HOW SOCIAL MEDIA HAS CHANGED THE MODELLING INDUSTRY

Fifteen years ago, all a model had to do was show up and look pretty. But in today's social media-saturated world, a great pair of legs and killer cheekbones do not make a supermodel. More and more, a model's earning power is derived not only by how many shows she walked or magazines she covered, but how many Twitter followers she has.




SOCIAL MEDIA: A powerful asset in a model's career (www.memeburn.com).


Name recognition has always been a powerful asset in a model's career, but whereas in the past the public mostly got to know the industry's biggest players through countless covers, campaigns, gossip columns and paparazzi photos, today's social media has enabled models to make names for themselves. Now, any business-savvy model can get her name out there, and control her brand, through Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook (www.newyork-tokyo.com) .




KATE UPTON: First supermodel to use social media as a powerful asset (www.theplace2.ru).


Kate Upton is the first model to use social media as a powerful asset in her modelling career. She is an American model and actress known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue first in 2011 when she was named Rookie of the Year, and again in 2012, when she was announced as the cover model. Today, up-and-coming young models like Kate Upton, have their web-savvy skills and digital popularity to thank for their skyrocket to fame. Social media imprint (from Facebook and Twitter) has ranked the following models as the top 5 for using social media as a powerful asset (www.ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com):

1. Tyra Banks:          9 126 761
2. Adriana Lima:       2 310 529
3. Heidi Klum:          2 191 447
4. Miranda Kerr:      1 838 532
5. Gisele Bundchen: 1 797 789

My question is, while a large social media presence is no doubt a useful tool, does it really equal more success????