Chris Hedges and George Monbiot both share similar ideas to express their views on celebrities and the consumer culture which, surrounds us almost every second of the day in our lives. Albeit, they do have similarities they also have differences and express their ideas in a slightly unique way from one another. Whether or not we choose to interact or pay attention to that part of society it is still there regardless if we try to ignore it. Nevertheless, both of these writers try to enlighten us on consumer and celebrity culture and how they can sometimes be detrimental to individuals in society. First, I will examine and explain Chris Hedges’ text, then I would do the same for George Monbiot and his text. Chris Hedges’ text, “Empire …show more content…
“Human beings become a commodity in a celebrity culture. They are objects, like consumer products. They must look fabulous and live on fabulous sets. Those who fail to meet the idea are belittled and mocked” (Pg 29 Empire of Illusion). This quote I think really encapsulates the idea of consumer culture and the insatiable hunger, we have to feel like our celebrities. If we don't obtain these statuses than others who have will disparage us because we have not been as successful as they may have. I also think what Hedges is trying to say is that companies and corporations see fellow human beings not so much as actual beings but rather as a cash.To companies at the end of the day the just want to sell their products and in most cases will do anything to ale a profit. Its this constant cycle of buying and selling goods that leads us to lives that will never be satisfied unless, individuals change their mind on what true happiness really is. But the main point Hedge is trying to make is that all of these superficial objects and symbols will not necessarily result in pleasure and gratification but rather lead us on a path that can never be completed or fully attained. These items are what the media and consumer culture have told us will result in happiness because that's the way …show more content…
He believes that celebrity culture has been more prevalent due to the corporations, advertisers, and the media. He also states that, “The more distant and impersonal corporations become, the more they rely on other people’s faces to connect them to their customers.” (The Guardian, George Monbiot). This statement I think can be taken two different ways. In one way, yes, it is true when corporations become more distant they tend to rely on the celebrities that we are more familiar with to attract us to certain products of that hey advertise. However, in a way they do bring us closer because since we know these celebrities on some superficial level and thus are more likely to purchase their products. He goes on to say that celebrities that we see the most often are the ones that endorse the most remunerative products because they will provide the most benefit for the celebrity. He also, mentions how most of our attention are in these few celebrities we see often in advertisements and commercials. This constant exposure of certain celebrities builds a false sense of relationships with them, however its his relationship that will often cause consumers to purchase products. Monbiot mentions, studies that show celebrities reputations and cultural attention increasing from 17 percent in the early 1900’s to 37 percent by 2010( The Guardian, George Monbiot). This
Celebrities hold a strong power to influence the lifestyle trends of an audience. As members of the entertainment industry, celebrities are looked up to as role models by a large general public. With such high exposure, celebrities essentially hold the power to positively or negatively influence their followers, from fashion trends to behavioral tendencies, the attitudes and lifestyle habits of celebrities influence cultural qualities and the way in which many people function within society. Mindy Kaling’s career started when she became an intern on the popular show “Late Night with Conan O’ Brien”. Mindy was a 19-year-old sophomore at Dartmouth College when she first started her internship.
In assessing the impact and effect of popular cultural forms like MTV, it is important to acknowledge the extent to which, rather than having them imposed upon us, we may instead appropriate or assimilate parts, whilst choosing to reject or ignore the rest. This, of course, has the consumer or viewer acting (or perhaps more accurately interacting) as opposed to simply passively receiving (Philo par 16).Even though critics of MTV stand strongly against the passive consumer, th...
celebrity may be found in the words of one of America’s Founding Fathers, John Adams, who wrote, ‘‘The rewards . . . in this life are steem and admiration of others—the punishments are neglect and contempt. The desire of the esteem of others is as real a want of nature as hunger—and the neglect and contempt of the world as severe as a pain.” (Price, 463). The author suggests that fame is not at all w...
A celebrity is not a person known for his/her talent or achievement, but an individual recognized for his/her reputation created by the media. The phase of stardom is slippery, and media may choose to represent celebrities varying from exaggerated admiration to mockery. The three texts chosen, movie "Sunset Boulevard", feature article "Over the Hilton" and television show "Celebrity Uncensored Six" are texts presenting different perception of celebrities than their usual images - either corrupted by the encircling media, overloads oneself with self-indulgence, or just mocks celebrity in a broad spectrum. Such media items empower and impresses the audience by perceiving celebrities as people who pay the price of privacy to gain well knowness, signifying the vanity of stardom from the commonly accepted images.
Everywhere we look we see advertisements, commercials, news reports, who seem to influence our daily lives. Media we would not normally think of can also affect us. For example, the mere mention of Red Lobster in Beyoncé’s song “Formation” boosted their overall sales while the song was on the charts. Chapter one of the Dines and Humez text covered perception of the audience, study of culture and media, and how the media is “multiperspectival” (Dines and Humez).
Popular culture is often referred to as being produced by the mass media ‘for’ the public, who are seen as consumers. An example of this would be the television programme ‘The X Factor’. The X Factor is produced by a large television company which is owned by a multi millionaire music mogul. The programme is shown extensively throughout the winter months, when people favour staying indoors to going outside. The concept of the show is that it entices people in during the first couple of week. This is done by showing the contestants’ auditions. The reason for t...
