What causes my generation to be so obsessed with celebrity and becoming one themselves??

Question

It seems like everyone I meet 16-25 is trying to be famous??

Answer 1

shallowness and the need to be excepted .. because thats the message that is sent in music and television these days.. thats just my opinion.

Answer 2

The desire to be well-known, well-liked, admired, and rich is not a new thing. It's just more accessible now. In a species of social animals it's normal for members to want to be among the most powerful. In our society we equate popularity and money with power.

Before record players, radios and televisions the "celebrities" were the aristocracy. Some artists, musicians, and writers and the occasional actor or athlete but even their work wasn't always available to the vast majority of the people and they were rarely wealthy. True celebrity was inherited.

Record players and, later, radios made music available to all. Radios even allowed for sporting events to be broadcast via play-by-play accounts. Then moving pictures and television increased the appeal of both musicians and athletes as well as adding actors into the mix.

Add to that the rise of the middle class, the decline of the upper class (Paris Hilton would have been a no-name courtier in previous centuries. Her families wealth would have been little compared to the royalty, not to mention the hospitality industry of the time) and the ability of people to move outside their social class and suddenly average people can be rich and famous.

Our century (well, the 1900's) was really the first time in history that this has been possible. In a species of social animals it's normal for members to want to be among the most powerful. In our society we equate popularity and money with power.

These days we have those god forsaken reality shows and one doesn't even need a marketable skill to become a household name. Although, I imagine, they're not about to put someone they don't think pretty enough on Survivor.

Our generation isn't any more or less obsessed with celebrity than previous ones. It's just a more realistic goal (if still pretty unrealistic).

Answer 3

There is no American Dream to cling to other than that. Todays society has lost respect for teachers and family life. The military takes hell because the average American can not distinguish between disliking presidential policy and the hard working man or woman who goes to bat for this country whether they disagree with policy or not. Mothers and housewives are looked upon as lazy mooches of the government, mostly because a single income household is difficult to do because jobs don't keep up with the cost of living. People are not able to get by on minimum wage, and most of the time more than that is still not enough, so they long for more. Once upon a time movies and fashion were for entertainment purposes but now they are engraved in children's identities and become a way of life. Much how christians are raised me drilled with the same info over and over until they know it like they know how to take a breath, the entertainment industry has been treated the same way. I bet more kids today can name Johnny Depp Characters than Apostles. I remember a time when going to movie meant you came home say I want to be like Indiana Jones and discover things all over the world, now its more, Indiana didnt make nything on that film Harrison Ford did, I want his job.

Answer 4

i truly believe that the glamorous lives of celebrities is something we all in the back of our minds want... the perks like a ton of money, popularity, and free publicity. its just that some people actually want to make that a reality. im 20 years old and i dont want to be famous because i want to do something productive with my life. in fact, i dont know any people around my age who want to be a celebrity. i do know some aspiring actors and singers who want to make a living out of it because they are passionate about theater or music but not to be famous.

Answer 5

They are seeing the popularity, the money, the cars, the houses, the vacations all over the world, the glitz and glamor of it all.
But the price they will pay is having all their personal secrets out in the open. Paparazzi in their face. No privacy. No anonymity.

Answer 6

Even though noone truly likes celebs they get a bunch of attention and everyone wants attention

Answer 7

it's this cultures self entitlement and laziness.. we want all the money and recognition with little real "work " to get there.. being pretty and partying all the time and getting paid for it... what teenager wouldn't that appeal to??

Answer 8

I dont know. I wish it would stop though.

Answer 9

they want to be liked and feel cherished