In today’s day and age we live in a society obsessed with celebrity culture. This however, is not a new addiction; our society’s fascination with celebrity culture has been around for decades. Through the years, we’ve seen fandom come in various forms, shapes and sizes. From the groupies of the 60s, to the more recent digital-followers, one thing common among all fans is the pedestal on which they’ve put their favorite celebrity. Some people would argue that fans are not only the most important part of a celebrity’s life, but fans are quintessential in their success. Fans admire them, follow their every move: physical or electronic, and purchase anything and everything that might bring them in looking/feeling more like their desired celebrity. Many experts even believe that fan and fan-clubs often resemble religions. One can easily note the similarities between fans and a religious cult; from worshipping to organizing conventions and event recruiting new followers. To some it might even sound like a disorder, and Dr. Lynn McCutcheon after her intense research, was the first one to coin the term: (CWS) Celebrity Worship Syndrome. According to Psychology Today, CWS can be described as a mental-disorder where an individual becomes completely obsessed with the details of the personal life of a celebrity (Griffiths). A celebrity, as defined by Mark Griffiths, can be any person who is present in the ‘public eye’, including Politicians, authors, and journalists, but according to Dr. McCutcheon research they are more likely to be someone from the world of television, film and/or pop music. Continuing on Justin Bieber’s ad campaign, this paper examines the peculiar relationship between consumers and God-like celebrity figures. It showcase...
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... in a society where, consuming has become a basic necessity like food, clothing or shelter. We need to shop in order to survive, but do we really need celebrity telling us what we need to buy. Celebrities can make mistakes as well, after all they are humans as well, or are they? Celebrities have more influence than religion and it is apparent that celebrities have more devoted followers than religion itself. We might think that celebrities are worshipped like God, but in fact celebrities just might be bigger than the almighty himself.
“Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that; I'm right and I'll be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first—rock 'n' roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me” - John Lennon.
Celebrity worship is a term given to those who obsess over one or more celebrity. Jake Halpern's "The Popular Crowd," discusses how loneliness increases the likelihood of someone worshiping celebrities. Worshiping of celebrities is not necessarily bad, it can be helpful for those who have a social need that they need satisfied. However, this worshiping can sometimes lead to stalking and violence towards celebrities. Once this happens celebrities are put in danger. Some celebrities receive phone calls, letters, emails, and more from stalkers. They might not feel like this is a sign of danger, but it is. In order for celebrities to remain safe, they need to be educated about dangers that come with having fans.
A fan in today’s world is usually characterized as the result of the “star system” portrayed in society due to mass media where media figures’ lives are constantly emphasized on a day to day basis. The internet and society are obsessed with news concerning celebrities, and knowing about their personal life. Today’s social media keeps fans constantly updated about celebrities, giving fans the illusion that they know everything about that celebrity and that they are connected somehow. This type of mass media has made the difference between appropriate behavior and inappropriate behavior of fans less noticeable (Lewis 11). These types of fans, the pathological fans, are also classified as the “o...
The number of American troops killed in Afghanistan and Iraq between 2001 and 2012 was 6,488. The number of American women murdered by a current or past partner during that time was 11,766 almost twice the amount of people we lost to war. However, this does not just affect women. 1 in 4 women will be victims of severe violence in their lifetime, but 1in 7 men will be, too. In this paper, I propose that popular culture contributes to the high rate of domestic abuse in the United States. I will prove this by analyzing popular music, movies, and even looking at the news in today’s culture. I will make connections with today’s culture and the high rate of domestic violence in the United States. Then I will talk about how popular culture can change
Popular Culture has changed drastically over the decades with the biggest question being whether or not popular culture is a positive or negative expression of our ideas and reflections. American Pop Culture has an extremely important role that influences the United States and around the world. There are countless topics that make up pop culture and it is nearly impossible to name all of them. Some of the topics are Television, Music, Religion, Politics, Arts, Economy, Education, Family roles and structures. Three of the cultures that I believe has changed the most and seems to cause the most controversy are television, music and religion.
This obsession with celebrities i belave is one of the largest problems facing america today. and if the situation does not get under control our country will soon be completely lost in the drama and hysteria that is our celebrity obsessions.
Today we live in a celebrity culture that is being dominated and exploited by the media. In a bid to satisfy the public’s interest in celebrities it is ever-present that the news and entertainment media are going well beyond the point of providing consumers with basic information. “In this cult of celebrity, images of stars, people ‘famous for being famous’, are circulated and consumed daily across the world” (Penfold, 2004: 289).
