The media landscape has undergone a significant shift. A pre-wedding event, for instance, wouldn’t have generated the significant public attention it does today. We now live in an era of late capitalism, where the personal lives of billionaires often overshadow issues of social importance. Is the current state of affairs, where a billionaire’s wedding plans receive more attention than a farmer’s protest, the “new normal” to be accepted? This article aims to explore this very question.

The present era is witness to the growing influence of celebrity culture and its relationship with consumerism (Debord 2021). We have witnessed a barrage of content focused on celebrities’ personal lives. From the latest makeup trends to “what’s in my bag” reveals, social media bombards us with information about their clothing choices, daily routines, and preferred cafes. This constant exposure fuels a culture of individualism and materialism, where replicating celebrity lifestyles becomes the ultimate goal. Paparazzi photos and carefully curated online personas further contribute to this phenomenon. By highlighting these issues, we are encouraged to critically analyze the media we consume and question the values it normalizes.

The Illusion of Connection: Superficial Bonds and Celebrity Culture

The relentless portrayal of celebrity lives ignites a desire to mirror their opulence, fostering the illusion that adopting a celebrity-like lifestyle – one defined by conspicuous consumption and immense wealth – represents the ultimate path to personal growth and fulfilment. Capitalism thrives on this narrative, readily selling the idea of “being unique and having fun” through its products. However, this illusion creates a disconnect between the advertised lifestyle and the reality of financial constraints for most consumers. Owning a Gucci bag or having a cup of coffee at Starbucks might become a status symbol, but it holds little power in achieving true social mobility, which involves factors like education, access to quality jobs, and fair wages. Furthermore, the often frivolous pursuits and extravagant lifestyles of celebrities serve as a distraction, diverting our attention away from the underlying societal structures that shape our lives. This, in turn, fosters a perception of individual shortcomings, masking the systemic factors that contribute to broader societal issues.

Capitalism further exploits media to exacerbate this individualistic narrative. When celebrities fall from grace, the media often portrays their downfalls as personal failures, a product of bad choices or moral failings. This focus on individual blame conveniently ignores the intense pressures celebrities face – gruelling schedules, unrealistic beauty standards, and the constant need to maintain a perfect public image. These external factors, however, are rarely explored. The consumers of this celebrity culture become participants in the celebrity-driven economic system. We refer to this unparalleled devotion towards prominent figures in popular culture as celebrity worship. As we proceed, it’s worth noting the seemingly unusual level of regard currently bestowed upon these individuals.

Italian Marxist theorist Antonio Gramsci’s concept of hegemony, explored throughout his work Selections from the Prison Notebooks (1971), offers a valuable lens through which to understand celebrity culture. Hegemony, as Gramsci defines it, signifies “predominance by consent.” It describes a situation where a dominant class exerts leadership not just politically but also intellectually, culturally, and morally. This leadership is solidified by a shared worldview or “organic ideology” that permeates society. Celebrity culture, in this context, becomes an integral component of this capitalist hegemony, functioning as a powerful tool to achieve consent (Cashmore 2006). Similar to the concept of “one-dimensional man” explored by Herbert Marcuse in One-Dimensional Man (1964), celebrity culture promotes a flattened and limited view of reality one where happiness and success are narrowly defined by material possessions, brand associations, and carefully curated online personas.

Capitalism cultivates a system of false needs, desires, and interests by glorifying the consumption habits of celebrities (Monaco 1978). In the current climate, celebrities actively facilitate this phenomenon. Celebrity culture captures the public imagination across a broad spectrum of themes, influencing societal views on politics, economics, culture, and even religion. In its mature stage, capitalism utilizes celebrity culture to achieve a degree of homogenization within the population. This process, as Gramsci suggests, involves assembling most people to adhere to its dominant ideology, primarily through celebrity worship. Ultimately, this cultural appropriation can reach a point where individuals no longer question or even condemn the actions of celebrities or their role in perpetuating the status quo.

The Distortion of Public Perception

Throughout history, humans have been drawn to admire exceptional individuals like artists Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, whose achievements garnered respect and inspired the creation of art. This tendency to appreciate extraordinary figures continues today, influencing our modern-day obsession with celebrities. However, the extent of uncritical worship in our modern adoration of celebrities becomes problematic. We idolize figures who may promote a capitalist agenda. This agenda often seeks to distract the public from pressing issues of political, social and economic. Here’s where the admiration for exceptional figures takes a dangerous turn. Instead of inspiring progress, celebrity culture can be weaponized to shield the powerful from scrutiny. When the public attempts to hold the corrupt state accountable, for example, celebrities, from A-listers to lesser-known influencers, often unite to defend the status quo. This celebrity class solidarity mirrors that of the ruling class, both working to maintain a system that disadvantages the masses. Following celebrities blindly offers little advantage and fractures the very solidarity we need to challenge a rigged system.

Conclusion

In the age of late-stage capitalism, the pervasive influence of celebrity culture demands critical examination. The media prioritizes celebrity-focused content over pressing social issues, fostering a distorted reality and promoting consumerism. India has seen an extraordinary rise in this. (Chaudhuri 2017). This obsession serves as a powerful distraction, diverting attention from systemic inequalities and perpetuating the status quo. Rather than admiring exceptional individuals, today’s celebrity culture is a dangerous weapon wielded by the powerful to maintain their influence, fracturing solidarity, and hindering efforts to challenge the looming crisis fostered by capitalism. The consumer culture of capitalism facilitated by celebrity culture promises assured status mobility. It however undermines the value of cultivating your passions, honing unique talents, and fostering meaningful connections within a supportive community.

Let us redirect our focus, demand accountability from celebrities and media and prioritize the cultivation of authentic connections and the pursuit of passions. The struggle for a just world necessitates collective awareness, not a preoccupation with celebrity. It is time to dismantle the edifice of celebrity worship and chart a course towards a more equitable future.

References:

Cashmore, E. (2006). Celebrity/Culture. Routledge.
Chaudhuri, Maitrayee. (2017). Refashioning India: Gender, Media and a Transformed Public Discourse. Hyderabad: Orient BlackSwan.
Debord, G. (2021). The Society of the Spectacle. Unredacted Word.
Gramsci, A. (2011). Prison Notebooks. Volume 2. Columbia University Press.
Marcuse, H. (2013). One-dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society. Routledge.
Monaco, J. (1978). Celebrity: The Media as Image Makers. Doubleday.

Aishwarya Bejjaram is a first-year BA LLB (Honours) student at Mahindra University, Hyderabad.