If it wasn't for the internet, however, I doubt Mayer would have had nearly as much of a mess to clean up. After the interview, news sources and everyday joe's like you and I took to the public sphere to express their disgust. This blog explains the situation for those of you who would like to know more.
On Twitter, Mayer has over 3 million followers, many of whom were not too happy with the "star's" remarks. One follower tweeted that Mayer should enter rehab, to which he replied, "they don't make rehab centers for being an a**hole." After the interview came out, Jessica Simpson tweeted, "Interesting day so far... Hmm. At least I am boxing 2-a-days this week." With so much action on Twitter, I guess that's the reason why Mayer felt the need to issue his apology via this social networking site. Of his multiple tweets, they all went something like, "I will never ever say the N-word again." Check it out for yourself to see all of his attempts at reconciliation...
Would you accept a tweeted apology??
Remixing has served as a great example of how the public may utilize their creative voices when discussing a current issue. Here's an example of a remixed YouTube video - this one takes sound bites, pictures, and music from Mayer mixed with some personal touches. Countless other videos have been posted discussing the event and some even reenacting an interview with John Mayer.
It's crazy how much of an impact the public sphere can have on one person's life and reputation - especially that of a celebrity. From remixing compromising statements to tweeting apologies, we have a public sphere that is ready and willing to take on the world.
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ReplyDeleteWhile I am a huge fan of Twitter, for some reason a tweeted apology just doesn’t sit well with me. Perhaps this is because a tweeted apology comes across as far less genuine in some sense.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, I have encountered this same sense of ‘cheapened’ human interaction on other social networking sites. For example, I also feel that keeping in touch with friends only through Facebook posts is not the same as picking up the phone and calling them.
Lastly, the modern compulsion to apologize is an interesting phenomenon in itself. Today, I feel that we live in somewhat of an apology culture. More often than one would imagine, we are overwhelmed with statements of apology from politicians, sports figures, celebrities, and countless other public icons. Due to the rise of this apology culture, one can rest assured that we will only be seeing more apologies via Twitter in the future.
I agree with you blogophobe, a tweeted appology, or an appology from any social networking site is definitely not as meaningful as one in person or even on the phone. Those who tweet and apology take the easy way out. I would say that social networking sites like this make it so we can easily feel like we are off the hook. One of the hardest parts about apologizing is the confrontation you have with the other person. This is completely avoided in the public sphere and therefore we often jump at the opportunity to bail on someone, or apologize via social marketing sites. However this does nothing more than make us feel better about ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that we do seem to live in an apologetic society, especially here in Canada. I feel some of it is a bit unnecessary. For example a Canadian Skeleton Athelete felt it necessary to hold a press conference to apologize for only placing 5th and leting the Country down. I guess this just feeds our Canadian stereotype of being "too nice".
I definitely agree with the previous two comments; a tweeted apology is hardly a genuine apology. Apologizing via Twitter (or any social networking site for that matter)strikes me on two different levels.
ReplyDeleteOn the one hand, we can't ignore the lack of accountability in online media. How do we know it was really John Mayer tweeting the apology? Was it a PR rep? Even if it was John Mayer, there's no validity or proof that he actually means what he is tweeting to the Twitter world. On the opposite side, given the millions of followers he has on Twitter, it is a grand gesture to make an apology so public. Yes, it is a very simple gesture by typing a couple sentences and a click of the mouse, but at the same time its a highly public statement with very little mediation or censorship that is made public within seconds of typing it. There are undeniably both pros and cons to sending mass statements via Twitter, but regardless.. I think that a Twitter apology is better than no apology at all. Even if it is somewhat of a cop out.
Thanks everyone for your responses! Clearly the consensus here is that a tweeted apology is better than nothing, but still doesn't appear very genuine. Nothing compares to a face-to-face interaction, and it would appear our society is turning into one that seems to have forgotten this. So much of the interactions we have are online or via another digital form.
ReplyDeleteI think that a tweeted apology actually comes off more personal than a statement released through a publicist. While some celebrities don't actually run their own Twitter accounts, Mayer does, so I do a I believe it is coming straight from him. However, as others mentioned, it is so simple to send out a tweet, that it is not really something that requries much effort or thought, and this kind of apology may not be very effective. I think what you said in this post it very much true, if these remarks made in a magazine hadn't been all over the internet, the incident would not have been as big of a deal, but that is just how media and society works today. We tend to operate in sound bytes that can be easily linked & retweeted. If one is going to gain from these technologies, as Mayer often does with his popularity on Twitter, then he is also going to have to deal with the flipside, with all of the negative attention he will garner.
ReplyDeleteA tweet apology may not always been the answer, but if the mess was made on the web than that's probably the place it should be cleaned up. Also, tweeting on your page let's the whole world know you're sorry (something that might not come so easily for celebrities and their egos).
ReplyDeleteThis whole John Mayer incident is reminiscent of that wilmer valderrama scandal, when he went on the Howard Stern show and began a tell all of his sordid affairs with the Hollywood "in crowd". Essentially social media can't be blamed, stars will be starts, but it certainly does have the ability to amplify the problem.