Slater, D. quoted in Bell D. and Hollows J. (2005). Ordinary Lifestyles: Popular Media, Consumption and Taste, Maidenhead: Open University Press, Page 178
We are part of a generation that is obsessed with celebrity culture. Celebrities are distinctive. Media and consumers alike invented them to be a different race of super beings: flawless, divine and above all the real moral world. In a 1995 New York Times article “In contrast, 9 out of 10 of those polled could think of something
The deception of media consumers allows for the abuse of economic infrastructures of society. An obsession with celebrities’ lives passifies ordinary people in accepting the stratification of the elite businesses and the ordinary citizens. Though pseudo-events and celebrity worship may not be exactly complementary, the similarities of both leaves the public to be utterly vulnerable unless they begin to critically think for themselves.
In today’s day and age we live in a society obsessed with celebrity culture. This however, is not a new addiction; our society’s fascination with celebrity culture has been around for decades. Through the years, we’ve seen fandom come in various forms, shapes and sizes. From the groupies of the 60s, to the more recent digital-followers, one thing common among all fans is the pedestal on which they’ve put their favorite celebrity. Some people would argue that fans are not only the most important part of a celebrity’s life, but fans are quintessential in their success. Fans admire them, follow their every move: physical or electronic, and purchase anything and everything that might bring them in looking/feeling more like their desired celebrity. Many experts even believe that fan and fan-clubs often resemble religions. One can easily note the similarities between fans and a religious cult; from worshipping to organizing conventions and event recruiting new followers. To some it might even sound like a disorder, and Dr. Lynn McCutcheon after her intense research, was the first one to coin the term: (CWS) Celebrity Worship Syndrome. According to Psychology Today, CWS can be described as a mental-disorder where an individual becomes completely obsessed with the details of the personal life of a celebrity (Griffiths). A celebrity, as defined by Mark Griffiths, can be any person who is present in the ‘public eye’, including Politicians, authors, and journalists, but according to Dr. McCutcheon research they are more likely to be someone from the world of television, film and/or pop music. Continuing on Justin Bieber’s ad campaign, this paper examines the peculiar relationship between consumers and God-like celebrity figures. It showcase...
Have you ever think about the influences of celebrities that affect in people life. Celebrity is a kind of pop-culture that combines between interpersonal communication and media, and it creates desires from the people assumption or expectation. Celebrities are the important tools to attract audiences. The media scholars produce the celebrity content from what people expect from life. Celebrities may drive the directions of living such as habits, tastes, attention and ambition among people (Turnere). Nowadays, celebrities are all around us. They are one of the important people who can influence the media such as movies, drama, music magazines, news or even represent the nation. According to the William’s note celebrities are one part which
Who do you see mostly in your daily life? The first thing that usually comes to our minds is our families or friends, but in fact we mostly see the faces of celebrities on the screen as many of us watch TV for hours.Because of that,mostly the media benefits from celebrities to reach their goals.Companies try to have an impact on people’s buying process through celebrities. In fact there is an advertisement way which is called celebrity advertising. It literally means using a famous person's image to sell products or services by focusing on the person's popularity to promote the products or services. Why do companies use celebrities? Celebrities have the ability to transfer their personal qualities onto a product.People who saw the advertisements of the product subconsciously believe that buying that product would make them more popular,more handsome or beautiful or more celebrity-like,than they really are. Because the implication is that the famous person uses the product or service that he or she endorses;such as an athlete with big muscles might be contracted to promote a certain brand of a protein powder giving the impression that his big muscles results from using protein powder.However,the person might not even use the product or service he endorses;in which case,he uses his features for the promotion of the product.Therefore, celebrity role models which are used for the companies goals have both positive and negative consequences on the people.
Celebrities are promoting their products on television, newspapers, magazines and people cannot seem to live without the latest fashion dress, watch, suit, gaming consoles/games, and other this that are super expensive for the working and middle class. David Kendall (a professor of sociology at Baylor University) explains in his article “Framing class, Vicarious Living and Conspicuous Consumption” that the media glorifies the upper class and that they are basically calling out the poor and the rich to imitate the upper class by buying their products they sell. Kendall states in his article that “extensive television viewing leads to higher rates of spending and to lower savings, presumably because it stimulates consumer desires.”(Kendall 317). This quote is extremely true the more television a person watches the more chances he or she will fall for the advertisement that is being displayed. The most sad thing of all is that most people will buy these products displayed by celebrities and will be left with zero money to pay the rent and food to feed themselves. Limiting media will solve the social inequality in a more personal way we won’t feel constantly less than others because of the wealth they
Pop culture is a reflection of social change, not a cause of social change” (John Podhoretz). It encompasses the advertisements we see on T.V, the clothes we wear, the music we listen too, and it’s the reason Leonardo DiCaprio has not won an Oscar yet. It defines and dictates the desires and fears of the mainstream members of society; and it is so ingrained into our lives that it has become as natural as breathing. Moreover, adults never even bat an eyelash at all the pop culture and advertising that surrounds them since it has become just another part of everyday life. Pop culture is still somewhat seen as entertainment enjoyed by the lower class members of society; but pop culture standards change over time. A notable example of this is the sixteenth century author, William Shakespeare, since his works were considered pop culture, entertainment that could be enjoyed by everyone, but now they are considered literary classics. While pop culture encompasses most aspects of our lives, its influence is most obvious through each generations reaction to media,