America’s Obsession Over Celebrity Culture
By: Mustafe Abdulahi
Staff Writer
Human beings have practiced worshiping idols for thousands of years from statues, gods, people, animals, inanimate objects and today Americans seem to worship celebrities.
As a society, we all have role models. Someone to look up to and admire in a way.
We do not even realize how many things in our society are built around celebrities.
Even if Americans have not spent their lives following them on Instagram and reading about them online, people are still aware of the biggest names out there because they infiltrate everything.
Thanks to platforms such as YouTube and Instagram, it is easier than ever for people to gain fame.
A decent following on a social media app can launch someone into stardom with little effort, sometimes even by accident.
Just as quickly as they can appear, celebrities can disappear from the public light if they become embroiled in a huge public scandal that could ruin their career.
Celebrities inspire people to want to be like them. Take Kobe Bryant, the famous basketball player, who played for the Golden State Warriors for example.
The reason his death shocked and hurt so many people was that he was an idol to a many in this generation, so much that it made him feel untouchable.
He made people want to be like him and was an escape for those dealing with hardships.
Jalen Thomas, a third-year Green River student talked about this idea. “This man was one of the most important figures in my childhood. So much so, that throughout my whole life I’ve been known as the basketball guy around my circle of friends. We see him almost like a role model. That’s the deal with celebrities. We relate or connect with them somehow someway”.
Research published in 2007 by Belgian psychologist Charlotte De Backer from the University of Antwerp, found that young people even look to celebrities and popular culture for learning life strategies that would have been learned from the role models within one’s tribe long ago. That proves that humans have always looked up to highly important people
From this study, it seems as though teenagers, in particular, seem to be prone to learning how to dress, how to manage relationships, and how to be socially successful in general by tuning in to the popular culture.
Bilal Axmed, a second-year student at Green River College, added, “They have something we don’t. They have this lifestyle people want and it makes a lot of people long for what they want to be. Celebs show us that we can change our lives and live our dreams. If they can do it, so can we”.
Celebrities can rise to fame from complete obscurity, sometimes even overnight.
This is why the entertainment industry is a source of inspiration and success for nearly everyone who pays attention to it
Most of the time, when people come across celebrities who are all about showing off in front of the camera, we get a confidence boost.
The celebrity lifestyle seems like the absolute high life when it comes to living large. And for many people who reach fame it is.
But it is also important to keep in mind, reality versus dreams.
Photo Cred: Piqsels
