An explosive Instagram Live unmasks influencer culture in Netflix's "Celebrity."

Celebrity is a 2023 Netflix series that explores the ruthless, hypocritical, and beneficial power of social media between influencers and their followers. Seo A-ri's (Park Gyu-young) disinterest in social media, particularly Instagram, only lasted so long once she became aware of its full power, especially through the life of her former classmate, Oh Min-hye (Jun Hyo-seong). A spoiler warning and sensitive topics (including mental illness, bullying, etc.) warning are in effect! A decision to overcome the mockers and harness the power of Instagram to restore her family to their former high social class leads to significant discoveries socially, mentally, and financially. Quite frankly, I loved the Seo A-ri character for her iconic bob and confidence. I was always so proud of her and her moments despite her trials. Her determination is aspirational, especially when she triumphed over so much with the help of _bbbfamous (Kim Noh-jin) and others, such as her coworker and friend, Yoon Jeong-sun (Park Ye-ni).

I was surprised that the series took the realistic approach by making _bbbfamous reel in her power of information and social media techniques to betray Seo A-ri. I was also surprised by how badly she was doing and how much she hated influencers despite the signs. She chose death over living in a world of flashy influencers as her inadequacies broke her down day by day. This character was important to represent people similar to them, but also to represent the negative effects of excessive consumption on the lives of others, who often struggled to maintain that appearance. Her reveal was realistic as someone silent and working for them, gathering the information she shared with A-ri. Although, I considered Yoon Si-hyeon's (Lee Chung-ah) assistant who once asked Si-hyeon if she felt bad for her spoiled chaebol (generationally wealthy family) and influencer sister-in-law, Jin Chae-hee (Han Jae-in). Si-hyeon is mature. I felt bad for her at times regarding her husband and her struggle to gain closure about her past relationship with Han Jun-kyoung (Kang Min-hyuk), but at times, I felt like it was drawn on. Despite her obvious yearning for Jun-kyoung, her friendship with A-ri continued and prevailed, which was interesting. Although, it was ironic that A-ri wore Si-hyeon's special dress to meet Si-hyeon's ex and A-ri's new love, Jun-kyoung.

To be honest, I didn't like their relationship that much. I barely felt the love in it, at least not mutually. Jun-kyoung was captivated by her and obsessed with her, which was interesting to see. However, I only felt she cared about him when his accident happened, and I still thought that might have been because another person associated with her was at risk of losing their life. Also, I liked the Oh Min-hye character. She was calculating and determined, a great villain to A-ri's character as they worked the frenemy angle for a while. I felt bad for Jeong-sun because A-ri was living out the dream she had in a world she was deeply invested in. However, she was supportive until she no longer felt supported, which led to her anti-A-ri page that progressed further than her original one. This was realistic as well, but I was happy they worked it out eventually, as she was included in A-ri's riveting Instagram live to expose all A-ri went through before she was presumed dead. I was satisfied with the ending, generally, and for all the characters. Upon rewatching, I was surprised by Lee Jun-ho's cameo after watching King the Land, but his cameo and the possibilities surrounding it were explained wonderfully in a YouTube Video by NETFLIX PROBLEMS, which depicted how swiftly things could change if someone decided to take charge of the Instagram profile and more.

Celebrity has 12 episodes per season, with each title and theme represented by a hashtag. I truly appreciated the frame change that shows the time shifts between past and present in the story. It's simple but highly valuable as it enhances the viewing experience instead of requiring the viewer to decipher the differences between the past and present, which could often be complicated. I enjoyed this series, and I feel it's a must-watch - one of those things everyone should watch at least once. The series is informative and entertaining, as it challenges the viewer to question their online presence and involvement, while showing both the good and bad aspects of it all. As A-ri starts to develop, the series highlights that progress and power can be addicting as it explores the changes in her life and personality as she delves deeper into the world of influence, fame, and celebrity.

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