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The Impact Of The Media On The Lives Of Celebrities
The Impact Of The Media On The Lives Of Celebrities
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Arman Jahangiri Sociology 001 Term Paper: Lindsay Lohan If there is one individual in the celebrity world that is known for his or her troubled thoughts or misbehavior, there isn’t anyone better to recognize other than Lindsay Lohan. An American star, model, and singer, Lohan was recognized in all different aspects of Hollywood because of her talents as a young actress. However, as her stardom continued to progress, so did the instability in her mental health. The mass media and people alike had an influence on Lohan’s behavior by distorting how she was portrayed on and off the screen. Lohan’s family life also had a huge impact on her turnout because she was constantly around the instability of her family members, thus affecting her mental …show more content…
She had a reputation known for her carelessness and her excessive “all night partying”. Her alcohol and smoking abuse forced her into joining Alcohol Anonymous meetings and rehabilitation centers in 2006. However even after her experiences with rehab, her mental state continued to dwindle. She was arrested once for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI), and she was arrested a second time for possession of cocaine, driving under the influence, and driving with a suspended license. From 2010-2012, Lohan was charged with various accounts of theft, grand theft auto, assault, and hit-and-runs while still given small amounts of jail time. Lindsay did not get along with the media, having a bitter attitude towards much of the paparazzi. Hollywood executives and industry insiders commented that it would be difficult for Lohan to find employment until she could prove that she was sober and reliable, citing possible issues with securing insurance. Lindsay even had issues within her family, specifically her parents. They themselves had issues with drugs and alcohol, and this reflected on the growth of Lindsay’s mentality from her childhood to adulthood. Towards the end of 2012, Lohan became more accepted by the film industry because of her recovering mentality; however, the general public still had opposing views of …show more content…
Stints as a child model and commercial actress brought Lohan into the spotlight at the age of three. As she transitioned from childhood to adulthood, it was becoming much more difficult to make such an appearance in the media that she had as a child. “The mass-media sets the public agenda; they are the ones who, as a result of their social event selection and focusing system, assign the priority of the discussion topics on the agenda” (Pachef, 2010). Thus, everything she had done in her personal life the media had documented, making sure the public masses were aware of Lohan. From her drug abuse to her nightlife stories, the media had it. When she even knew she had enough, the media couldn’t let go because they had absorbed so much popularity and power from the public masses from all the stories behind Lohan. Instead of focusing on her recovery, she wanted to feed the media through her actions because it was her only choice to steal the spotlight. The media as well had distorted the image of Lohan on and off the screen, whether it was shooting a new film to having lunch with her parents, by making her look like this “Scarlet A” individual whom society dislikes. The mass media establishes the topics that are worth being acknowledged, and the public is interested in the topics that circulate in the mass media. Not only did
For many of us “regular folk”, we dream of visiting California and seeing celebrities or even being one. We see Hollywood as a heaven or even a holy bubble that we all want to be in. This is not true for all, but it is for most. We as a society do not generally think of the negative impacts Hollywood and fame has on an individual. Carrie Fisher, with her wit, humor, and extreme honesty, takes us inside her life and gives us her insight on Hollywood based her upbringing. After going through multiple triumphs, tragedies, and revelations Fisher writes about it all in her book, Wishful Drinking, along with three other novels she has written. Now you see why I used the term “regular folk,” because Fisher is the opposite of a “regular folk.” Even
As celebrities stand distinctively among the masses and cast out their halos of personality charm and strong suits of skilled abilities, the controversies about them are unavoidable shadows created from their fame. With the popularization of celebrity culture, information synchronization, and communication technology, their lives are publicly exposed and various forms of media (depending on eras) record their flaws. Tough information transmitted to audiences are frequently biased, evidences of objective reality remains, even in the remote past.
Marshall P. David (1997). Celebrity Power; Fame in Contemporary Culture. May 16, 2010. Electronically retrieved from
Even though some parents believe Hollywood has a positive impact on their children most believe otherwise. Children can develop health problems from having a celebrity role model; such as, anorexia, self-harm, or self-esteem issues. Youth do this to obtain that celebrity look of ‘perfection’. Celebrities act as role models for youth throughout the nation and they should live up to it.
“Posts.” Fame is a dangerous Drug: A Phenomenological Glimpse of Celebrity.” N.p. ,n.d. Web 15. Feb 2014
The star text of a celebrity can help to decipher their image and transitions they may undergo. In order to better understand these transitions, one must know the definition of a star text. A star text is the sum of everything we affiliate with celebrities, which includes their body of work, promotion, publicity, and audience participation (Jackson, 08/09/16). One must note that “celebrity doesn 't happen because someone has extraordinary qualities – it is discursively constructed by the way in which the person is publicised and meanings about them circulate” (O 'Shaughnessy and Stadler 424). Destiny Hope Cyrus, “an American singer and actress, became a sensation in the television series
...ction would be to put Lohan through aversion therapy, to help her avoid future encounters with drugs and problems with the law. This will help her make better decisions in what she decides to do and help her start to despise her past. Next, I would encourage behavioral self-control training. This will help her learn to cope with her problems without having to resort drugs and alcohol to make her feel better. Next, I would start her on SSRI’ (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors). Zoloft is what I would recommend, it is a anti-depressant but it’s main function is to secrete more serotonin. Serotonin is also known as the happy hormone, because it helps with building self-esteem. This is my predicted treatment for Lindsay Lohan. I think that if she followed the methods suggested by me, then she would see that she can get better and continue her successful career.
