Wednesday 10 October 2012

Celebrity and celebrity culture




As a result of media coverage and new visual technologies, the celebrity culture has been expanded. Over the globalisation and the new media emerged, the perception of the term celebrity had changed from the public. The ‘celebrity’ and ‘celebrity culture’ become ‘closer’ to the ordinary public. In this essay, the specular economy that extends from the contemporary celebrity culture will be introduced and discussed of it is influence on celebrity, celebrity culture. Also, the notion of celebrity and celebrity culture and its change will be explained to develop the trend of celebrity culture in today.  

The term of ‘celebrity’ is not simply a noun that refers to a famous or well-known person, but an adjective that signifies that someone possesses the quality of attracting attention (Furedi, 2010). People who are successful in virtually every profession are associated with celebrity status, such as the academic star of universities or the corporate CEOs (Furedi, 2010). ‘Celebrity’ had specifically referred to or been used in different period.

Today’s celebrities are accessible to ordinary public. In thirties and fifties, the typical celebrity was movie star or the sporting hero who have talent (Furedi, 2010). The accomplishment or moral fiber was a prerequisite to fame in past (Harris, 2012). However, at the new breed of celebrities, they became to fame by doing nothing and without talent. Paris Hilton claimed no talent apart from possible photogenicity, however, she still have a list connection kept her in the gossip columns and generated enough buzz for Fox to feature her in The Simple Life (Cashmore, 2006). Madonna, a famous single in the world, but her voice was believed to be electronically enhanced (Marshall, 2010). The celebrity status is now applied to person who famous for being famous. The ‘fame’ and ‘notoriety’ were massed up. The celebrities were distinguished to two groups. First, is the exceptionally talented and ‘self-made’ star, who made famous through their superior talents and abilities (Furedi, 2010). Second, is the unexceptionally talented and ‘manufactured’ celebrities, who gain the celebrity status through media publicity (Furedi, 2010). The latter disappear as fast they are constructed. The TV programming like Big Brother and X-factor are in the business which produced the ‘short life celebrity’ by involving the public into the production (Furedi, 2010).

The assembly line production of instant celebrities was seen as a positive development to ordinary public. In one hand, a disposable celebrity satisfied the imperatives of mass culture. On the others, the mass production brought a positive egalitarian opportunity to ordinary public to become fame (Furedi, 2010).  

The celebrities are no longer to be presented as special and untouchable. The celebrity culture was transformed from the powerful and the well-known into intimate and familiar figure (Furedi, 2010). Today’s celebrities ‘are celebrated for their unique personality and attractive qualities while appearing to treat them as normal people facing the humdrum problems and disappointments of everyday life.’ (Furedi, 2010). Furedi (2010) argue that the person who is prepared to disclose their private troubles and intimate are more likely to gain fame from the society. In Australian’s got talent, the contestant is asked the question like ‘what does this mean to you’? They are expected to share the kind of private feelings that resonates with the aspiration of audience to gain recognition. The Celebrity culture in the last century has been a very elaborate discourse on what is the reality side of the famous (Marshall, 2008). And now the technologies have produced a platform to dis course the private and the intimate.

The specular economy produced and manufactured ‘celebrities’. It is an extension of the celebrity economy in its mutation through new media, where collectively public are becoming more conscious of how to present themselves and how others perceive them (Marshall, 2008). Through new media, the online public personas are now constructed by the public. The specular economy reconstructed that the way of the self to reconstitute through the screens of engagement and interactivity that serve to organize and shape the lives (Marshall, 2008). However, the celebrity has changed the way that public personas are conveyed and celebrated (Marshall, 2008). As a result, the public personality system has been transformed by the specular economy.

Using the video to become a ‘celebrity’. The specular economy had grown on the socially front that an increasing desire to be part of the public sphere by a wider population (Marshell, 2010). The public desire to present oneself to others. In the specular economy, a YouTube video becomes a new ways for the public to get into the public consciousness and the realm of fame. A great number of groups or individual are become fame by posting their videos that were accessible to world through the internet. Amber Lee Ettinger is one of the YouTube celebrities who known as Obama Girl from the video I Got a Crush... on Obama. Here is a video from YouTube launched by ‘nigahiga’, ‘How to be a Youtube Celebrity’, it is not a serious video that really teaching audience how to be a YouTube Celebrity, but as a comedy video that attracted the audience to subscribe it.



A celebrity who is no attempt to be fame became a famous by others to expose. the specular economy also had grown on the technological front which refer to the democratization of the resources to record, exhibit and publicize had grown exponentially through the convergent uses of mobile media to capture moments and online media to display those same moments (Marshall, 2008). Hence, the public become the paparazzi or the journalist who can records and capture the moments, and distributing its online by mobile media and without permission. This constructed the kind of ‘manufactured’ celebrities. ‘Bus Uncle’ is one of the person who became a famous through media publicity which implicated by a mass of Hong Kong social media user. A conflict occurred while riding public bus 68X, was captured on video with his own mobile by a nearby passenger, and the video found its way on to the Web. The video has been watched more than five million times from YouTube.com. ‘Bus Uncle’ as the older man is now well-known.

More information about the ‘Bus Uncle’ event, read the article: 'Bus Uncle' craze in Hong Kong reflects city stress written by Geoffrey A. Fowler / The Wall Street Journal
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/world/bus-uncle-craze-in-hong-kong-reflects-city-stress-437127/


Or watched the video from YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsYRQkmVifg

In conclusion, the contemporary celebrity and celebrity culture have shifted in new way. To become a celebrity in today is much easier. A celebrity who has no talent and do nothing also can be fame. The celebrity culture are filled of celebrities who famous for being famous. Also, Minor celebrities are produced and manufacture by the media publicity and from the TV reality programming. An ordinary public have more opportunity to be fame. As the specular economy had grown, the celebrities produced and manufactured are affected by the public personas and the desire from public which is derived from the specular economy.




Reference:

Cashmore, E 2010, Celebrity/culture, Routledge, New York, pp. 2-4

Fowler, A.G 2006, 'Bus Uncle' craze in Hong Kong reflects city stress, The Wall Street Journal, retrieved 6 October 2012, < http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/world/bus-uncle-craze-in-hong-kong-reflects-city-stress-437127/#ixzz28tfWJiRb >

Furedi, F 2010, Celebrity Culture, Society. Vol. 47 Issue 6, pp. 493-497.

Harris, M 2012, Fame: a P&L Stardom’s changed. So have its benefits, New York Entertainment, retrieved 6 October 2012, < http://nymag.com/arts/all/celebrity-economy/fame-2012-2/ >

Marshall, P.D 2008, The Specular Economy, Society. Vol. 47, Issue 6, pp. 498-502.

Marshall, P.D 2010, Celebrity and Power, the University of Minnesota Press, United State, pp. x-xi

Uploaded by Chong, A 2006, ‘Hong Kong Bus Uncle with English and Mandarin Subtitles’, YouTube, retrieved 6 October 2012, < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsYRQkmVifg >

Uploaded by nigahiga 2011, ‘How to be a Youtube Celebrity’, YouTube, retrieved 6 October 2012, < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWENaab1-UI >