Yesterday evening Etta James said her Beyonce comments were just a joke. OK, sure, psyche! I don’t believe for one minute that it was just a joke. I think Ms James was hurt because she wasn’t asked to sing “her song” at the inaugural ball and she lashed out at Beyonce. In terms of the backlash, here’s what I think happened.
Etta James did not understand the power of the Internet, blogs and youtube. She had no idea that her comments would spread across the world in just a matter of hours if not minutes. When Etta James was in her prime, it was a totally different world. There was no Internet, no cell phones with cameras, video and voice recorders. You Tube did not exist.
Etta’s comments went viral and a multiplicity of bad press ensued. None of this does Etta James any good. Let’s face it, before the movie Cadillac was released, most of us thought Etta James was dead. Now a career that could have been resurrected is probably dead for real.
Kathy Hendershot-Hurd wrote an article about our digital footprints.
Contrast that with today when anyone with access to the internet can be granted an unprecedented level of omniscience – at least when it comes to observing digital interactions. Online we’re constantly being judged by what we write! The blog posts I write, the comments I leave on other blogs not to mention the information contained in various online profiles are available for ALL to see. Combined, those interactions are creating a digital footprint that can’t be easily erased or altered.
Internet access + basic computer skills = a level of omniscience previously unknown to mankind!
In this case, Etta James did not write the article or comment on someone’s blog. She made a statement, just a few sentences that bloggers and the media ran with. We created a digital footprint for her. Like it or not, she now has a digital footprint that will forever exist in cyber space.
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Valerie,
YOU NAILED IT!!!
“Etta James did not understand the power of the Internet, blogs and youtube. ”
Unfortunately, a LOT of people don’t understand how “big” the internet “bulldog” has gotten – until it reaches out and BITES them. Then, unfortunately, they learn that footprints made online are NOT like the footprints left in the sand – they do NOT get quietly washed away. The footprints we leave online are set in cement!
Kathy @ Virtual Impax’s last blog post..Social Media Marketing – What you don’t know CAN hurt you
Hello! I thought Etta James was dead too. As I replayed the sound bite, I thought to myself..”Who really wants to see her sing the song, and could she really sing it like she did back then anyway…” I think not! I think it was really poor taste for her to make the comments that she made, especially going as far as talking about Pres. Obama’s ear and fighting Beyonce. And she wonders why nobody asked her to sing….
Hi Kathy, I think there is a serious disconnect between very young people and older people who understand the far reaches of technology. I’ve read some blogs written by young women who post waaaaaaaay too much information about their personal lives and sexual exploits. Sooner or later it will come back to haunt them.
Hi Nikki, right about now Etta James realizes the mess she has gotten herself into. It’s really sad that this little fiasco will have such a negative impact on her legacy.
[...] but I found some very humorous moments thanks to current events. I had a good laugh from the Etta James outburst about Beyonce Knowles. Then there was Andrew Card who forgot he is not the White House Chief of [...]