Celebrities are celebrities because they live a life that commands the attention of their fans. A celebrity can be well known to a small audience, within a certain country; or even within a smaller, limited area. A celebrity can also have a very large fan base, but is unknown outside of that circle of friends. But what makes a celebrity? How do we define a celebrity and how do we judge their popularity?
Fame, in the simplest form, is the recognition of a person or an entity on the basis of their achievements, reputation or presence. In the past, this has only been used to describe professional and extremely successful people, such as actors, sports personalities, musicians, business leaders and political figures. However, in the modern era, Fame includes a broader definition. Now, a celebrity could be an entertainer, politician, musician, actor, TV personality, author or film producer, but could also be a fashion designer, a writer, an academic, a educator, a public figure, a socialite, or even a student.
However, fame is not the same thing as popularity. For example, a famous singer or actor could be loved by their fans, who would take them on as their own celebrity, and enjoy their popularity. However, this sort of public fascination does not translate into major fame and financial success for that artist or personality. It also has the potential to damage the public’s view of that person. For example, if a performer tarnishes the image of a company, then the effect can be far-reaching.
Celebrities are made up of two distinct categories: those who seek fame and those who actually receive it. Actors who seek fame are stars, while those who actually receive it are celebrities. It was rather humorous when one of the leading figures in the German football team, Franz Ferdinand was accused of plagiarizing an article that he had himself written. He was nonetheless able to recover from the situation. Most celebrities fall somewhere in between, often using the fame that they achieve to fuel their desire to become more famous.
One of the most common ways in which celebrities are made famous is through the mass media, such as television and the internet. Television allows the creation of celebrities almost instantaneously, as well as the ability to observe them at all times. The internet allows for the same sorts of things, except that you can create celebrity icons online, which can include pictures, videos, and written pieces. In some cases, television celebrities may be famous through their own personal charity, such as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but there are also a variety of celebrity couples who have managed to become popular solely through the medium of television.
Celebrities are almost always public figures. The fact that they seek fame should not be confused with the public fascination that fuels the fascination with any sort of celebrity. Even in cases when the celebrity has succeeded in being a very public figure, there is a certain level of self-aggrandizement that usually goes along with being a celebrity. The public has a strange way of viewing and understanding the world’s most famous and most public people. It is important to keep this in mind, when thinking about celebrity status.