The arts scene is witnessing a growing presence of performers on social media, as the pages of some actors and actresses have become daily archives of public and personal photographs alongside repeated clips from their screen work — to the point where audiences have come to know the minutest details of their social lives, their culture, how many children they have, and how old those children are.
But the question that always imposes itself is this: by pursuing this approach, are artists effectively promoting their work and broadening their reach, or are they contributing to the erosion of their own image and distracting themselves from genuine artistic creativity — given that true art is built on scarcity, not abundance?
Amid these questions, some critics speaking to Al Bayan believe that excessive appearances across digital platforms strips a star of their distinctive aura and causes audiences to treat them as permanently available, dimming part of their allure. A star, according to this view, needs a degree of mystery and rarity in order to maintain their appeal, as well as to preserve their energy for genuine artistic creativity.
On the other side, another group of critics considers that social media has given stars a golden opportunity to connect directly with their audiences without a media intermediary — something that strengthens their popular following and supports their artistic presence, even if it comes at the expense of the idea of the "rare aura".
Manufacturing the star
In this context, artist and film critic Ahmed Al Nabawi affirms that a performer's repeated appearances can dim their star power and leave audiences without any real eagerness to follow them. He notes, in an exclusive statement to Al Bayan, that the art of manufacturing a star rests on knowing when to appear and when to disappear, adding that stars who preserve the rarity of their appearances remain surrounded by an aura of anticipation and longing.
Consuming celebrity
Arts critic Faiza Hindawi believes that social media has weakened the traditional aura of stardom by making artists continuously accessible to the public. She stresses that a number of celebrities have maintained their lustre through infrequent appearances, while the platforms have exposed a great many details about other artists and reduced the scarcity factor for them.
Direct connection
"Social media has benefited stars by allowing them to communicate directly with audiences and dispense with traditional media" — so began critic Hanan Shouman's remarks on the subject, explaining that these platforms have, at the same time, removed the barrier of distance between the star and their public.
Shouman concluded by noting that this closeness has left stars vulnerable to random criticism and, at times, abuse, now that every person is able to write and comment in the manner of a specialist critic.