has allowed her to maximise fan loyalty and engagement. i.e. it’s a demonstration of effective Twitter use.
The issue is not whether any single individual finds her tweets good, entertaining or sane, but that her Twitter usage clearly is helping her to build an audience. They’re effectively targetted at the kind of fans she probably wants to engage with. The quality of her tweets in terms of liking them or not is a subjective view, my interest is more in the way at which she’s been using Twitter and her success in doing so.
That’s not so say that others aren’t doing it. I wrote about Tila Tequila because she was the celebrity Twitter user than I happened to notice, and her activity and social media usage gave me the idea for the article.