In American pop-culture, it seems that we cannot help ourselves when discussing celebrities. We hold celebrities to a higher standard and scrutinize their every move then act surprised when they make mistakes and reveal themselves to be no better than the rest of us. 

As culture shifts, the internet age brings us into an “attention economy” where views and likes are more valuable than silver and gold and “influencers” have become the new celebrities. 

They walk red carpets, they appear in advertising campaigns and commercials and ‘real’ celebrities go out of their way to appear in their posts, videos and live streams because that is where the audience and attention is. 

What separates these new-age influencers from their traditional celebrity counterparts? Access. 

Our access to them is far more intimate and personal than it has ever been and we are easily let into their lives and allowed to see them as they are, not as they want to be seen. Or at least, that is what we want to believe. 

The problems arise when we feel as if we know these people. We know such intimate details of their personality and lives that they feel more like an online friend than a public figure with the same carefully curated image. 

Once upon a time, we would only see celebrities on red carpets, talk shows and other planned appearances that were carefully curated and therefore the version of them we see is only what they wanted us to see. 

Now, we can see them in real time from the comfort of our own homes and examine details of their personal and professional lives. 

Our tendency to place celebrities on a pedestal and present them as role models for people to look up to is a flawed premise in itself, but there is a larger issue at hand. The internet allows anyone with a Wi-Fi connection to become a household name with direct access to millions of impressionable young minds. 

At least when traditional celebrities were presented as role models, there were teams of people working day and night to ensure that their public persona was one worthy of emulating. 

Nowadays, the influencer needs only a phone to generate the same audience but lacks the infrastructure around them to cultivate that image.  As a result, we have people like Andrew Tate with massive fanbases who spew toxic rhetoric and create millions of young men who believe that he is someone worth admiring. 

The root problem is not one that can be easily addressed. The idea of making celebrities into our role models is one that is so deeply woven into our cultural identity that doing away with it entirely may not even be possible. 

What we can do is ensure that we remain vigilant of the reverence we give to public figures and try our best to not place them on pedestals or treat them as if they are beyond making mistakes and being human. 

With the path to celebrity now being easier and more attainable than ever before, we must be careful about who we choose to champion and platform. If we are not, then we run the risk of entire generations in the future becoming the people we revile today. 

But of course, that’s just one man’s opinion.  

Categories: Opinion