The Concept of Becoming an Icon - Essay Example

? Celebrity Culture It is a fact, of the epoch we live in, that mass media has been able to trickle down to every part of our life. Whether print or electronic media, or the other olden techniques for dissemination of information, life today is sharply being disciplined by the influence of media. There are leads and opinion leaders, icons and special characters that bring about psychological impact on the audience. This is why a culture has been able to brew that circles those characters. Since old times, man has been in a struggle to achieve higher and higher status that may satiate his or her innate desire for becoming immortal. Here the concept of becoming an icon or even any mythical quotable legend arises. In modern world, business has surfaced that makes use of the same concept in marketing, selling, propagating of concepts, methods, trends and preferences. To get into the rudimentary details of what has been happening around one has to grasp the concept of celebrity culture. This culture refers to the popularizing of certain people or group that have certain attributes considered exceptional. These attributes, during the last decade were compulsorily entailed characteristics and dispositions like virtue, abilities, decency and intelligence. Today this culture has become a mix of positive and negative sides like fame and infamy. It is important to idealize the concept of celebrity culture before getting into the details. People today have a great latitude and capacity to sway in accordance with their desires. Albert Einstein, Galileo, Stephen Hawking and so forth, provide examples of those who worked had to enlighten the world with the jewels of science. They earned a genuine value for becoming a celebrity. But, an important thing here is the mentioning of people who earn such status with the help of infamy. They are being accused of promoting sex, drugs, crimes and such abnormal antisocial activities to become a celebrity. Role of media, that is actually the vehicle of this culture, is being accentuated. The celebrity culture is not new. In olden times, lords and kings used their resources to make them a god-like figure. In the case of pharaohs we see the same culture that had them build massive structures and great social influence on the lives of their subject. Herostratus, a Greek figure, in 665 BC burnt the temple of Artemis in a bid to become popular. This move of his was a typical attention pulling and heroism oriented. Later, his name was taken surreptitiously rather than openly by the youth due to governmental decree. This shows that the phenomenon that drives the celebrity culture is not modern. We see that virtuous and pious people as the holy Abrahamic books reveal about, were such celebrated characters and personalities that are even revered in their posterity. The case of the death of Socrates is known to all and he has posthumously been venerated a lot among great men. In this culture people strive for achieving a status by the dint of their intellect and other abilities, some make use of vicious methods like dating with rich or daring in a reality TV for such fame. Thus it is point to ponder that this culture has made lives superficial and eccentric behaviours are seen. Some say that bizarre behaviour can bring a lot of attention and fame for being heretic or norm breaker. We see that religious books are replete with histories of people who achieve posthumous fame. Stories of Pharaohs and tyrants are told in a lot more number causing them to become a mythical creature. Another aspect of celebrity culture is that it causes a change in disposition of the audience as far as their living and behaviours are concerned. People try to seek ways that can bring fame to them and they adopt ways of those people who are their celebrities. We see that today many crimes related to getting rich through easy way, being popular in a little time are often attributed to these desires. The moods and mental abilities tend to stick to these role models so that there can be any resemblance with the celebrities. It has been seen that people if attain this status at younger age tend to be psychologically unfit for their adulthood. They lack emotions and even their weakness for sex, drugs and such things are likely to be more visible. Psychologists have proposed that some celebrities develop adaptive situational narcissistic behaviour or some belligerent disposition in their acts and interactions with the other people. Sometimes they get obsessed with this feeling of popularity and can cause bizarre behaviour. Another problem these celebrities confront is the problem of paparazzi that follow their personal lives. This causes immense feeling of chronic tension and insecurity. This feeling when chronically ensconced in their mind causes anxiety. That is why this hodgepodge of feelings and mental constraints causes severe actions from them. Here suicide, sex and use of drugs are likely to be a permanent part of their lives. The media drives this culture and has the power to mesmerise the audience. In contemporary world separate societies and groups are formed and people join it in folks. Case of Justin Bibbers is an important example. The youth especially the teenagers can be seen in a very awkward and eccentric behaviour that they show on face-book and twitter. Societies that keep on praising Justin Bibber are formed that are being followed by teenagers as if they are a pilgrimage sites. A teenage was reported to have committed suicide and another accepting Justin as her god. It is abnormal to develop cult of a personality with such celebrity cultural invasion. Media cannot be gagged. It is actually a business these days and of course making huge money out of immoral and anti-social activities. When being broad casted they are subjected to objection, yet they mould the way the censorship is done. With time norms and folkways get change and cause thinning of the moral density. It is important to look after our society to shield it against this menace that is destroying the very fabric of our society. Odd and paranoiac behaviour is become acceptable in a very subtle way (Epstein, 2005). This has caused increase in number of crimes and juvenile delinquencies. Although the transformation of society is inevitable as Heraclitus once said that nothing endures but change, yet it is possible that morality may not be compromised with these types of cultures that are merely a fabrication of eccentric and moneymaking people. Bibliography: Epstein, J. (2005). Celebrity Culture. Retrieved from http://www.iasc-culture.org/THR/archives/Celebrity/7.1CEpstein.pdf Read More