Social Media, Society, and Stanleys

• How has the online landscape transformed the dynamics of public opinion formation and communication strategies?
• Discuss the impact of social media on how public opinion is shaped and the strategies used to engage and persuade audiences. 

In Christa Kettlebell's, “Lilly Pulitzer and the Limited Edition Water Bottles,” she writes of a girl who sees a collab between the coffee brand Starbucks, and the water bottle brand Swell on Instagram. There’s one catch, it is a limited edition drop, and she can no longer find it. They’re sold out, almost like they never existed. She later finds them for resale, for about 3x more than the original price. Her main motivation for the water bottle isn’t because she absolutely loves Lilly Pulitzer, it is so she can show off her water bottle on Instagram and Snapchat too. 

This is what brands do — they create hype around a product, usually a limited edition product, to create a frenzy around owning it and being “exclusive.” You become part of a certain “group” when you have a coveted item. Much like Starbucks x Lilly Pulitzer, Stanley recently did a collab with Love Shack Fancy, both super popular on social media and with influencers. This was a limited edition drop that created so much hype, they were sold out within the first day. Now, resellers are selling them for 2x or more from its already ridiculous original value of $60. 

In addition, marketting the product with macaroons and other sweets communicates subtly to the audience that buying the water bottle is like getting yourself a “sweet treat.” A “sweet treat,” being the culture of treating yourself to a fancy coffee or pastry, but instead is being used for the consumerism of a water bottle (which most people are own more than one of).

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  What are the potential implications for society, democracy, and interpersonal relationships.
• Consider the broader effects of online opinion battles on societal values, democratic processes, and personal interactions. Provide examples of online campaigns that have had a significant impact on public opinion, and discuss the ethical considerations involved in participating in this digital battleground.

Moving on to a hotter topic in social media — politics. We all know the election happened recently, but perhaps not everyone saw this post (although many did). Taylor Swift, probably the most famous person in the United States, if not the entire world, posted an Instagram post with her cat, Meredith, in support of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. This sparked outrage in not only Republicans and Trump Supporters, but Trump himself, who took to his social media outlet “Truth Social,” as well as “X,” to disparage her. More than that, people were arguing whether or not Taylor should have said anything, or if as a public figure, she should remain neutral, or otherwise alienate some fans. They were also arguing in general about celebrities, such as Chappell Roan and Rachel Zegler, and their involvement in political hot topics. 

In my opinion, it is important for public figures, celebrities, pop stars, etc., to use their platform to amplify their voices. Someone like me, I can post why I am voting for Kamala all I want, but it will never have the reach that Taylor Swift does. When you stay quiet as a celebrity, people can and will project their opinions on you. And as many of us know, silence is complicity. If you are silent, you are essentially surrendering. 

Before and during the election, Trump’s administration and other Republicans disparaged single, cat-owning women, democratic women. This is why Taylor signs off as,  “Childless Cat Lady,” which, without the context of the web of social media tweets and posts, might seem a little weird. In this context, however, it is allying herself with women and with democracy. If posting a photo of her with her cat also wasn’t enough of a jab at those comments, this sign off surely was the nail in the coffin. 

Works Cited

Kettlewell, Christa. 2019. “Lilly Pulitzer and the Limited Edition Water Bottles.” Mazer, J. P Communication and social media: Understanding and managing communication challenges in a networked society. Oxford University Press.