The American Meme

The American Meme explores the online footprint and behind the scenes stories of four social media celebrities who have each utilised online platforms to gain followers and become ‘influencers’ in the digital age.

The documentary film raises the idea of modern alienation under capitalism[6] and explores various diverse material on the likes of Paris Hilton, Josh Ostrovsky, Brittany Furlan and Kirill Bichutsky’s rise to fame,[7] strategies to maintain influence in social media spaces and difficulties in maintaining this influence and the use of social media as a source of income.[8]

The American Meme was directed by Bert Marcus. Bert Marcus is the founder of the production studio Bert Marcus Productions and has directed three films. The two other films are What We Started (2017) and Champs (2014).[9][10]

He has been a producer on nine films in total, which include Human Capital (2019) and How to Make Money Selling Drugs (2012).

The documentary film was produced by Bert Marcus Productions,[11] established by Bert Marcus.

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the documentary has an approval rating of 94% and an average score of 6.80 out of 10 based on 31 critics.[12] The site's critical consensus reads, "The American Meme dives into the shallow end of modern celebrity, emerging with a series of fascinating – and surprisingly deep – observations."[12] Metacritic rated it 60 points out of 100 based on seven reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".[13]

Common Sense media critic Brian Costello reviewed the documentary and noted that “While well-done and comprehensive, this documentary also feels like kicking down an open door.”[14]

Time Out New York named it the number one film to watch in the article ‘The 10 best movies at Tribeca Film Festival 2018’,[15] writing that the documentary "finds its way to an unexpected sadness and maybe something deeper and cautionary."[16] Owen Gleiberman of Variety described it as "highly entertaining and an essential snapshot of the narcotic voyeuristic parasitic American fishbowl", following its premiere at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. Gleiberman went on to say that , "Bert Marcus, the director of 'The American Meme,' works in a kaleidoscopic style that channels the glitzy, fragmented screen-shot spirit of his subjects. At the same time, he gets us close to them, so that we can see the kind of people they are: shrewdly likable and kind of ordinary. Their lives consist of feeding a beast that pumps their fame and drains their souls."[17] Bilge Ebiri of Vulture.com wrote that it "can be fun, even informative, but there’s a bigger story here, and Marcus mostly fails to tell it".[18] Kyle Turner of The New York Times wrote, "Marcus has made a documentary that is not unlike the internet itself: maximalist and without focus", calling it "a polemic as shallow and artificial as it thinks its subjects are".[19]

In a review of the film in The New Yorker, Naomi Fry writes, "But what is fascinating, and valuable, about 'The American Meme' is its ability to reveal the desperation, loneliness, and sheer Sisyphean tedium of ceaselessly chasing what will most likely end up being an ever-diminishing share of the online-attention economy."[20] Bust wrote, "'The American Meme' unpacks and reveals the ecosystem of social media celebrity with incredible thoughtfulness....this movie is no hand wringing think piece from a legacy publication about how the Young People and their Insta - whatevers are ruining society, written with an insufferably lofty tone by an outsider. What Marcus does, radically enough, is treat the social media personalities he interviews for this film as real people, rather than subjects in a study or avatars of moral degradation."[21] The film has been described by The Irish Times as "a fascinating look into the curious appeal and lives of social media superstars and reality celebrities."[22]

Paris Hilton, one the film's central characters, has been praised for showing her vulnerability and giving audiences a glimpse into the dark side of fame. The website the Decider wrote that, "In a series of quiet, reflective interviews, Hilton explains why she trusts her fans more than her friends and dissects the risqué David LaChappelle photoshoot that transformed her into a household name."[23] Furthermore, USA Today shares "5 ways Netflix's 'The American Meme' will change the way you think about Paris Hilton,"[24] including the closeness she has with her fans and her genuine self-awareness about the reality of internet stardom and notoriety. Chris Gore of Film Threat rated 9/10 and wrote, "This surprisingly entertaining documentary takes a deep dive into the lives of social media influencers and how they manage to make a living running their Instagram accounts".[25]

The American Meme explores the themes of 'The Social Media Influencer' and 'The production and consumption of 'well-knownness’,[26] as evidenced by the Bert Marcus's choice in directing and in the dialogue spoken and edited, such as Josh Ostrovsky, one of the social media influencers in the documentary, who explicitly shares the plight of gaining and maintaining attention and space as an influencer in the digital sphere. Josh Ostrovsky’s dialogue on the competition for public attention and influence is explored by academic writer Daschmann (2007) who wrote that the masses of (aspiring) celebrities all have to compete for the public’s (limited) attention.[27] Paris Hilton shared her views on the consequences of fame in the digital age, saying that in being a celebrity, privacy and respect for boundaries are lost. This idea is explained by Zizi Paracharissi (2010) who argued that ‘social media platforms have introduced a space where boundaries between private space has become fuzzy, claiming that this imprecision open up new possibilities for identity formation’.[28] The power of social media and influencers is in one aspect bringing the private space into a public sphere of mass connection and perceived authenticity.[29] As Paris Hilton shared in the documentary, Marshall (2010) explains that social media allows celebrities to promote themselves and their products by communicating directly with the audience[30] but can be exhausting to be present to stay relevant.[31]

On the theme of the production and consumption of well-knownness, social media has a strong role in the creation of celebrities as it provides provide a platform of ‘visibility and a distribution channel of celebrities’ activities, which contribute to their well-knownness in society.[32] In the democracy of pseudo-events, everyone can become a celebrity by getting into the media’s spotlight and by staying there’.[33][34] Drake and Miah (2010) explain that “Media exposure is the oxygen that sustains the contemporary celebrity”.[35]

The soundtrack to The American Meme features a number of songs by artists including Britney Spears, Eminem and Ariana Grande.

The LA based film composer and songwriter Tyler Strickland is credited with selecting the pieces of music for the soundtrack in The American Meme[36] as listed below.

• The American Meme on IMDb