The Media's Obsession with Celebrities by Salima Eboo
media-n. Pl. A channel or system of conveying a message
celebrity-n. The state of being celebrated, acclaimed or widely known on account of a major accomplishment
Is the media obsessed with celebrities? Most definitely. Celebrities play a big role in the media, whether it is acting in a movie or providing the headlines for the day's news. The media publicizes a person's accomplishments and transforms them into a celebrity. The media invades celebrities' private lives, endorses them and displays celebrities as heroes.
What is the difference between a celebrity's private life and public life? Recently, the difference has been minimal due to the media's attempted exposure of every celebrity's deepest, darkest secret to give us some gossip and show us that our role models are not perfect. Members of the Paparazzi receive hefty sums of money just for getting photos of two actors kissing. That kiss is part of the actors' personal and private lives, but the media says otherwise, declaring these pictures valuable. The media has lost touch with the boundaries protecting a celebrity's personal life. Crossing these boundaries led to the death of one of history's most famous celebrities. In Paris, France during the summer of 1997, a tragic car accident took the life of the most famous celebrity in history, Princess Diana. Princess Diana was killed by the press's obsession with her. She was killed because a couple of photographers wanted a picture of her with Dodi Al-Fayed. Princess Diana was featured on countless magazine covers and boosted newspaper and magazine sales. She, just like everyone else, was entitled to a private life, but could not have one due to the press. Ironically, her death became the biggest media event in history.
Celebrities provide the media and press with a story, whether it be the announcement of Michael Jordan's retirement or the presidential sex scandal. Celebrities endorse television and magazines and give us a reason to watch or read them. Michael Jordan is the number one celebrity on the Forbes list of top one hundred celebrities. He earned 69 million dollars playing basketball for the Chicago Bulls and 40 million dollars in endorsements in the 1998-1999 season. Jordan appeared on seven magazine covers and was mentioned about 42,000 times on television, radio, and the Internet. Corporations hire Michael Jordan to endorse their product by starring in advertisements and using their products. When people see Jordan in a commercial, they want to buy that product. This is why the media loves Michael Jordan. Gatorade's "I want to be like Mike" slogan is very appropriate because people do want to be like Michael Jordan and therefore will buy those products. People look up to him as the role model the media portrays. He is an effective role model for young people and the media noticed that a while ago and used it to their advantage.
Go To Page: 1 2
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Kim Imdieke's Media Literacy topic, please visit the Discussions page.