'Leave Britney Alone"

Chris Crocker’s Youtube video, “Leave Britney Alone’ has become a Youtube phenomena. Although he is just sitting in front of a sheet or curtain emotionally voicing his opinions, it has received more than 34 million views (34, 259, 989 to be exact as of October 10, 2010) since being published on September 7, 2007. Crocker’s simple video yet intriguing execution and insightful message and has allured viewers for more than 3 years.

The video itself is of rather low quality. It is evident that he is sitting in front of the camera, or even possibly holding the camera with his hand and recording this. There is very little to no physical movement, except wiping his tears; the background, a sheet is very plain and bland. But did Crocker plan this simple set so the viewer would focus on his message, to leave Britney alone? With very little overall movement, the viewer is able to focus on Crocker’s emotion and narrative. Crocker’s emotions provide more insight to his message than the background and setting; there are no light changes to distract the viewer’s eye to something else; the viewer is focused on Crocker.

The narrative itself can be seen as powerful. It entices the audience to listen to his concerns for Britney Spears, as the life of Britney Spears is one that has been followed by the mass media for years; the whole world is watching and critiquing every step she takes. In addition, Crocker raises some interesting socio-cultural issues. Although he is mainly concerned with giving Britney her necessary space for recovery, it raises the question of privacy and celebrity status. Although a celebrity is a human being and has the same right to privacy, he/she lives in the limelight and we as ‘viewers’ or non-celebrity status human beings are intrigued by their rich lifestyles. Where do we draw the line for celebrities? Why are we so intrigued in their lifestyle? Why are we willing to pay money to read or watch about their daily habits? Why are we so willing to spend time following celebrities around when there are homeless people starving on the street? Why give out money to celebrities or media outlets that take advantage of celebrities when they already have enough money?

The attention the ‘Leave Britney Alone’ video has received from the media is rightfully earned. It goes to show that many human beings acknowledge our love and intrigue for information about celebrities is way too intense and we must draw a line somewhere in terms of respecting privacy, but we are hesitant to do so. With so many views, I wonder how this will, if it does at all, affect Lindsay Lohan’s current personal troubles. Currently going through some rough waters, Lohan probably also needs to be out of the limelight and media; the question though, is will she? Will our desire for information about her life and the money we are willing to spend on it triumph her need for privacy?