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Social media overload: Let Michael Jackson, Billy Mays and Farrah Fawcett rest in peace
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The media was unusually respectful when Farrah Fawcett passed away earlier this week. Later that day, news of Michael Jackson's death turned into a social media frenzy. Farrah's painful death was a mere blip on the radar compared to the rumors, speculation and often grossly inaccurate reports of Jackson's death.
Death became a trending topic on Twitter by early evening. The Twitter stream was jammed with hash tags representing groups who were either bashing or praising the quirky pop legend. Those who picked on him in the past were now in deep mourning over his sudden death. Perez Hilton, who runs one of the most controversial gossip websites, jumped the proverbial gun when he announced that Jackson was probably just pulling a prank. When Jackson's death was confirmed, Hilton did not apologize. He just kept on drawing an almost morbid interest to photos and up to the minute reports about Michael Jackson's death.
Today, Billy Mays died unexpectedly. While he's no pop music star, he created a name for himself on television boldy selling products like Oxy Clean and Orange Glo. His convincing sales pitch had millions ordering his products based on his incredible talent as an infomercial star.
Within minutes, Twitter users had a RIP Billy Mays hash tag (#) and many others were quickly created to pay tribute to this television salesman. The 'fail whale', an indication that Twitter is on overload, was appearing frequently with yet another day of death conversation. MySpace, Facebook and just about every social network was jammed up with talk about how much Billy Mays was a part of daily life.
When people are in the public eye, they are subject to endless gossip and speculation. The downside of the stardom is the tragic over analyzing that the media brings into the death of anyone in the public eye. Rest in peace might be muttered, but the curiosity almost overpowers the real tragedy. Death is sad no matter who it is. Spreading rumors about how the death occurred is just an ugly part of modern culture.
Music stores quickly sold out of Michael Jackson CDs and they were put up for auction on eBay before his autopsy was done. Those who never even listened to his music raided stores for any memorabilia they could put their hands on. Not because they felt compelled to save a piece of musical history, but because they wanted to cash in on death.
One has to wonder if the price of Oxy Clean will now increase to a point where no one will be able to get stains out of their clothes effectively without taking a loan out from the bank. On Myspace, a status update read: "RIP Billy Mays. People, contact me if you're looking for Orange Glo. Collector's item!" Social media at its lowest point.
Farrah Fawcett's death was respectfully handled, but I'm not sure that would be the case if the legend of pop music did not die the same day. The poachers didn't take long to sell of copies of her now famous poster from her younger years at mind boggling prices. It seems that the death of a star is a day of greed for many.
Movie stars, music icons and retail rock stars are people with families like anyone else. When everyone starts Twittering rumors or using eBay to sell off $10 posters for $500, it becomes a celebration of sorts. People forget that these human beings brought some form of entertainment into our homes and whether we enjoyed it or not, their lives were important to their families and friends.
Social media can bring people together as fast as it can tear them apart. The past few days have been a mix of that. Next time you think of joining on the social bandwagon upon the death of a star, perhaps it might be a good time to reflect upon the privacy your own family is afforded in times of sadness.
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