The Concept of Status Shifting due to Cultural Influences - Essay Example

?The Social Hierarchy of Celebrity Culture The development of the celebrity culture of the past century reveals a social hierarchy in which those in the public eye find levels of status according to accomplishment. In looking at the nature of social structure, it is not much of a leap to suggest that it is part of human nature to elevate the status of some individuals over that of others. Clan and tribal leaders were replaced by the aristocracy, with power and wealth becoming more important than leadership. As the importance of aristocracy has slipped from its importance in the modern political world, celebrity has become popular culture’s replacement. While political leaders and aristocracy still hold high importance and are themselves now celebrities, being a celebrity no longer requires political attachment. Television and film have become vehicles for celebrity, created through popularizing the image of actors and putting their personal lives in view of the public. In the more recent period of time where new media has become a concept from which public attention is developed, anyone with the proper equipment can find a way in which to gain the notice of the public, creating a sensation that provides instant, if often short-lived, celebrity. While gaining celebrity requires the smallest reason in order to gain the public’s attention, status within the category of celebrity has an informal, but crucial range of importance. Rolph and Kirby define the term celebrity through earlier English terminology in contrast to contemporary usage. Earlier terminology refers to giving honour and dignity upon someone who had earned this status. The current usage refers only to someone who has gained attention, the concept of honour and dignity far removed from the culture of celebrity. In reference to the more contemporary usage, Rolph and Kirby state that a celebrity is someone who has “the condition of being much extolled or talked about” (Rolph and Kirby, 172). Thus, being a celebrity requires getting the attention of the public through some form of popularized medium that allows for others to create a dialogue about the event or accomplishments of the person at the centre of that event. Rolph and Kirby further their examination of celebrity by attempting to define its position in history. They argue that while some scholars consider the concept of ’celebrity’ to have been in existence throughout history, going back as far as Alexander the Great in order to define those who have had celebrity status. Other scholars suggest that celebrity is primarily a social construct that came into existence with the equalization of the common man through the “democratization of reputation” (Rolph and Kirby, 174). They further the argument of the contemporary nature of celebrity by suggesting that it is more defined by the late twentieth century as it has been “premised on the economic conditions of capitalism” as reputation has become commoditized (Rolph and Kirby, 174). Celebrity has been developed through the need to create attention for individuals who then capitalize on that attention in order to earn money. However, it must be noted that often it is the managers and owners of the medium through which the celebrity works who promote the sensationalized popularity of the individual on whom the celebrity is centred. Social hierarchy has existed throughout history, different sets of people being divided by sometimes arbitrary definitions from which status is gained or lost. According to Sidanius and Pratto, social hierarchy that is defined by gender and age are universal across cultures. However, groups that have been created in response to the development of the culture have more arbitrary definitions for how social hierarchy is defined. The creation of arbitrary sets of social groups, like that of celebrity, is usually caused by the increase economic surplus as it is sustained within a culture (Sidanius and Pratto, 299). In other words, as disposable income rises and survival is less relevant in priority, the elevation of some individuals to a higher social status through their relevancy within culture can be observed. Within that group, status can be stratified in order to create sub-groups in which power is distributed. Hammill relates a story written by Dorothy Parker, a notable American writer who worked for the magazine Vanity Fair at the beginning of the twentieth century. She wrote about a soldier returning from war who did not recognize the popular culture when he arrived back home. Parker wrote that “He realized he could not distinguish a musical comedy star from a debutante, could not tell a mannequin from a social light. He could not tell which were imagist poets, and which moving picture heroes; he did not know the steel magnets from the golf professionals” (Hammill, 35). The story concludes with him being handed an issue of Vanity Fair and being told that it was the best handbook for understanding popular culture. This story, written in 1919, reflects the direction of growth for celebrity culture in the modern world. In making the comparisons of the pairs of social celebrity, with the exception of the mannequin reference, Parker provided an implied framework of defining the frivolous from the more important celebrities. It might be inferred that in contrasting the mannequin with the social light, she was suggesting that a social light was a frivolous and empty form of celebrity. An implied social status of celebrity can be concluded from the way in which she presents the pairs of celebrity types. This act of making these comparisons provides the beginnings of a framework from which to decipher the social hierarchy in which the status of celebrity exists. Another important point that is raised through examining this particular passage from Parker is that it represents the importance of media communication in creating celebrity. Media has been responsible for simultaneously reporting on and creating celebrity within the modern world. The most famous statement on celebrity was made by social theorist Daniel Boorstin who stated in 1962 that “The celebrity is a person who is well-known for his well-knownness…he is neither good nor bad, great nor petty. He is the human pseudo-event” (Boorstin, xxi,xxxviii). Kearney further explores the intentions of Boorstin as he discusses the pseudo-event. The use of advertising commoditized people has created an event in which the image of a person becomes the object, the replacement of the truth of the person, thus often becoming that truth. The language has been developed around images has become the way in which experience is now defined (Kearney, 372). Therefore, in order to examine the concept of a social hierarchy of celebrity, it is important to understand that the core relationship of the celebrity to the public is defined by a created image. The image is a thing, an object that is sellable. However, the subtext of the image, the actual accomplishments