Willie Willingham, Ole Miss “celebrity” and traffic officer directs oncoming vehicles on campus. (Photo by: Kamera Griffin & Ariel Cobbert)
The millennial generation, with DNA practically wired for social media, has created a new kind of celebrity.
Millennials have created a brand of stardom that does not find itself on the big screen or the front cover of People, but in the nerve waves of social media. With this type of celebrity, the end game is not to become famous; it’s more of an expression of self and being in the right place at the right (or unfortunate) time.
Ole Miss has an array of these “stars.” From grove squirrels to “the singing guy,” students have a knack for turning something mundane into a campus-wide catchphrase.
Last year, it was Instagram-famous Union crossing guard Matt Jeslis and his ubiquitous words, “Can I have y’all stop for one second? Can I have y’all wait for one minute?”
Bob Bruce dances during womens basketball game earlier this season. (Photo by: Kamera Griffin & Ariel Cobbert)
This year, it is his successors: the crossing guard by Farley Hall and “the pom pom guy” at basketball games.
Social media outlets like Snapchat, Twitter and YikYak have been key players in the micro-celebrity revolution. With the use of the “campus story” feature on Snapchat, students are able to take instant videos and pictures of anything or anyone at the University and immediately share it with the entire UM community. With the posting of a video or snap of a picture, students can create the next Ole Miss buzzword.
The accessibility of these social media platforms has allowed anyone with an iPhone and a hashtag to shine a spotlight on the locals.
Dennis Nelson, affectionately known as “Super D,” has become known for his friendly service, smoothie-making prowess and impromptu handshakes at the Grill at 1810. Ole Miss Dining posted a picture on their Instagram account Monday of Nelson bumping fists with a customer.
“Dennis is unique to Ole Miss,” sophomore accountancy major Chandler Telfer said. “He brings his own personality to the job in a way that’s entertaining. He loves what he does and always makes it a fun time going to the grill. It’s not your normal dinning experience.”
Students jam to the voice of Ole Miss “celebrity” Derek McOmber. (Photo by: Kamera Griffin & Ariel Cobbert)
Similarly, crossing guard Willie Willingham makes his daily duties special to those around him. He can be found singing gospel songs while directing students toward Lamar Hall and ensuring they cross the street safely. He is a regular feature on the Snapchat campus story and a regular part of the lives of many on campus.
In November, the Oxford Dictionary announced the word of the year as no word at all, but an emoji. Following the announcement, the Oxford University Press team released a statement detailing the reason behind their decision.
“Emojis have come to embody a core aspect of living in a digital world that is visually driven, emotionally expressive and obsessively immediate,” the team said.
This “emotionally expressive and obsessively immediate” digital generation latches onto small ideas and expands them into an establishment in a matter of seconds. The Ole Miss campus is no stranger to this sensation.
With people milling about campus phone-to-face, quirky habits and unusual behavior of unsuspecting subjects are easier than ever to capture and broadcast to the world at large.
For “the singing guy”, senior management and informations systems major Derek McOmber, his following came from his love for singing and making other people’s days better. He first started singing on an O.U.T. bus, where he quickly realized his singing was making the days of other bus riders a little brighter.
From there, McOmber started walking as a means to get exercise and sang along the way.
“I love entertaining people. I’m an entertainer by nature,” McOmber said. “I enjoy being the person to come along and make people happy and inspire them to be themselves.”
McOmber said he credits his big break to being regularly featured on students’ Snapchat stories. In fact, he did not realize he was “the singing guy” until a friend told him he noticed him on multiple student’s posts.
McOmber said he does not have a Snapchat account himself, but he steadily noticed people starting to record him walking on campus.
“The reason why I sing is I just enjoy it. I want to get better at singing and this was a way to do that,” McOmber said. “I had no idea everything was going to explode the way it did in the social media aspect.”
McOmber now has a Facebook fan page, where he posts about his weekly appearances at various karaoke places around town.
The most recent celeb on campus found his start in the University’s newest building. His stardom came from being regularly featured on the Pavilion big screen and the Snapchat campus story. When Bob Bruce stood up and danced with red pom poms during basketball games, UM students took notice.
Bruce is originally from Itta Bena and now spends half the year in Clinton and the other half at his family’s condo in Oxford. Although he did not attend college himself, Bruce said he has been an Ole Miss fan for as long as he can remember. He is now retired from the insurance business, with a schedule that allows him to support all the UM sports he wants.
A loyal Ole Miss supporter, Bruce attends all home baseball games, women’s and men’s basketball games and football games. Like McOmber, Bruce was completely unaware of but pleasantly surprised by his fame on campus.
Sophomore broadcast journalism major Kinsey McLaughlin is a loyal Rebels basketball fan like Bruce.
“His energy is contagious,” McLaughlin said. “He stands up and shakes his pom poms to every song that our band plays. He’s an ideal Rebel fan and one day, when I am his age, I hope to be as enthusiastic and lively as him at Ole Miss sporting events.”
It’s no surprise that social media is becoming increasingly dominant in our society. One of the best parts about the growing presence of these outlets is the added opportunities to highlight the members of society who make life better for the people around them with their infectious spirits and unique quirks. Here’s to the next “singing guys” and crossing guards who will continue to make Ole Miss a more interesting place.
– Lizzie McIntosh
