How Much ‘Talent’ Do You Need to Become Successful in The Age of Social Media?

Yesterday, Forbes published its list of mobile moguls, the world’s 100 top-earning celebrities who are making money through their massive social media following, and Kim Kardashian topped the list.

In the feature dedicated solely to the mother of two, here’s what the prestigious magazine said about her:

“It’s easy to scoff at this and pretty much everything else Kim Kardashian West does. The embodiment of the selfie era, she has stoked the notoriety she gained from a sex tape a decade ago by sharing almost every detail of her life, begetting, like some nightmare mash-up of Andy Warhol and Groundhog Day, perpetually more fame. 

But in obsessing over the details of an avatar, Kardashian has stumbled into an entirely new way to monetize fame, and she’s been shrewd enough to capitalize on a massive scale. Kardashian stars in a mobile game, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, in which players create their own celebrity, befriend Kim and work their way onto the A-list.”

This brings to mind how the Kardashian family has been criticised as talent-less by people, and even celebrities, who still hold the opinion that only artistes seen on TV are worthy of enjoying the spotlight.

And in an apt comeback, Kim Kardashian clapped back at all those who had played down her success over the years. “Such a tremendous honor to be on the cover of Forbes! I never dreamed this would happen& know my Dad would be proud,” she said, adding, “#NotBadForAFirlWithNoTalent”

But, is talent ever enough, especially in this age of social media?

We took a trip on Twitter to see what people are saying and there seems to be a shift in the old idea of what success is, and it is all thanks to social media platforms which create opportunities for smart people to gain global attention, a feat that is only achievable by sheer hardwork, smart thinking, and an aggressive self-marketing that earns them the only key to social media success: a massive following.

Gone are the days when people beg to be recognised by media houses; Instagram, Twitter and Facebook gave aspiring acts, models, writers opportunities to be heard, read and seen.

In the music world, the iconic singer Adele was discovered via social media platform MySpace.

Kim Kardashian was dragged down after her sex tape hit the internet. However, the business woman latched on that bad publicity to become an instant success. She has since been named, twice, as one of the most influential persons in the world. And in a year alone, she earned $45million from selling her app.

On the Nigerian scene, stars have been made of talented folks who knew that their talent wasn’t enough; everyone has something to say, to prove. But to gain the recognition, a few have exploited social media and today, are stars in their own right.

And so, is ‘talent’ enough to make someone successful?

OJPals, what do you think? Sound off below!

@OJ’s Blog EXCLUSIVE

Email: olumidejohnson.blogs@gmail.com