that may or may not exist which creates the purpose that the individual behind the image provides within society, can be viewed as one way in which to define hierarchal status for celebrity. There is also the circumstance where the image overpowers the subtext, the work that is done by a celebrity having little impact on dispensing the negative impact of the celebrity status. Gamson defines a distinct difference between the work of a celebrity and the celebrity of the individual. In this respect, two forms of marketing are done on behalf of the individual at the centre of the celebrity. The work of the celebrity or how he or she is defined as a ‘worker’ must be promoted for its quality. An actor, for instance, is promoted for his or her ability to perform in a role. On the other hand, celebrity is promoted by very different means. Developing celebrity is done through promoting the ability to command attention. Gamson states that “It is here that knownness, separated from quality, is the basis for decision making” (Gamson, 58). This leads to an understanding of how the branded image of the celebrity is commoditized in order to create value within the celebrity industry. The way in which celebrity has been created is specifically defined by the separation of what is the work of a celebrity from the instance of celebrity. As stated, selling the work of an individual is a different construct from selling the image of the individual. According to Kearney “The power system governing the new affluent society no longer even needs to justify its domination, so effective is its ’social engineering’ of imagination, its ability to deliver fetish goods which satisfy its consumers” (Kearney, 372). The ’why’ of celebrity has no bearing on the existence of celebrity. Creating a public discussion about an individual does not have to be predicated on the reason that the dialogue has been created. Celebrity is created simply by selling the public on being interested in an individual who is defined by the representation that has been made of their nature, presence, and importance, immaterial of the truth. If the truth about celebrity is that the substantive purpose for it has little to no bearing on the level of celebrity that is gained, then the question of a social hierarchy revolves around the perception of importance that is conferred upon the image of an individual. How a celebrity image is received is the defining social credit from which status is purchased. An example can be made through looking at political “celebrities”. The image of a political figure is defined by how his actions have affected public perception. Where the intentions, the activity, and the platform of a politician may all be to the benefit of society, if the public perceives that he has acted in some way that is immoral or unethical, his social value will decrease. While his celebrity may increase from a flood of negative press, his status as a political celebrity will decrease. In this instance, status is defined by the moral and ethical impression that a public figure invokes. The opposite might occur within the category of musical celebrities. During the late twentieth century, a rock star increased his image and status by the phenomenon of bad behaviour. Tearing up hotel rooms, using drugs, and rampant promiscuity became the foundation of the power of celebrity for musicians. The emergence of musicians who created images that were based upon more ethical purposes, as exampled by Bono and the band U2 as they have worked to support social causes, has changed the nature of public desires in regard to conferring power into the celebrity of musicians. Bad behaviour is no longer appreciated as it was when it represented the rebellion of a generation during the more volatile period of the 1960s and 1970s. During the 1980s this form of behaviour image making was so overused that it then was turned towards creating a bad image, ’rehab’ becoming the popular remedy for this problem. Celebrities going into ’rehab’ became a way in which to bolster their image through the ’bravery’ of admitting to a problem (Lewis, 133). Therefore, one can see that within each category of celebrity, political, acting, musician and so forth, there is a hierarchy created through the value that the image of the individual has attained. One celebrity character may be viewed as having higher value in his or her image than another. The value that is created will have an impact on the way in which work is made available, a politician losing an election because of bad press or an actor losing an acting role because of the same. American actor Charlie Sheen has currently provided a huge scandal in his country through controversial and bad behaviour. At present, Sheen has lost his job on his situation comedy program because of his abuse of drugs, his vocalization of abuse towards the producers of his program, and the tarnish he has created through objectionable, and quite possibly mentally disturbed, behavior. While his program was created specifically to use his comedic talents and the program was the most successful program on the network on which it played, his celebrity image has cost him the work. Therefore, his status of celebrity, the low level of respect that the public has for his image, has placed his celebrity value at such a level that the television network no longer wishes to employ him. On the other hand, Sheen has been trying to capitalize upon the elevated attention in order to sell his image and make capital gains. Where this war between worker status and celebrity status will end has yet to be determined. However, according to American news reporter Dennis Kneale, a calculation by a reputable entertainment statistics organization has determined that Sheen’s behaviour has generated 300 million US dollars in publicity value through this pseudo-event (Kneale). As in the case of Sheen, public attention creates celebrity, but the social and economic value of that celebrity does not always match the amount of attention given by the public. The value of celebrity and the way in which social status within a hierarchy is provided is through the amount of influence a celebrity can create. Celebrity provides social context in which influence on behaviour can be observed. While often the public is seen as a victim of the influence of celebrity, studies by social theorists and psychologists Susan Boon and Christine Lomore show that influence through observing the actions and learning the belief systems of a celebrity is usually embraced with cognitive acknowledgement of that influence (Cashmore, 84). People know who they are giving respect to and how it is influencing their own behaviours. Seeking to emulate celebrities is actively pursued, the impression that a celebrity image gives creating the desire to emulate aspects of that image. This can be defined by appearance, political beliefs, associations, and social activities, which may include leisure activities such as promiscuity or drug use, or can extend into social