Ah, synergy: such a ‘90s term. In the age of social media, however, the concept has taken on new life, as the power couples of social media — romantic pairings in which each member enjoys professional prominence, as well as an army of followers online — have discovered co-branding opportunities of Twitter and Instagram.
It’s a far cry from the pre-Facebook era, when a “power couple” was typically only deemed as such after accruing enough party photographs, arm in arm, at black-tie benefits, to the point that it eventually scored a mention in a newspaper or magazine as a union to be reckoned with. Thousands of fans, if not millions, follow their every 140-character utterance, so power players who romantically merge their personal brands can now jump-start the process, leveraging their influence on social media to frame themselves as a public unit, a powerfully synchronous commodity.
Thanks to the limitless opportunities for self-promotion that exist on Twitter, Facebook and other sites, each member of a power couple can now serve as the other’s best publicist, pumping his or her partner’s latest television appearance, award or book signing, all in the spirit of love — hey, when your partner says it, you don’t even have to bother with a humblebrag, right?
But it is not just an issue of cyber-logrolling. Through a strategic use of such platforms, tweet-savvy power couples can position their own relationships as the effective equivalent of an online reality show, enhancing their mutual public image through a clever display of sitcom-ready banter, glamorous travel selfies and quirky relationship details that show off their distinct personality as a unit.
And, of course, such a strategy has its drawbacks, as the golfer Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory; 2.05 million followers) and the tennis player Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki; 669,000) discovered after a high-profile romance that bloomed and then imploded on Twitter. After their breakup in May, which some commentators suggested may have begun when Ms. Wozniacki, 24, tweeted an unflattering photo of Mr. McIlroy, now 25, napping on his bed with his mouth agape, the recent British Open and P.G.A. Championship winner told reporters glumly that he planned to stay off social media “for the foreseeable future” to heal his wounds. (He didn’t last long.)
Ms. Wozniacki was forced to swap out her Twitter avatar, from a shot of the two of them high-fiving on the fairway, settling on a campy shot of her posing as a witch stirring a caldron, which some observers interpreted as a jokey attempt to put a hex on her ex. Social media, at least, served as a nice forum to strike back.
Before long, she was Instagraming see-what-you-missed-out-on shots of herself in a tiny blue bikini, frolicking on a Miami beach with Serena Williams and cheekily alluding to her one-inch height advantage over her former boyfriend on Instagram (“Out and about in Istanbul. It’s been 3 years since I have worn heels on a normal day out. #feelsgood #looksgood #shopping #highheels #sun” she wrote on July 17).
The following is an admittedly unscientific look at some of leading power couples of the moment — drawn from the news media, entertainment, politics, sports and high-tech — where each member also happens to be a star of social media in his or her own right, and how they use the reach of social media to ensure that one plus one equals three. (Twitter and Instagram followers are as of Wednesday afternoon.)
Brad Goreski and Gary Janetti
WHO THEY ARE Celebrity fashion stylist and star of Bravo’s “It’s a Brad, Brad World”; “Family Guy” writer and co-executive producer and co-creator of the PBS comedy “Vicious” and “Will & Grace” executive producer.
TWITTER FOOTPRINT
@mrbradgoreski, 274,000 followers; @GaryJanetti, 154,000.
SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY It’s not exactly “A Star Is Born,” but the social media interchange between this TV royalty couple reflects the rapid ascent of Mr. Goreski, left, since he escaped Rachel Zoe’s shadow with a hit reality show of his own. Mr. Goreski, a stylist whose clients have included Jessica Alba and Christina Ricci, was still a television bit player at a time when his longtime boyfriend, Mr. Janetti, was already an established power broker in the industry. These days, however, Mr. Goreski has become famous enough to offer more than occasional Twitter boosts to Mr. Janetti’s latest ventures, like his bitchy British sitcom, “Vicious,” starring Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi, broadcast in the United States on PBS. This is not to say that Mr. Janetti, who has provided comic relief on his partner’s show, doesn’t do his part for the couple on social media. Mr. Janetti, who has been called “the funniest guy on Twitter” by the site xoJane, serves up an endless stream of droll epigrams (“If straights don’t let us get married we should stop cutting their hair”), which Mr. Goreski dutifully retweets. It’s just the sort of support Oscar Wilde could have used from Lord Alfred Douglas.
SAMPLE TWEETS
“Don’t forget to tune into @Vicious tonight at 1030pm on @pbs! Only two episodes left!! Don’t miss it! #Viciouspbs” — @mrbradgoreski July 27.
“Ugly people sing about breakups and good looking people sing about going to the club” — @GaryJanetti, June 28.
