George Takei: The King of Social Media Takes on Fitness and Trolls
Photo: Luke Fontana
George Takei may be big on social media, but he’s not so big on other forms of interactive entertainment.
“I am not a gamer,” he admits.
When he finds a few moments to futz around on his iPhone 6, he gravitates more toward Twitter or Facebook than to Angry Birds or Temple Run. And yet he’s agreed to be the public face for a suite of upcoming gaming fitness apps from Fit Entertainment.
Takei, a lifelong fitness enthusiast who has participated in several marathons, will appear as the first celebrity avatar for the apps, which include Fit Go Run and Fit Go Step Challenge. He also plans to release his own fitness apps in the future.
“I was attracted [to this app] by the idea of proselytizing fitness,” he told Yahoo. “That’s something I do every day. And if we can get people to exercise via a video game, I think that’s a good thing.”
Running an online empire
When he isn’t exercising, Takei is lording over a massive online following: He boasts over 10 million fans on Twitter and Facebook. But he doesn’t do it all by himself.
While Takei spends parts of his weekends personally prowling social media, many of the posts on his accounts actually come from his staff.
“I’m not in front of the computer all day long,” he says. “[Takei’s husband] Brad took over, and now we have a whole staff that helps out, and I spend the weekend commenting on them. It used to be a pop-and-pop shop — rather than a mom-and-pop — but we have become a major industry.“
But while Takei enjoys interacting with fans, the legendary Star Trek star is increasingly worried about the mob mentality that’s come to dominate social media. Whether it’s the aggressive tactics of the Gamergate movement, the uproar that followed the death of Cecil the lion or the bullying of school kids, Takei is concerned about how we connect with one another online.
Having a drink with some old friends. (Photo: AP Photo/Bob Galbraith)
“The thing about social media is it’s very democratizing,” he says. “But the dark side can be very hurtful. Initially, the optimistic view was that social media was a chance to expand the town square, to a global town square where we can share ideas. But then the underbelly appeared. When [trolls] organize, they become a real threat to vulnerable people.”
Takei has firsthand knowledge of how quickly social media can turn sour.
“When I came out as gay in 2005, it was overwhelmingly positive. But then these very cruel and mean-spirited people would write … and you could tell by their vocabulary that they wanted to hurt you.”
“I was strong enough to take it, but I can imagine if you’re a teenager and you’re making decisions about your sexual orientation, it can be devastating. It can be a terribly destructive technology.”
Takei believes that the key to cutting through the noise and the dark stuff, to getting people to pay attention to what he has to say about such serious matters, is to stay entertaining. His seemingly endless stream of memes, jokes and funny photos — while certainly representative of Takei’s warm, lighthearted personality — have given him a huge platform. He’ll occasionally use that position to express his thoughts on issues that are more serious than, say, a kitten cozying up with a squirrel.
Trekking into 2016
As for that other industry Takei’s associated with, he’s got a pretty big year coming up. 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, and he says he’s excited about it, if a bit bemused.
“We’re celebrating 50 years of Star Trek with people who have been there only a few years,” he says, referring to the new cast of the rebooted franchise.
And, despite his Trek origins, Takei says he’s also looking forward to the new Star Wars film this year.
“I’m the Star Trek guy who crossed over the bridge,” he says, noting he voiced the Neimoidian general Lok Durd on the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV series. “I’ve embraced both worlds … I’m what’s called a Star Peacekeeper!”
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