activism that supports culturally important causes. The social status and place within the celebrity hierarchy of importance does not seem to be relevant to the amount of influence they will have over the general public. However, creating status within celebrity requires levels of behaviour that creates social exchange value that can be used for personal gain, public improvement through supporting causes, or for maintenance of a career. Most often, high levels of celebrity status use all three in concert in order to create a ‘career’ of celebrity which includes obtaining the best offers available within their profession (Rojek, 101). Influence is part of the exchange value that is created through celebrity, a value that can fluctuate depending on its use. One of the most successful global celebrities of the last three decades is the pop singer Madonna. She began her career creating a localized ‘celebrity’ for herself in regard to attending night clubs in New York in order to get others to follow her from place to place. Going to the same night club as Madonna was considered being part of the crowd with the most social value, thus her career began by becoming a trend setter in the New York night club scene. That celebrity was translated into a pop singing career in which she set style trends. However, this was not the end. In working her celebrity, Madonna elevated her status to icon, her image, style, and social belief systems becoming so powerful that she is considered a culturally defining element of the 1980s and 1990s. Her current status, while less directly relevant to popular culture influence, remains iconic, her appearances still attracting high levels of attendance. At a UK concert in Manchester at the age of 46, she still managed to have a powerful influence over her audience, creating what some described as an almost holy experience (Timmerman, np). Celebrity status can be as low as the interest that is involved in people who are consistently exhibiting bad behaviour as it is as high as those who have found elevated status through respect for the combination of their success in their profession and the behaviours that they have developed. Sometimes, the act of remaking an image can have the effect of elevating the hierarchal level of a celebrity. Victoria Beckham began her career as a pop singer as part of the Spice Girls and with average celebrity exchange value. However, in elevating her status through inventing herself as a fashion icon and through the much publicized relationship to her husband, footballer David Beckham, she has reached a modicum of iconic celebrity status. Her marriage to David Beckham has been the source of a higher level of exchange value than any of her own accomplishments, but by commoditizing her fashion value, she has created her own value within that sphere of attention she got for her association to her husband (Inglis 35). A reality television program was created around Victoria Beckham, her celebrity the subject of the documentary style show. The theme of the program, titled “Being Victoria Beckham”, makes clear that the management and exploitation of fame are at the core of her career. The pursuit of fame, according to the implications from the documentary program, is a legitimate course of action and constitutes a career, in and of itself (Inglis 35). The power of the media lies within its ability to be used for connecting to the emotional context of their audience, whether that is through fear, sexuality, or any other strongly experienced emotion, and then use that emotion in order to manufacture a hunger for the attachment that the celebrity best feeds (Chermak, 221). Therefore, the concept of ‘iconic’ status, a concept that has an elusive definition, is created through the type of fame that is generated. Iconic status sets certain celebrities above others. In some ways it is more forgiving as almost anything that celebrity does can be translated as appropriate, but the fall from that position is as well, much more harsh. Because of the value exchange that is created from celebrity, the higher levels of influence allows for higher rates of exchange, but losing value can strip a celebrity of credibility. An example can be seen through the American actor, Tom Cruise who was once highly valued and respected, but through an attempt to promote controversial ideals about his Scientology religion and through actions and statements that did not fall into line with his image, businesses relationships with Touchstone were dissolved, his box-office attraction was lowered, and he lost much of his icon status. He now suffers from repeated attacks on his character that would not have been considered before his fall from celebrity grace. While status within a social category of celebrity can be determined to be defined by levels of respect of the image of a celebrity, types of celebrities can be determined to have different levels of status. That status will have relevancy to creating social change that affects the direction of culture. The problem with identifying the hierarchy of social value in celebrity is because the defining elements are difficult to establish. Bad behaviour and good behaviour can create celebrity. Some high social level celebrities, such as Richard Harris and Peter O’Toole were notorious for their bad behaviour, but still had an iconic level of celebrity. Sometimes, bad behaviour will signal the end of their status. As well, the cultural situation of a given time period will determine how the status level is positioned. With the power of the new media of contemporary celebrity, information is so powerful that celebrities can be made or broken in an instant, public attention driven through immediate outlets that signal a pseudo-event or an actual event, thus affecting someone’s image. The way in which social groups are most often structured is through a created hierarchy of social exchange value. Celebrity is no different, although the defining elements are much more difficult to establish. What works for one will not necessarily work for another, the concept of status shifting due to cultural influences that change the perceptions of people about what is important. However, there is an undeniable importance to the influence that celebrities have within their time. Styles, trends, beliefs, and behaviours are all influenced by the actions that are taken to create the image of a celebrity, the public connecting to some aspect of the representation of the celebrity that is most important to their own development. The more social exchange value that is created through the level attained within the hierarchy of celebrity, the more influence a celebrity will have on culture. Celebrity has become a pursuit, the image and attention given to a person having as much value as their accomplishments. Bibliography Boorstin, Daniel J. The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America. New York: Vintage Books, 1992. Cashmore, Ernest. Celebrity/Culture. 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