Posted on behalf of Tara-Ashleigh Brennan:
In this day in time, society is obsessed with the lives of the rich and the famous. From gossip magazines and websites to newspaper headlines and breaking news stories, celebrity news is of great importance in society as they are always being observed, reported on, and discussed. Though this is not a new type of fandom, our advanced technology has made the viewing of celebrities everyday living, even their most intimate moments, so accessible and so available that one no longer needs any sort of talent or intellect to become a celebrity. A great number of people read about, seek information on, talk about, and follow celebrity news all the time. As discussed by James Chapman in the Daily Mail in 2003, this type of societal fanatic infatuation is called celebrity worship syndrome:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-176598/Do-worship-celebs.html
According to the article by Chapman, there are three different dimensions of celebrity worship syndrome. The lowest level relates to the entertainment theory discussed in Barans and Davis which “conceptualizes and explicates key psychological mechanisms underlying audience and enjoyment of entertainment-oriented media content” (249). In this first dimension, fans are drawn to the celebrities in a casual way, taking pleasure in the talents of the celebrity, and chatting about them with other fans. Fans of the middle dimension feel they share an intensive personal connection to and about the celebrity. The third level of celebrity worship syndrome is characterized by obsessive behaviors and fantasies such as fantasizing about marrying that celebrity.
As seen in the past, a fan’s love for a celebrity has become perilous. Do you believe that this “celebrity worship syndrome” is a real illness? Or is it too ridiculous, too difficult to believe?
In a second article, it is stated that celebrity worship syndrome is one that people should make themselves aware of since almost one-third of the world’s population is affected by this illness. Those who suffer from this have extremely diminished self esteem as well as depression and anxiety. As Jenson writes, “fandom is seen as excessive, bordering on deranged, behavior” (320). For those in fear of having this illness, the article does provide guidelines to help the reader diagnose the dimension he or she is in within this syndrome:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/312088/celebrity_worship_syndrome_do_you_have.html?cat=4
So is society’s fascination in the lives of the rich and famous a healthy hobby or a dangerous addiction? Even if a person’s celebrity-following is to a minimum, can it really be considered as just a healthy, innocent hobby if it has the possibility to lead to a dangerous addiction? Do you think it is more or less common amongst certain demographics than others?
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Tara brings up many good points about fandom and the effects of celebrity worship. New technologies have made it easier than ever to worship and create para-social relationships with celebrities. "The fan is understood to be, at least implicitly, a result of celebrity- the fan is defined as a response to the star system" (Jensen 343). Twitter and other celebrity blogs and social networking sites make celebrities available 24/7. The social marketing theory states, "Even vulnerable audiences members are likely to forget or fail to act on messages unless those messages are reinforced by similar information coming from several channels" (Baran and Davis 260). This could be seen as one of the factors in why celebrity fandom is becoming more dangerous and destructive.
ReplyDeleteFor most of society, celebrity fandom is seen as a healthy habit, however it is becoming clear that it is very easy for these healthy fans to fall into bad habits. Healthy fans can simply enjoy reading information about their favorite celebrity and that will be enough. It become a problem when bonds are formed for the fan. The para-social celebrity relationships unknowingly become stronger and stronger which eventually disrupts an individuals day-to-day behavior, in a gradual way. Although celebrity worship can become dangerous, the celebrity worship disorder may be oversimplify a large issue. People may become more dependent on the para-social relationship they have formed with their celebrity. When these relationships become too strong or are somehow broken it become dangerous for the fan and the celebrity.
I definitely agree with many of the points that Tara-Ashleigh makes in her blog about the dangerous side of fandom. I do think that "celebrity worship syndrome" exists, and I will even admit to probably having a mild form of it, though I would probably rather change the name to “celebrity interest syndrome”. There are some celebrities that I am interested in reading about for their antics, but I usually to look down upon them (our Heidi Montag discussion comes to mind here), definitely not worship them. Nevertheless, I do spend some time reading gossip blogs, though I pride myself in boycotting the obnoxious Perez Hilton, and the original reason that I joined Twitter was to follow celebrities. As a result, I can see both sides of the issue—I can see how fandom and interest in celebrity can be good and bad, and how it can be either a healthy hobby or a dangerous addiction.
