The Coldplay concert affair captivated the internet. But is it time to move on?
Unless you are living under a rock, you've likely heard the news about that recent Coldplay concert. When a kiss-cam panned to two concert-goers in a loving embrace, only for them to try and quickly conceal their identities. The internet (and journalists) found them quickly – employees at data tech company Astronomer, one whom is the CEO and has since resigned.
The incident sparked many online and offline conversations and memes. Were the two having an affair? Didn't they know they'd eventually get caught? Why would they risk going out in public together? Is this the first time a jumbotron exposed an affair, let alone at a Coldplay concert? Posts on X included: "Sorry I can't, I'm busy liking all the Coldplay affair tweets I missed today because I was at my stupid job." "The seemingly infinite unfolding lore of the Coldplay affair couple has kept me entertained for an entire morning."
Then again, others noted that these are real people. They have real lives and face real consequences. The CEO resigned over this, after all. Maybe it's time to move on.
Media and psychology experts say it's not uncommon to obsess over others' cringey moments and mistakes because it makes us feel better about ourselves. It's a phenomenon called schadenfreude − when we find pleasure, joy and satisfaction in others' troubles, failures or pain − that ultimately reveals more about us than them.
"There seems to be a narrative thread that we like watching people make this climb to wealth and status," Robert Thompson, founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at the Newhouse School of Public Communications Syracuse University, previously told USA TODAY. "But once they actually get there, one of the only narrative threads left is to watch them fall. And we do get a lot of schadenfreude pleasure out of that if you look at a lot of the examples of stories we tell."
But it's worth pausing and reflecting before letting your gossip session spiral too far.
'Endless repeating cycle of controversy'
There's another psychological theory beyond schadenfreude, called "social comparison," that can explain our love for this drama, Elizabeth Cohen, associate professor at West Virginia University, previously told USA TODAY.
Downward social comparison is when you consume media solely to look down on others, a behavior that tends to dominate the social media landscape.
'Social media activity is an endless repeating cycle of controversy, outrage and our sacred right to say whatever we want about whoever we want with no consequences,' David Schmid, an associate professor of English at the University at Buffalo, previously told USA TODAY. 'Once we've chewed (a person) up and spat them out, we'll move to someone else, and so it goes on, ad nauseam, at a pace dictated by our ever-shrinking attention span.'
'Our desire and hunger for [celebrity culture] never ends'
Some gossip is inevitable. Everyone spends part of their day being unproductive – it's OK if yours involves gossiping about celebrities, even the social media kind.
When it comes to celebrity culture, "our desire and hunger for it never ends," said Erica Chito Childs, the Interim Ruth and Harold Newman Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Hunter College. But people are better off focusing their energy on positive rather than negative messaging.
"When you're engaging more of this hypercritical speculation on people's lives, who you don't even know, whether it's celebrities, or it's your neighbors, it's having the same impact," Chito Childs explained. "It's a negative thing."
But this type of speculation won't stop as long as social media and celebrity culture remains intact. The same goes for those who turn into celebrities overnight in viral videos.
"Being a celebrity means carrying a giant target on your back for people's psychological projections," W. Keith Campbell, an expert on narcissism, personality, and cultural change, previously told USA TODAY. "Sometimes those can be great but sometimes those can be really negative."
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28 minutes ago
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Can you ever expect privacy in public? Coldplay kiss camera saga tells us a lot about the answer
NEW YORK (AP) — When the 'KissCam' at a Coldplay concert landed on a couple who tried (but failed) to duck out of the spotlight, the internet immediately got to work. In hours, the clip was just about everywhere. Endless memes, parody videos and photos of the pair's shocked faces filled social media feeds. Online sleuths rushed to identify who was on camera. Artificial intelligence and software company Astronomer eventually confirmed that its CEO and chief people officer were in fact the couple in the video — and announced the CEO's resignation over the weekend. The incident's fallout has, of course, generated conversations about business ethics, corporate accountability and the repercussions that conflicts of interest among leadership can cause. But there are also broader implications at play in our increasingly online world — about the state of potentially being visible everywhere you go or tracked through 'social media surveillance." Experts say it's more and more common for moments that may have been intended to be private, or at least reserved to a single physical venue, to make their way online and even go global today. So in the era of lightning-fast social sharing and when cameras are practically inescapable, does being in public hold any expectation of privacy anymore? Is every experience simply fodder for the world to see? Cameras are everywhere It's no secret that cameras are filming much of our lives these days. From CCTV security systems to Ring doorbells, businesses, schools and neighborhoods use ample video surveillance around the clock. Sporting and concert venues have also filmed fans for years, often projecting playful bits of audience participation to the rest of the crowd. In short, the on-scene viewer becomes part of the product — and the center of attention. And of course, consumers can record just about anything if they have a smartphone in their pocket — and, if it's enticing to other social media users, that footage can quickly spread through cyberspace. Ellis Cashmore, author of the book 'Celebrity Culture,' proposes that the rapid fame of last week's KissCam moment probably answers a question many have been asking for years: 'Is the private life still what it was? And the answer is, of course, there's no such thing as the private life anymore,' he notes. 