Dictionary

microcelebrity en · NOUN

Etymology

From micro- + celebrity. Coined by Theresa Senft in 2008.

Meanings

1. (uncountable) Celebrity on a small scale or in a specific area.
   • Microcelebrity involves ways of relating to audiences that developed with earlier forms of participatory technology and have shifted with the introduction of new platforms. Senft (2008) first described microcelebrity in her study of camgirls, women using webcams in the late 1990s to share about their lives. 2018, Zizi Papacharissi, A Networked Self and Platforms, Stories, Connections, Routledge, →ISBN:
   • It was in this culture of microcelebrity that Anderson, an intellectual drifter who had been a hacker in his teens, saw an opportunity for MySpace. 2009 April 19, Michael Agger, “Dude, Murdoch Friended Us!”, in New York Times:
2. (countable) A celebrity whose fame is on a small scale or in a specific area.
   • Once a stopover for starving artists and gin-blossomed locals, Fanelli Cafe in Manhattan has become the choice meeting place for micro-celebrities brandishing hot dogs and Miista-heeled shoppers craving mid-spree martinis. 2025 July 1, Annie Armstrong, “LooksMapping Rates Restaurants on How Hot the Customers Are”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
   • Gary's personal brand skyrocketed as he became a micro-celebrity, and speaking engagements started pouring in. It wasn't long before he started to affect the culture around him. 2010, Juliette Powell, Social Media as Your New Business Platform, FT Press, →ISBN:
   • A guest brought up Scott Alexander, one of the scene's microcelebrities, who is often invoked mononymically. 2024 March 18, Andrew Marantz, “О.К., Doomer”, in The New Yorker, page 48:

Forms