ReplyDeleteTara-Ashleigh mentioned the connections of fandom to the entertainment theory in her blog, and I can definitely attest to this relationship, especially when considering the mood management theory. Baran and Davis say this theory “…argues that a predominant motivation for using entertainment media is to moderate or control our moods…When we’re ‘stressing out’ from studying, we can take a break and surf the net or turn on a televised comedy” (256). I tend to do this in my own life—I will motivate myself to get an assignment done by deciding to get it all done before my favorite television show comes on, so that I don’t have the assignment hanging over my head. I would probably be in a bad mood if I put all of my work off until after the show, and then wouldn't be able to give it my full attention. In this way (though some may not agree), I think that using entertainment and media as a motivation for moderating my mood can be a good thing.
On the other hand, Jensen’s article shows how our fascination with the lives of the rich and the famous can be very dangerous. As much as people like to say that overall fandom is a healthy hobby, no one can deny that in some instances, the obsession turned deadly. Jensen stated: “One model of the pathological fan is that of the obsessed loner, who (under the influence of the media) has entered into an intense fantasy relationship with a celebrity figure. These individuals achieve public notoriety by stalking or threatening or killing the celebrity” (344). Sadly, just because most fandom is healthy, it doesn’t erase or excuse the fact that some is definitely not. However, I find it hard to believe that a healthy or innocent hobby can turn into a dangerous addiction, to the point where the fan would want to murder the celebrity—there are probably many, many more psychological issues involved in these cases than just an obsessive interest in the celebrity.
As for whether there is a certain demographic that is more or less likely to have a dangerous addiction, it is hard to say. Teenage girls certainly show some signs of this, especially toward their teen idols, and young men are often "crazy" about their sports teams, but it is hard to say that these are “dangerous”. If anything, I think it would be more of an individual pathology that leads to the dangerous addiction, not your age or gender.
I actually learned about celebrity worship syndrome in Intro to Public Relations last semester so I found it interesting that you wrote your blog about it! For many years, I have had a fascination with celebrities. I believe this fascination began with my love for the Backstreet Boys in third grade. Although I have always been interested in celebrities, I have never reached the point of borderline-pathological. I do, however, feel like this syndrome could be a real illness – or at least related to or connected with a pathological illness. I don’t think it is ridiculous at all to believe this syndrome is a real illness; people sometimes have strange obsessions and do not always think logically. I think many people are on the lowest level when they talk about celebrities at the water-cooler. I would say that one of my favorite things to talk about is celebrities. Does this mean that my life revolves around celebrity culture? Absolutely not. Does it mean that I have celebrity worship syndrome? Maybe to a certain extent. According to the symptoms listed in the second article, I would not classify myself as having this illness to any degree past the first. “Media can help us cope with problems in our lives – problems that regularly induce bad moods” (Baran and Davis 258). I think most people who have a slight case of celebrity worship syndrome are particularly fascinated by celebrities because of the media shoving Hollywood down our throats. People are able to escape their lives and their own problems when they talk about celebrities and their lives.
ReplyDeleteThe second article also states that in a study done by psychologists Lynn McCutcheon and James Houran, only one percent of their subjects were diagnosed borderline-pathological. Joli Jensen says “only when the para-social relationship becomes a substitute for autonomous social participation, when it proceeds in absolute defiance of objective reality, that it can be regarded as pathological” (348). Generally, people who are fascinated with celebrities still have a hold on reality and do not make their lives revolve around celebrity discussion. Though many people enjoy discussing celebrities, it is only a small group of people who actually have psychological problems which relate to their celebrity obsession.
I think overall, society’s fascination with celebrities is nothing to be worried about. It definitely can get to a degree of unhealthy obsession but this is most likely only going to happen with people who lack things such as healthy relationships and high self-esteem. I don’t think this syndrome is necessarily more or less common among certain demographics as much as it has to do with already existing psychological issues, as Brianne mentioned.
As Brianne and Sarah, have stated I do think that "celebrity worship syndrome" exists out there but I think that along with the varying types of degrees of this syndrome I believe that age demographics and circumstances play a major part with deciding whether this is a dangerous addiction or not.
ReplyDeleteThis love for public figures is not a new phenomenon. The sentence in Baran and Davis "audience members do voluntarily control their selection of entertainment content," (256) reminded me of in the 5th grade we read this book about Abraham Lincoln and in this book there was a letter from a young girl, who explained to him that if he was to grow a beard he would have a greater chance of winning the presidency. She continued to explain that her mother and other women like men with beards and they would tell their husbands to vote for him. I always remember this because it shows how image in many cases has more of an impact than anything else.