'Certainly not in the traditional sense of the term.' 'I'm not sure that we can assume privacy at a concert with hundreds of other people,' adds Mary Angela Bock, an associate professor in the University of Texas at Austin's School of Journalism and Media. 'We can't assume privacy on the street anymore.' Some version of the KissCam has long been a staple at big events — from timeouts during sports games to romantic songs played by artists at their concerts. It's easy to miss, but most venues have signs to inform the audience that they could be filmed during the event. What's been different in more recent years, experts note, is how quickly those moments can travel beyond the physical space where they actually unfold. That isn't only limited to what shows up on a jumbotron. Sometimes it only takes one person in the crowd to capture any interaction on their phone and post the video online — where it can zip around the world. 'It's not just the camera," Bock says. 'It's the distribution system that is wild and new.' Once something's viral, doxing often follows Then there's the second ring of exposure — what happens after the video or photos spread. Experts point to growing instances of social media users rushing to publicly identify, or dox, the people captured on camera — much like how quickly the internet committed to finding those involved in the Coldplay moment, for example. The LinkedIn pages belonging both to Astronomer's now-former CEO and chief people officer remained disabled on Monday, and The Associated Press could not reach either for comment. But it isn't limited to company executives. Beyond someone simply spotting a familiar face and spreading the word, technological advances — including AI — have made it easier and faster overall to find just about anyone in an online post. This can happen with videos and photos shared on social media each day, even if it doesn't go viral, experts warn. 'It's a little bit unsettling how easily we can be identified with biometrics, how our faces are online, how social media can track us — and how the internet has gone from being a place of interaction, to a gigantic surveillance system," Bock says. 'When you think about it, we are being surveilled by our social media. They're tracking us in exchange for entertaining us.' And of course, such moments can also impact people who were not actually on camera. As easy as it can be to be identified online today, the internet is notorious for cutting a broad swath or not always getting it right. That sometimes produces harassment of individuals not actually involved. At last week's Coldplay concert, for example, many social media users speculated that a third person seen near the two caught on camera was another Astronomer employee — leading to swarms of posts targeting her. But the company later confirmed that she was not at the event and said no other employees were in the video circulating online. For the now-viral moment, 'we can talk about what's right and wrong, and whether they deserved it,' says Alison Taylor, a clinical associate professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. Still, it's a 'very frightening thing to get a lot of abuse and harassment online,' Taylor notes. 'There are real human beings behind this.' It's hard to think that that these kind of viral moments will ever go away — and there are few legal restrictions to stop users from sharing clips of interactions recorded from anything from a concert to the street widely online. But on an individual level, Bock says it can be helpful to 'think before you share' and question whether something's really accurate. 'Social media has changed so much,' Bock says. 'But we really have not, as a society, caught up with the technology in terms of our ethics and our etiquette.' ___ Associated Press journalists Hilary Fox and Kelvin Chan contributed to this report. Wyatte Grantham-philips, The Associated Press
Associated Press
30 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Can you ever expect privacy in public? Coldplay kiss camera saga tells us a lot about the answer
NEW YORK (AP) — When the 'KissCam' at a Coldplay concert landed on a couple who tried (but failed) to duck out of the spotlight, the internet immediately got to work. In hours, the clip was just about everywhere. Endless memes, parody videos and photos of the pair's shocked faces filled social media feeds. Online sleuths rushed to identify who was on camera. Artificial intelligence and software company Astronomer eventually confirmed that its CEO and chief people officer were in fact the couple in the video — and announced the CEO's resignation over the weekend. The incident's fallout has, of course, generated conversations about business ethics, corporate accountability and the repercussions that conflicts of interest among leadership can cause. But there are also broader implications at play in our increasingly online world — about the state of potentially being visible everywhere you go or tracked through 'social media surveillance.' Experts say it's more and more common for moments that may have been intended to be private, or at least reserved to a single physical venue, to make their way online and even go global today. So in the era of lightning-fast social sharing and when cameras are practically inescapable, does being in public hold any expectation of privacy anymore? Is every experience simply fodder for the world to see? Cameras are everywhere It's no secret that cameras are filming much of our lives these days. From CCTV security systems to Ring doorbells, businesses, schools and neighborhoods use ample video surveillance around the clock. Sporting and concert venues have also filmed fans for years, often projecting playful bits of audience participation to the rest of the crowd. In short, the on-scene viewer becomes part of the product — and the center of attention. And of course, consumers can record just about anything if they have a smartphone in their pocket — and, if it's enticing to other social media users, that footage can quickly spread through cyberspace. Ellis Cashmore, author of the book 'Celebrity Culture,' proposes that the rapid fame of last week's KissCam moment probably answers a question many have been asking for years: 'Is the private life still what it was? And the answer is, of course, there's no such thing as the private life anymore,' he notes. 'Certainly not in the traditional sense of the term.' 'I'm not sure that we can assume privacy at a concert with hundreds of other people,' adds Mary Angela Bock, an associate professor in the University of Texas at Austin's School of Journalism and Media. 