viernes, 19 de diciembre de 2014

#BreakTheInternet...or not?

Hint: Do you recognize Homer’s mouth?



Knowing that this post is out of time, I decided to write it anyway. I usually don’t go over topics that seem like clear desperate calls for attention to me -because writing about it is granting that attention-, but I could make an interesting point out of this one.

I’m talking about KimKa’s Butt (with capital B, since it has kind of a personality on its own now), and Paper Magazine’s attempt to break the internet. Now allow me to walk you through my mental process while reading the news:

1) I thought: “Oh, so now she’s totally naked! I wonder why it doesn’t really surprises me. 

2) I wondered what the reasoning behind the magazine cover was. Since this is not a “gentlemen’s” magazine I wanted to believe that there could be much more behind it than just the fact of creating “breaking news” with KimKa’s Butt. After all, there should be an article supporting the pictures, no?

3) There was an article and I read it. And I found it clever, although pitiful.

4) I also found hilarious memes withKimKa’s Butt, but that's not the point. 

Now let me share my conclusions with you all.

1 – Apparently, seeing KimKa’s totally naked not only didn’t surprise me, it didn’t surprise many people. Like, this was the next thing she had left to do. You sort of would expect it from her; therefore, seeing her wasn’t as impacting as it would have been if it was someone else. Let’s take “Gisele Bundchen” as an example. Even though Gisele is a VS top model always appearing in her underwear, she has never even showed her boobs and she keeps an apparently very normal personal life with her husband and kids, usually away from scandals. KimKa’s on the other hand, with the “lovely” support of her soulmate ‘Ye, is always all over the place. I wouldn’t doubt if their next move is to appear naked together.

So, conclusion #1: To create real outstanding impact, you better surprise.

2 – Paper Magazine said their goal was to “Break the internet”. Although a little cynic, the whole thing was interesting as well. I don’t know if I’m the only one who felt like there was something unsaid between the lines, but my interpretation of the situation and the article shifted more towards them not trying to “break the internet” really, but kind of criticizing a society who tries-so-hard every day to do it. And there is people like KimKa’s who likes the attention, being used sometimes somehow by others. People who would do anything. And people who would love to be like her. Because “there’s people and there’s people”, says a Spanish refrain.

Conclusion #2: Don’t take anything for granted when reading the news, you would be surprised.

Of course, as a journalist I always knew this. But sometimes I also get carried away and dragged by what everyone is talking about and forget to do my own research.

3- Surprisingly, the interview was empty but interesting from a communication stand point. If you read it thoroughly, you’ll note that KimKa didn’t say anything really. She didn’t answer the questions widely. She didn’t disclose any interesting information. It made me wonder if she’s really empty headed or she’s so smart that she knows how to play it. Surely we see her life and her “real self” in her show, but it has always been said that her mom is the master mind behind the whole family success. What’s reality? We’ll never know. “But you know that she is very, very famous. Some would say that’s all you need to know”. I know how it is to have an interview with no real answers and how creative a journalist has to get in those cases.

Conclusion #3: Amanda Fortini, the author, was very creative. I applaud her for that. And we are all playing along: Kim posing, Amanda building on her scarce answers, you reading, me criticizing…