Now as I stated before I do think that age demographics should play a part in deciding whether this actually an psychological illness. I think little girls and boys look up to celebrities and yes they are attractive people so you are most likely going to be attracted to them. So to put kids in the most intense level because they might fantasize about marrying a celebrity I think is a bit extreme. I was in love with Johnathan Taylor Thomas, Andrew Keegan, and numerous other teen actors and musicians as a child. Yes, I used to say when I grow up I want to marry this person but at that age who doesn't. My aunt when she was a girl was in love with this actor that played a character named Dr. Kildare and was devastated to find out that he was gay in real life. Now my aunt is an intellectual woman, married, living a fulfilled life her love for this fictional character I don't think hindered her life in anyway. Although I believe she became a nurse because of him haha.
I think if a person becomes so obsessed with this certain celebrity that they feel as if they are close friends with them and stalks every aspect of this persons life I think this is a more severe psychological syndrome. When adults devote their life entirely to the devotion of this person that they have never actually had a personal conversation with I think is an illness. If you are altering yourself then I do believe that is an addiction other than that I think if there are some sort of public figures with any attractive qualities there is going to be some sort of attraction there call it celebrity worship it will be there.
I believe that people can have obsessions, but I do not think that it is proper to label their obsessions a “celebrity worship syndrome”. I think that when people become obsessed with a celebrity, their obsession stems from another serious problem; such as a lack of love or having severe obsessive tendencies with things in their daily life. I do not believe that somebody can simply have a problem with obsessing over a celebrity and then be fine with everything else. I think that rather than be labeled a person with “celebrity worship syndrome”; a person should be labeled as a person with “obsessive tendencies” or “severe emotional problems”.
ReplyDeleteSociety’s fascination with the lives of the rich and famous borders between a hobby and an addiction. In Chapter 29 of McQuail’s reader, Mcquail speaks of the “ideal romance”. He then proceeds to detail several steps in the ideal romance including, “the heroine’s social identity is destroyed…the heroine reacts antagonistically to an aristocratic male…the heroine’s identity is restored” (312). My point is, is it a dangerous addiction to want to follow a “fairy-tale romance”? No. However, it is dangerous when one begins to take things too far and forms an obsession.
One can argue that Kendra Wilkinson, the famous Playboy model with her own TV show represents the story of an “ideal romance”. Kendra is beautiful, but had a rocky past full of drugs and depression. Just when she was giving up on life, Hugh Hefner was able to help her sober up, got her a modeling contract, and allowed her to be the star of “Girls Next Door”. When Kendra first met her current husband, Hank Wilkinson, she did not like him, but eventually fell for his charm and the two are now happily married with a baby.
Now, there is nothing wrong if one admires Kendra and is fascinated by her story. One can say that she is pretty and even fuss over pictures of her latest outfits and watch her TV show every week. However, a line is crossed when a person starts trying to go to all the places that Kendra goes, tries to dress like Kendra, look like Kendra, and talk like Kendra. People have to be very careful about what they do when it comes to following celebrities.
I will openly admit that I am a frequent visitor to the “Perez Hilton” website. I love reading about all of the latest gossip and scandals. I personally see no harm in visiting the website on a daily basis. One can argue that I am following the entertainment theory. In Chapter 9 of Baran and Davis, the authors state “entertainment theorists assume that most of us don’t think enough about this content to have very useful insights about it. We’re just doing what feels good – after all, it’s only entertainment” (249). When I am looking at the Perez Hilton website, I do not think that what I am doing is dangerous or unhealthy. I just think of myself as being amused by reading the latest entertainment news. However, if I couldn’t go 10 minutes without visiting Perez Hilton, I might have a serious problem.
I think that everybody possesses a little bit of celebrity obsession, but it can become a real problem based on the person’s personality. So can following a celebrity lead to a serious addiction? Yes, if the person possesses other obsessive or extreme emotional tendencies.
(Remainder of My Post)....
ReplyDeleteI think that the celebrity obsession definitely strikes certain demographics more. I do not believe that when a person is between the ages of 1-10 years old that they will have a strong tendency to want to be exactly like a celebrity. They may sing along to certain songs and want to dress like a celebrity, but the obsession ends there. I think that when people are between 10-17 years old, they fall in the dangerous demographic of possibly obsessing dangerously over a celebrity. When a person is between 10 and 17, it is a confusing time. Young adults are trying to form their true personalities and images. Therefore, it is easy for a young person to latch on to a celebrity and try to be like them. When a person is between 17 and 23, I do not think that they will have obsessive tendencies because people basically form their own identities and are involved in high school/college drama. People want to be independent. After a person is 23 years old, I believe that their fate is up in the air as most people’s lives become somewhat confusing and complex after leaving college. Sometimes if people are worried or confused, they may latch on to a more idealistic image of another person.
