Celebrity Obsession and Its Manifestation on Social Media
Celebrities. We’ve always been obsessed with them, but the addition of social media has changed the way we think about them. Social media has made the celebrity world so easily accessable that anyone can take a look into it any time. It has become so accessible, that it serves as its own type of news, one that takes over conversations and dominates news cycles.
As if the constant conversation about celebrities weren’t enough — people have become possessed with the idea of not only meeting a celebrity but with taking a picture of/with them. In fact, the ultimate sign of celebrity dedication has become meeting said celebrity. Running into them, buying meet and greet tickets — if a picture is taken you’ve succeeded. Furthermore, pictures with celebrities have become status symbols. Because it is a coveted, often rare experience, if you snag a picture with a celebrity you have something over everyone else; and that is something to share on every social media platform possible. This trend has subsequently created an entire subculture around those who meet the most celebrities, which has rewarded a select few with a celebrity status of their own.
So why is it that most people can tell you the name of all 8 Kardashians but they can’t tell you the name of 8 US senators? Why is it that photos with celebrities have become a sort of social currency? Through interview and observation we will look into the minds of fangirls, and not s0-fangirls so that we can begin to understand why people are obsessed with celebrities and how it manifests itself on social media.
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