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.
...cians and Creating Celebrity. The media and political process (2 ed., p. 126). London: SAGE.
Society always wants to keep an eye on their favorite celebrities’ life. It is fundamental. Every little detail the public wants to follow like what and where they are eating, whom they will marry, or what they are doing all day –such a vicious cycle.
No matter where a person goes throughout the United States, they will not walk through the streets of New Jersey or New York for long before they hear the latest scandals with Kim Kardashian or Miley Cyrus. If a person walks into any public store they’ll quickly hear discussion of the latest stars on American Idol from passersby. While we scoff at the antics of celebrities, but at the same time we can foster an almost fanatical desire to be as if not more famous then the people everyone talks about. It is rather human to feel envy, jealously, and desire; we all want to be looked favorably upon. We roll our eyes when someone repeatedly states how beautiful or intelligent a celebrity is, yet even a skeptic can’t help but desire the admiration that celebrity received. Why do men work out? Why do women use such extensive amounts of cosmetics? Why are people so determined to be revered? The answer to individual’s thirst for fame can vary but it’s unavoidable to assume that individual wanted to be the center of attention. We want to be admired, favored, and loved as much as the celebrities that we worship. Reality television has shifted to show the “perfect” life of our celebrities and how happy they are compared to the common people. Neoliberals and authoritarian realized how our fanatical love for our celebrities can be used against us as to quote Frank Furedi from his academic journal on the topic of celebrity culture in which he has stated in the abstract in his first page: “Often celebrity provides an alternative source of validation. The tendency to outsource authority to the celebrity represents an attempt to bypass the problem of legitimacy by politicians and other figures.” Through celebrities’ neoliberals and
The gossip industry has become popular in the last few decades. Our society enjoys knowing about the lives of celebrities. We obsess over celebrities on gossip websites, and even obsess to the extent of stalking these celebrities. This industry has impacted our culture immensely. It has tainted our culture in several ways from creating bad role models for our children to making stalking an everyday affair; either way, the media has changed our society greatly. The gossip industry has brought new entertainment for our pleasure, but it has come with negative consequences.
When Brittany Murphy died, when Lindsay Lohan was jailed, when Britney Spears shaved off her hair, the question was asked – what have we done to these kids? We all love rags to riches stories, but it seems that the people are almost as fond of riches to rags – or let’s say, stardom to failure. What happens when a successful young performer becomes a has-been star? The high-profile troubles of celebs like Michael Jackson and Gary Coleman reinforces the truth that nearly every kid who has worked in the entertainment industry has struggled as an adult. Although some may argue that several child stars have gone on to have stable and successful careers as adults, our contention here is that a lot of celebrities who were exposed to the limelight at a young age become scarred for life by their early success and fame and tend to compensate for the childhood they were deprived of during their later years in life.
Movie stars. They are celebrated. They are perfect. They are larger than life. The ideas that we have formed in our minds centered on the stars that we idolize make these people seem inhuman. We know everything about them and we know nothing about them; it is this conflicting concept that leaves audiences thirsty for a drink of insight into the lifestyles of the icons that dominate movie theater screens across the nation. This fascination and desire for connection with celebrities whom we have never met stems from a concept elaborated on by Richard Dyer. He speculates about stardom in terms of appearances; those that are representations of reality, and those that are manufactured constructs. Stardom is a result of these appearances—we actually know nothing about them beyond what we see and hear from the information presented to us. The media’s construction of stars encourages us to question these appearances in terms of “really”—what is that actor really like (Dyer, 2)? This enduring query is what keeps audiences coming back for more, in an attempt to decipher which construction of a star is “real”. Is it the character he played in his most recent film? Is it the version of him that graced the latest tabloid cover? Is it a hidden self that we do not know about? Each of these varied and fluctuating presentations of stars that we are forced to analyze create different meanings and effects that frame audience’s opinions about a star and ignite cultural conversations.
Napoleon Hill once said, “Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.” This quote should be frequently used in society’s everyday lives. Celebrities influence people’s lives on a day-to-day basis and they do not even realize it. People use reality T.V. and commercials to figure out what they are supposed to wear or how they are supposed to live, but what they do not realize, is that the majority of media is fake. As a whole, we need to figure out how to tell if what the media is portraying is realistic. Adults and children cannot be comparing their lives to millionaires.