Title: Celebrity Culture - Sociology of Culture- - iResearchNet
Headings: Celebrity Culture
Celebrity Culture
Outline
The Leadership Vacuum and the Globalized Media
The New Transparency
Consumption and Commodification
References:

Content: praise widely; make famous; invest common or inferior person or thing with great importance.’’ In his Illusions of Immortality, David Giles (2000: 25) submits that: ‘‘ The ultimate modern celebrity is the member of the public who becomes famous solely through media involvement.’’ While the ‘‘ultimate’’ celebrity’s rise might be attributable ‘‘solely’’ to the media, celebrities typically performed some deed, however modest, to attract initial attention. That deed might involve an appearance on a reality television show, a criminal action, or an inept showing at a major sports event. In other words, conduct that would hardly be regarded as commendable and deserving of recognition in earlier eras, perhaps as recently as the 1980s. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, however, conceptions of merit were rendered indeterminate and figures who traditionally earned distinction and drew praise for their efforts vied with more prosaic characters whose achievements were often uncertain.