Furedi, F. (2010) 'Celebrity Culture', Society, vol. 47, no. 6, pp. 493-497
Culture only exists because it is something that we have created; it's man-made, although it seems unintentional to automatically separate, this happens due to people's interests. There are many forms of culture within our society; however, it is mostly defined by our fashion, religion, language, interests, hobbies, etc. Society is thought to drive culture and help us to identify ourselves within the community, but there is a definite divide between high and low cultures. Low culture has a mass appeal and can be referred to as 'popular culture', whereas high culture feels more exclusive, special and limited. It has also been said by culture theorists that both high and low culture are subcultures.
It is mentioned in the abstract that people can become famous for doing absolutely nothing; there are many out there that are guilty of this. For example, people who enter the Big Brother house, or enter a 'reality TV series' are famous for doing completely nothing in their lives, apart from having an argument or 'tiff' with someone else. I admittedly watch Big Brother, but I don't understand why I enjoy it because I know that these people are only in it to play a game, win some money and make a name for themselves (after having an argument for no apparent reason). "Today's celebrities, who often lack accomplishment are often the product of cable or reality television and many disappear as fast as they are constructed." Recently, I have been watching Big Brother 7 (from 2006) and have understood that many of the people that were involved in this show have no name for themselves anymore, except for the odd one or two, like Pete Bennett and Nikki Grahame (who has recently become famous again on YouTube and Facebook for her unique personality). However, I also understand that some may enter shows like these because they want to change something in their lives. Gerry from Big Brother 2007, works in an art gallery (I'm not sure if he still does) and also has three artistic degrees; he suggests that Big Brother is a 'work of art' and that it is 'a living specimen installation' - I completely agree with this statement and understand that it could be thought of as 'human experiment', but knowing me, I don't think that I would ever enter the house due to there being so many cameras and the public eye being on you 24/7. Other people such as Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian are more examples of popular culture/low culture.
Another example of popular culture is TOWIE (The Only Way Is Essex). I don't watch this show, however know that these people are 'famous for being famous' - they don't do anything and they're actually pretty fake. It's meant to be a 'reality TV show', however the show is scripted, making it not as interesting as shows like Big Brother, where the things that happen are essentially real, though it may not be reality. These days, a celebrity is not deemed as being someone who has a talent, which is a shame, because normally people look up to celebrities and admire them and want to be them. Back in the 40s, 50s, 60s... etc, people were more real. They rose to fame because they had something valid to share with the public and nowadays, it's all changed.
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