“Obama Girl” Causes Stir on Internet
March 10, 2008This is America…can anyone become famous? Barack Obama girl sure thinks so. Her real name is Amber Ettinger and before June 2007, she was just another aspiring model that moved to New York City to follow her dream. In the summer of 2007, however, Amber released a YouTube video documenting her “love” for Barack Obama. Literally overnight, Amber reached YouTube celebrity status. It’s a four minute music video of Amber dancing in the streets and singing “I cannot wait for 2008, Barack Obama you’re the best candidate.” Simple as it may seem this video received the award for biggest viral video of 2007.
50 million people have viewed this video in the past nine months. That’s almost 17 percent of our country! This video was released nearly a year and a half before the 2008 presidential election, when there were still several candidates in the running for the democratic nomination and Amber still appeared on the Today Show, Howard Stern, CNN and Fox News. Man, this viral thing has got me thinking.
We’ve been learning in my public relations on-line course that the Internet is viral. It clings to things and is carried by word of mouth. This video is perfect representation of the power the Internet is capable of. But swaying the public’s opinion on the next President of The United States? Certainly not…
Hey look, it’s a hot girl. Hey look, it’s about a presidential candidate. Does it really matter if people are watching for the wrong reasons? For Obama it did. He released a statement that he denied any affiliation with Amber and that he did not endorse her video. Let’s think about this. Obama’s camp felt this video was enough of a sensation that it could cause some kind of damage to Obama’s campaign. Does this say something about the power of the Internet, or the power of public opinion? Or do they go hand in hand? One thing is certain; 50 million people have lots of opinions.
prRush 
I think the Amber video is a perfect example of how the media and internet effects our lives. How one person can post a video and it becomes the next hot thing to watch. She got her 15 minutes of fame all because she wore a shirt with Obama’s picture on it and sang about how she is Obama’s girl. She didnt even need him to back to her up to become “famous” for those 15 minutes. I dont think this video sways anybody in any sort of way all it is is something to look at and laugh at and be enteratined by for a few minutes. Thats what America is now anyway. Its not about the important news anymore its about what video on youtube or any other website entertains us the most for a week until we are on to the next.
This is one out of few interesting articles in her blog. I don’t know why she goes on and on, complaining about a pop-up window that asks her friendly to donate for one of the candidates (I am not even American and I did) in a earlier article or why she is unwillingly one more that talks about the alleged middle finger of Obama (I really agree with you; too much talking about barely interesting “political topics).
This article, however, is newsworthy. I admit that I am on of the 50 million people who watched this video. I find it quite amusing, since it is one of the videos that you hear about outside of the youtube sphere. I personally think that she is one model that decided to not leave it to chance to be discovered and hopped on the Obama hype. Nevertheless it is interesting that the candidate distanced himself publicly from the video since it is obvious for everybody that the campaign strategists are not connected with her. She launched her own site and her name “barelypolitical” makes a clear distinction between politics and her acting.
In conclusion, I would suggest to not jump on the well-worn topics but to delight the reader with more unexpected findings.
Thanks
that obama girl sure is hot
Well, the thing is Amber Ettinger did not need Obama’s backing to be be famous. She’s famous for what she is: a hot girl. Let us be realistic on this matter.
Many of the viewers of her videos are men, and a few pervert women trying to be, so there it is…
Polotical matters + a nice-bodied girl + internet=
FAME… PURE FAME