ABSTRACT

As the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly escalated in early 2020 and shelter-at-home orders cascaded around the world, celebrities streamed live performances from living rooms, home studios, and empty opera houses. Social media buzzed with gratitude for the entertainment, inspiration, and camaraderie that developed between ordinary citizens and celebrities sharing music from isolation via media technology. Celebrities also called upon their industry connections and friendships to create collaborative fundraising events, support working musicians whose tours were cancelled, and highlight amateur performers. Musicians who streamed simple performances from relatively modest homes and provided glimpses of their ‘real lives’ – their talents, personalities, homes, friendships, and families – won praise from audiences. Touring musicians and theatre performers in particular provide fascinating moments of empowered participatory citizenship during the pandemic. Beloved by relatively small, active fandoms but not widely popular outside their specific genres, these celebrities are positioned to provide meaningful social media connections with their devoted fans while not necessarily garnering high-profile media attention for their efforts. My critical analysis explores how musicians and theatre performers have responded to social distancing by sharing their music and fostering moments of connection with audiences who were seeking comfort during a global crisis.

摘要

随着 COVID-19 大流行在 2020 年初迅速升级，世界各地的居家令订单层出不穷，名人从客厅、家庭工作室和空荡荡的歌剧院流式传输现场表演。社交媒体对普通公民和名人之间通过媒体技术分享音乐从孤立中发展起来的娱乐、灵感和友情表示感谢。名人还呼吁他们的行业联系和友谊来创建合作筹款活动，支持巡回演出被取消的在职音乐家，并突出业余表演者。音乐家们在相对简陋的家中播放简单的表演，并让他们一睹他们的“真实生活”——他们的才能、个性、家庭、友谊和家庭——赢得了观众的赞誉。特别是巡回演出的音乐家和戏剧表演者在大流行期间提供了赋予参与公民权的迷人时刻。这些名人受到相对较小、活跃的粉丝群体的喜爱，但在其特定类型之外并不广受欢迎，这些名人的定位是为他们的忠实粉丝提供有意义的社交媒体联系，但不一定会因为他们的努力而获得媒体的高调关注。我的批判性分析探讨了音乐家和戏剧表演者如何通过分享他们的音乐并与在全球危机期间寻求安慰的观众建立联系来应对社会疏离。这些名人的定位是为他们的忠实粉丝提供有意义的社交媒体联系，但他们的努力不一定会获得媒体的高调关注。我的批判性分析探讨了音乐家和戏剧表演者如何通过分享他们的音乐并与在全球危机期间寻求安慰的观众建立联系来应对社会疏离。这些名人的定位是为他们的忠实粉丝提供有意义的社交媒体联系，但他们的努力不一定会获得媒体的高调关注。我的批判性分析探讨了音乐家和戏剧表演者如何通过分享他们的音乐并与在全球危机期间寻求安慰的观众建立联系来应对社会疏离。