The cult of celebrity is stronger than ever. No stranger to fame himself, it was Andy Warhol who is credited with famously quipping that everybody gets their 15 minutes of fame (and to drive the point home, the concept of fame has just been mentioned four times in this sentence alone). Then someone came along and changed that to 15 megs (MB) of fame. These days, it’s more like 15 seconds of fame.
With a global population approaching 7 billion, there are a lot of eyes eager for creative content to keep them entertained, and the trend that TV started over 60 years ago has hardly abated.
The über family of publicity mongering has to be the Kardashians, and with Kimye now a reality, they show no signs of slowing down. Talk about the ultimate in publicity mergers & acquisitions – when Kanye took Taylor Swift’s mic away from her, and Barack called him a donkey (well, that’s the polite term), it was clear even then that his intention was to steal the limelight. And it Likewise, Honey Boo Boo has created a sensational following by turn poor white trash into TV riches (with the help of some unscrupulous adults).
The Internet has made content creators and voyeurs of us all, such that there is always someone who wants to grab the attention, and always someone who wants to have their attention grabbed. The Internet, like so many other innovative disruptions, has radically altered but also radically enhanced the way we communicate. The biggest effect of the Net has been on the music industry, the movie industry and the publishing industry, and the publicity industry (which often encompasses all three) is also being radically changed by digital media. New kids on the block (pardon the pun) One Direction (1D) and Mr Gangnam Style PSY owe their fame and fortune to the Net.
Of course, it’s a very crowded marketplace, but there is still a place in the sun for us all. So, what’s your unique contribution to the world, and how will you use your 15 seconds of fame on the Net to tell your story?