Image via Wikipedia
In the wake of his tasteless tweet defending Joe Paterno as the Penn State sex abuse scandal was unfolding, Kutcher has offered a defensive apology and simultaneously announced that he is handing over his twitter feed to his production company, Katalyst Media.
What does it mean for Twitter when the celebrity with the distinction of being the first user to reach one million followers, now up to 8.2 million, announces he will use a first line of defense to monitor his twitter feed?
Kutcher is the reason that most celebrities from Shaquille O’Neal to Jessica Simpson do their own tweeting. The same celebrities who are too big to take out their own garbage, make a reservation or buy a gift on their own, know that they can't outsource their tweeting. Like Kutcher understood from the start, these celebrities realize that no publicist can ever sound precisely like they do and further, that the more personal they get, the more attached their fans become.
Kutcher is now joining the less web savvy stars who mistakenly turn over their tweets to firms or staff. Kutcher has announced that his team will now monitor his uber-popular brand to avoid any misfires - their job will be to make sure they approve the next 7,198 great tweets and help him avoid the one or two mistakes. At a minimum this is a near impossible job and most likely signifies the end of a Twitter era. When Twitter's celebrity mascot turns his back on genuine and spontaneous tweeting, it won't be long before other celebrities and even business brands follow suit.
Twitter has made Ashton Kutcher much larger than his former actor/producer monikers– his social media popularity has strengthened his brand, added to his stardom and even helped him land a role as Charlie Sheen’s replacement in Two and a Half Men. But now he is reacting to his own mistake by toiling with the Twitter rules he helped create.
Ashton Kutcher might be the only Twitter celebrity with the power to change it. As entrepreneur and Twitter favorite Gary Vaynerchuk says: “Ashton is one of the more 'real' celebs out there. I would hate to see him shy away from the platform.” Ashton brought these celebrity brands to the party. If he leaves, it is hard to imagine that many brands won't follow. Is this Ashton Kutcher’s dramatic threat or will the first man to a million followers – the man with the power – be changing the game forever?
Samantha Ettus is a bestselling author and speaker on personal branding. Join her on Twitter @samanthaettus or email her at samantha@samanthaettus.com.
