Celebrity gossip comes to Instagram
Traditional celebrity gossip—be it in print, on television, or written about online—deals in the real world goings-on of celebrity life. But a popular Instagram account is garnering attention for looking at the social media lives of those in the entertainment industry. The Shade Room, as it’s known, focuses on how well-known personalities interact in forums like Twitter and Instagram.
“It’s very much kind of an intra-instagram kind of network,” says Jenna Wortham, technology reporter for The New York Times, who recently wrote about The Shade Room, calling it Instagram’s very own “TMZ.”
“You’re going to see lot of things very specific to social media,” says Wortham. “It tends to focus on when Rihanna and Nicki Minaj are having a back and forth on instagram. It captures that and posts it. It aggregates all of that it in one space.”
Wortham met and interviewed the founder of The Shade Room, a 24-year-0ld woman named Angie, who wants to be known only by her first name.
Given the popularity of her ‘Insta-blog,’ why is she so secretive?
“She knows that the appeal of Shade Room is that it kind of has this sort of Oz-like omnipotence,” says Wortham. “To show the wizard behind the curtain would remove some of the mystique and the mystery.”
It’s smart decision on her part, adds Wortham, because the mystery keeps things more fun and interesting.
Angie runs the blog with the help of a handful of employees. The Shade Room started out on Instagram, but since then it has launched a regular blog. It also has accounts on Facebook and Twitter, and advertises on all of these platforms.
Could this turn into a breaking news site for celebrity news? “I think down the line absolutely it could be a place where people break news or want to make announcements or talk about an album release or a new concert tour,” says Wortham. “I dont think thats’ out of her reach at all.”
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