Wiz Khalifa is the perfect example of an artist who used digital media to fuel his career. His masterful use of the digital writing and social networking site Twitter and his regular recording of the series DayToday are arguably the two things that account for the majority of his current success.
A video from his DayToday series. [May not be appropriate for all viewers]
The Concept
The concept behind DayToday is evident in the name itself. It is a day-to-day documentation of the life lead by rap sensation Wiz Khalifa. The series follows him from a budding artist to an international superstar, and offers digital footage of his journey. The approach behind it seemed initially impromptu and amateur, as it consists of low-quality video recordings done by Wiz Khalifa himself. Progressively, however, the quality of the recordings increases and the camera operators change to become more sophisticated. An evolution takes place very subtly as Wiz goes from filming the series himself, to his manager and friend Will filming the majority of it, to director Bill Paladino taking over the operating duties. Everything seems to expand with the budget, yet the initial concept of following the rapper's day-to-day lifestyle remains the concept of DayToday.
The Appeal
The appeal of the series DayToday is in its ability to connect with a mass-scale audience on a pathos level. As the series follows Wiz Khalifa on a day-to-day basis, it reveals him to be quite similar to the audience to which his music is tailored. He documents himself smoking, joking with his friends, and drinking. While these may not necessarily appeal to the logos that is aware of the detrimental effects of two of those three activities, it appeals to the pathos of the wide-ranging audience who inhabit that reality on a daily basis. In turn, this also generates a sort of ethos to it, as it offers an opportunity for viewers to vicariously feel a sense of justification in their lifestyle when they see him engaging in the same activities while still being financially prosperous.
In addition to providing a connection on the level of pathos which is the foundation for a sense of appealing ethos to many, the series (in its later seasons) shows the rewards of Wiz Khalifa's efforts as he splurges on clothes, jewelry, and much more. Music videos and the media's portrayal of the lifestyle rappers typically lead only offered audiences a limited view. In his series, Wiz Khalifa offers up hours worth of footage documenting him doing things like drinking $1,000 champagne on a yacht, performing in front of massive crowds, and traveling internationally. The viewer is able to follow along in his expensively wild ride of a lifestyle.
The Purpose
The purpose of Wiz Khalifa's series DayToday is to offer a glimpse into his lifestyle as he raps and promotes his way to fortune and fame. This helps viewers feel connected with him and encourages them to listen to and buy his music and support him as an artist. This series is a clever and unique way for Wiz Khalifa to gain more success.
For more information about digital writing and purpose and other ways celebrities use Twitter to accomplish a goal, please visit Purpose.