A Healthy Obsession There are many who would argue that celebrity obsessions are unhealthy. A student named Collin Palmer assumes that our obsession over celebrities isn’t so bad. Another writer, however, Deborah King, in her article titled, “The Impact Celebrities Have On Our Life,” explains the opposite. Although Deborah King’s argument that obsession is unhealthy is correct, Collin Palmer seems to disagree.
We are part of a generation that is obsessed with celebrity culture. Celebrities are distinctive. Media and consumers alike invented them to be a different race of super beings: flawless, divine and above all the real moral world. In a 1995 New York Times article “In contrast, 9 out of 10 of those polled could think of something
The celebrity gossip industry has affected our assumptions about entertainment. Usually, we assume that entertainment is just for fun, entertainment is only a reflection of our culture, and entertainment is a personal choice. Nowadays, entertainment is not just for fun. Celebrities entertain us in many ways, but sometimes we do not enjoy what they do yet we still watch them. For instance, many teen idols have had meltdowns. Although it is not fun to...
The deception of media consumers allows for the abuse of economic infrastructures of society. An obsession with celebrities’ lives passifies ordinary people in accepting the stratification of the elite businesses and the ordinary citizens. Though pseudo-events and celebrity worship may not be exactly complementary, the similarities of both leaves the public to be utterly vulnerable unless they begin to critically think for themselves.
The Effects of Popular Culture on Society Popular Culture is music, dance, theatre, film,T.V., poetry and Art which is enjoyed by a wide group of people. Some people would argue that popular culture in the 1960's cause harm. Other people however argued that other factors brought harm and change to society. Some people would argue that music would cause harm because of the lyrics in pop songs. Lyrics like 'Lets spend the night together' by The Rolling Stones, influenced young people to have casual sex.
Film stardom has evolved into a standard core of society, so much so, many individuals revolve their own lives around the ability to follow certain film stars not only through their career, but the star’s personal life as well. In the US especially, individuals are obsessed with the climb to fame and celebrities hold so much importance in many of their lives despite the fact the star and their fan have never met face to face, and this is unlikely to change. The draw towards film stardom can fall under multiple explanations that the people themselves might not realize. One reason could be the film stars represent the goal of popularity and adoration a lot of individuals crave themselves; as an actor, more individuals are able to see and recognize
Over the last few decades celebrity and fame has changed dramatically, from Alexander the Great to Kim Kardashian. Talent and achievements no longer play a huge role when it comes to our celebrities. “Much modern celebrity seems the result of careful promotion or great good looks or something besides talent and achievement” (Epstein2) with that being said celebrity-creation has blossomed into an industry of its own. Keeping up with all the gossips from breaking up to hooking up, law suits and drama many might come to an agreement that celebrity culture is starting to be the great new art form in our new generation and that it ...
Movie stars. They are celebrated. They are perfect. They are larger than life. The ideas that we have formed in our minds centered on the stars that we idolize make these people seem inhuman. We know everything about them and we know nothing about them; it is this conflicting concept that leaves audiences thirsty for a drink of insight into the lifestyles of the icons that dominate movie theater screens across the nation. This fascination and desire for connection with celebrities whom we have never met stems from a concept elaborated on by Richard Dyer. He speculates about stardom in terms of appearances; those that are representations of reality, and those that are manufactured constructs. Stardom is a result of these appearances—we actually know nothing about them beyond what we see and hear from the information presented to us. The media’s construction of stars encourages us to question these appearances in terms of “really”—what is that actor really like (Dyer, 2)? This enduring query is what keeps audiences coming back for more, in an attempt to decipher which construction of a star is “real”. Is it the character he played in his most recent film? Is it the version of him that graced the latest tabloid cover? Is it a hidden self that we do not know about? Each of these varied and fluctuating presentations of stars that we are forced to analyze create different meanings and effects that frame audience’s opinions about a star and ignite cultural conversations.
Popular culture has given people the opportunity for people to have a chance to shine, and many have had their lives changed. For example, when American Idol had launched in 2002, the winner, Kelly Clarkson, had her chance to shine for the entire time she was competing and eventually won the competition. Her success provided her with the ability perform not only nationwide, but also worldwide. But how exactly does popular culture enable Filipino Americans to have a chance at success? In order to answer that question, one must look for the means which drive them to popular culture. Although Filipino Americans were involved in the community, nevertheless they chose to get involved in popular culture, which gives them success. Through popular