I agree that this described fandom, although not new, is enhanced with technology. Blogs and sites like you tube can allow “followers” to literally follow a celebrity for hours on end. I believe this may become the biggest issue with America’s youth because they are being brought up on this unprecedented fandom obsession and the outcome of this is still undetermined. Because of the young age of some celebrities, adolescent boys and girls often first view these individuals simply as people they can relate with, initially createing this relationship.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.slideshare.net/aseits/celebrity-obsession-the-media-and-teen-identity
The attached link shows how that this relationship can often turn into an obsession with the internet being an accomplice to this. Joli Jensen has two models of fan pathology: the individual fan and the member of a crowd. I believe the type of celebrity fandom described in the original blog post is more of an issue in the individual model when discussing America’s youth fan obsession. She explains that “…in a media addicted age, celebrities function as role models for fans who engage in ‘artificial social relations’ with them” (344). In other words, Jensen is saying that these fans will eventually try to model their lives after these celebrities. With new technology, it’s extremely easy to mimic and shadow every move these celebrities make. Furthermore, the problem with adolescent fans makes it more of a problem because they are being brought up and raised on this and their upbringing could be dramatically altered as a result.
To answer Tara’s additional questions, I do think celebrity worship syndrome is a real illness. Of course there are different degrees to which people do have this problem but it still exists. Contrary to this is Baran and Davis’ entertainment theory which “…seeks to understand what entertaining media content does to us-often without out awareness…Entertainment theorists assume that most of us don’t think enough about this content to have very useful insights about it” (249). This theory explains that entertainment is simply a product of what makes individuals feel good but I disagree.
Although it is made to make us feel good and for many is a healthy hobby, there are too many instances it can be a dangerous addiction. Again, I believe this may become a larger issue with America’s youth because they have unlimited access and are unaware of the distinction between being a healthy fan and being obsessed.
While I do not believe this idea of the “celebrity worship syndrome” is a real illness, I can see where some might think otherwise. Look in the news and Robert Pattinson is being chased down the street by screaming females or walk into a tween’s bedroom and Brad Pitt’s face is plastered on every inch of white wall. There are undoubtedly those individuals who take their fandom to the next level, making it borderline obsessive. Although this is a topic that has been discussed over and over again, you cannot help, but compare it to Twilight. The female world has become completely infatuated with this series and most of all, the vampire way of life. Mothers have created their own fan clubs, shrines are being created that include cardboard cutouts of the character and in some extreme cases, taking on the “life” of a vampire. As Jensen states, “…it is not surprising that many members of the audience become dissatisfied and attempt to establish actual contact…One would suppose that contact with, and recognition by, the persona transfers some of his prestige and influence to the active fan” [Jensen 347]. There have been cases were boys have bitten their girlfriends in effort to create a “life-long bond” with their significant other. They become so intrigued by the character’s relationship that fans wish to emulate it.
ReplyDeleteHowever, we are talking extreme cases here and I believe that “normal” fans or celebrity worship that was described as “mild affliction” in the article is more frequent. This interest in celebrities and the characters they play are a perfect way to escape from the real world for awhile. Being able to read about Angelina’s personal life allows us to step away from our own. This relates back to the mood management theory which states that “we can be guided by our feelings about content—our vague expectations about what will make us feel better as opposed to having a well-thought-out, rational strategy guiding our selection” [Baran and Davis 257]. We may not realize it, but listening to Lady Gaga’s music and keeping up-to-date on her latest fashion trends can improve our mood. Just because you become passionate about a celebrity or athlete, that does not automatically mean you have a mental problem. With the ongoing war and economic issues, sometimes Hollywood gossip or the Twilight series is a way to make life a little more bearable at times.