'We can't assume privacy on the street anymore.' Some version of the KissCam has long been a staple at big events — from timeouts during sports games to romantic songs played by artists at their concerts. It's easy to miss, but most venues have signs to inform the audience that they could be filmed during the event. What's been different in more recent years, experts note, is how quickly those moments can travel beyond the physical space where they actually unfold. That isn't only limited to what shows up on a jumbotron. Sometimes it only takes one person in the crowd to capture any interaction on their phone and post the video online — where it can zip around the world. 'It's not just the camera,' Bock says. 'It's the distribution system that is wild and new.' Once something's viral, doxing often follows Then there's the second ring of exposure — what happens after the video or photos spread. Experts point to growing instances of social media users rushing to publicly identify, or dox, the people captured on camera — much like how quickly the internet committed to finding those involved in the Coldplay moment, for example. The LinkedIn pages belonging both to Astronomer's now-former CEO and chief people officer remained disabled on Monday, and The Associated Press could not reach either for comment. But it isn't limited to company executives. Beyond someone simply spotting a familiar face and spreading the word, technological advances — including AI — have made it easier and faster overall to find just about anyone in an online post. This can happen with videos and photos shared on social media each day, even if it doesn't go viral, experts warn. 'It's a little bit unsettling how easily we can be identified with biometrics, how our faces are online, how social media can track us — and how the internet has gone from being a place of interaction, to a gigantic surveillance system,' Bock says. 'When you think about it, we are being surveilled by our social media. They're tracking us in exchange for entertaining us.' And of course, such moments can also impact people who were not actually on camera. As easy as it can be to be identified online today, the internet is notorious for cutting a broad swath or not always getting it right. That sometimes produces harassment of individuals not actually involved. At last week's Coldplay concert, for example, many social media users speculated that a third person seen near the two caught on camera was another Astronomer employee — leading to swarms of posts targeting her. But the company later confirmed that she was not at the event and said no other employees were in the video circulating online. For the now-viral moment, 'we can talk about what's right and wrong, and whether they deserved it,' says Alison Taylor, a clinical associate professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. Still, it's a 'very frightening thing to get a lot of abuse and harassment online,' Taylor notes. 'There are real human beings behind this.' It's hard to think that that these kind of viral moments will ever go away — and there are few legal restrictions to stop users from sharing clips of interactions recorded from anything from a concert to the street widely online. But on an individual level, Bock says it can be helpful to 'think before you share' and question whether something's really accurate. 'Social media has changed so much,' Bock says. 'But we really have not, as a society, caught up with the technology in terms of our ethics and our etiquette.' ___ Associated Press journalists Hilary Fox and Kelvin Chan contributed to this report.
Yahoo
an hour ago
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Astronomer's Kristin Cabot Boasted About Winning ‘Trust' of CEOs Before Coldplay Kiss Cam Scandal
Astronomer Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot once detailed what it was like working with high-level executives before getting swept up in a 'Kiss Cam' scandal with CEO Andy Byron at a Coldplay concert. 'An influential leader and fearless change agent, I lead by example and win trust with employees of all levels, from CEOs to managers to assistants,' Cabot wrote in her LinkedIn bio, per Page Six. '[I am] a passionate People leader known for building award-winning cultures from the ground up for fast-growing startups and multi-national corporations.' Cabot also stressed that she excels in 'creating innovative systems and processes that attract top talent, while aligning an organization's people around its and values.' Cabot, who has worked at Astronomer since November 2024, has since shuttered her entire LinkedIn profile in light of the scandal. Astronomer Execs Spark Meme Frenzy After Coldplay Jumbotron Scandal: See the Funniest Posts Cabot attended Coldplay's Wednesday, July 16, concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts, with Byron, where they were featured on the Jumbotron. In the footage, Byron had his hands wrapped around Cabot's waist while listening to the music, but dropped them when he noticed they were on the big screen. He subsequently crouched out of frame, while Cabot turned around and buried her face in her hands. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin then played into the speculation about Byron and Cabot's relationship status. 'Whoa, look at these two. Alright, come on. You're OK,' Martin, 48, said in footage shared via social media. 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy. I'm not quite sure what to do.' He added, 'Holy s***. I hope we didn't do something bad.' Neither Byron nor Cabot, who are reportedly married to other people, have addressed their connection outside of the office. Us Weekly reached out for comment. Byron, however, did praise Cabot's position on the team when she was hired. Who Is Andy Byron? 5 Things to Know About Married CEO Caught on Kiss Cam at Coldplay Concert 'At Astronomer, our people are the most valuable asset in helping our customers do more to gain a competitive advantage with their data,' he wrote in a November 2024 press release. 'Kristin's exceptional leadership and deep expertise in talent management, employee engagement and scaling people strategies will be critical as we continue our rapid trajectory.' He added, 'She is a proven leader at multiple growth-stage companies and her passion for fostering diverse, collaborative workplaces makes her a perfect fit for Astronomer.' As for Cabot, she noted in a separate statement at the time that she felt 'energized' to work on Byron's team at the tech company. Solve the daily Crossword