Michelle Kokot
This is a very interesting topic because there are really two answers for some people they can just read the tabloids or watch entertainment T.V. and it can serve as just a fun hobby or guilty pleasure however for some it can turn into something much more dangerous. To really answer this question I turned to the definition of the fandom, “Fandom is conceived of as a chronic attempt to compensate for a perceived personal lack of autonomy, absence of community, incomplete identity, lack of power and lack or recognition”(McQuail,348). Another important thing to note is that being a fan is actually a response to the star system that Jensen talks about, The fan is understood to be, at least implicitly, a result of celebrity- the fan is defined as a response to the star system" (Jensen 343) . the reason I say it can be a healthy hobby is that not every fan fits the definition of a pathological fan a described by Jensen , ““One model of the pathological fan is that of the obsessed loner, who (under the influence of the media) has entered into an intense fantasy relationship with a celebrity figure. These individuals achieve public notoriety by stalking or threatening or killing the celebrity” (344). A great example of a pathological fan is John Hinckley who tried to kill President Regan in order to impress actress Jodie Foster. In conclusion not being a fan can lead to dangerous behavior however that does not occur enough times to really call societies fascination with the lives of the rich and famous a dangerous addiction. I feel as teenage girls are more likely to be affected by the tabloids then men however it is well documented how crazy male fans can get
ReplyDeleteTara has brought up many good points in her blog. I definitely agree that society has become hugely infatuated with the lives of the rich and famous. I can’t stand in line at any grocery store or gas station register without seeing celebrities’ faces plastered all over the covers of every single type of magazine, from fashion magazines to sports magazines. Society craves knowing as much news as writers can pack into a story or a quick headline. Even I find myself rapidly flipping through magazines while standing in line at the grocery store trying to catch both the latest news about Sandra Bullock and her soon-to-be X, or Brad Pitt and Angelina’s latest news because a quick blurb on the cover sucked me in. We are surrounded and bombarded with celebrity news, on the radio each morning I always seem to catch at least the tail end of a conversation about recent celebrity news. Technology has greatly advanced which Tara touched on and now we are able to track celebrities every movements having gossip constantly at our fingertips.
ReplyDeleteSimply learning that Brad Pitt fell in love with Angelina while still married to Jennifer Anniston has made me as an audience member dislike Angelina because I’ve always liked Anniston and to me she seems real. I read about the entertainment theory and how entertainment theorists “assume that most of us don’t think enough about this content to have very useful insights about it” (Baran & Davis 249). I disagree that the majority of people don’t think enough about the content we view and read about enough to have useful insights about it. I don’t believe that there is a way to know whether or not people are thinking deeply about what they watch, when I decide to dislike Angelina because I like Anniston does that mean I am thinking deeply or that I am just obsessed? I believe that some people view celebrity news too heavily however, I believe that if you are tracking a celebrity on your computer or phone, you have crossed the line.
Baran and Davis explained that “as human beings, we have cognitive skills allowing us to continually scan our environment, make sense of it, and then act on these interpretations” (Baran & Davis 315). I completely agree with this statement and I believe that it directly connects with how I view people’s knowledge and yearn for celebrity gossip. I know many people, myself included who don’t go to the grocery store to scan through the magazines catching up on the latest gossip, we simply see them while we are waiting in line. While we are standing in line we are scanning our environment and if we have time before checkout, we flip through the pages. I also know plenty of people who go directly to the magazine isle in the grocery store in order to catch up on the latest gossip, I still believe that they are scanning their environment I just believe that they are scanning it with a direct purpose. I completely believe that the idea of “celebrity worship syndrome” is in fact a real illness, I however believe that people who belong to this category are few and far between. I often wonder if some of these obsessive fans are really as obsessed as they say they are and act like they are, or if they simply want attention. This is not something that I believe can be decided upon however because every person is different and while some people might actually suffer from “celebrity worship syndrome” others may simply be striving for attention.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jensen that “the fan is understood to be, at least implicitly, a result or celebrity – the fan is defined as a response to the star system” (Jensen 343). One cannot argue that people only become fans of celebrities because we see and hear about the celebrities all of the time through media. If a person never becomes a celebrity, chances are we won’t be a “fan” of them since they won’t have reached fame enough for us to even know they exist. I believe that as long as people don’t cross lines and begin obsessing over celebrities or feeling any sort of para-social interactions with celebrities and believing that they are friends that they are normal fans. I absolutely love Lil Wayne and if I saw him I would definitely want his autograph and wish I could hang out with him for a day, I realize that it will never happen and so I do not obsess over it. If people begin falling into a grey area between real life and fantasy, they are on a track leading to a dangerous addiction of fandom. I definitely believe that fandom can be an innocent hobby if people don’t let it lead to a dangerous addiction. I don’t believe anyone can make the accusation that certain demographics are more prone to fandom become a dangerous addiction than others. I suppose some would argue that people who aren’t wealthy might become obsessed with a celebrity because they wish that they could live the fabulous life of the rich and famous but this is a far-fetched argument in my opinion. People simply need to think rationally about their personal levels of fandom and realize when they are crossing over into an obsession so that they can get help if needed.
MICHELLE KOKOT. Meesh is that you?! It's Attie I've been trying to get back in touch with you for years! is that you from WP. if it is post on Craigslist for Richmond Va under Missed connections. Anyone reading this if you know michelle tell her.
ReplyDelete