The church of the celebrity

Why are celebrities considered sacred members of today’s society, and what drives the general public’s worship of them?  By saying celebrity, I’m encompassing a wide array of people – from Derek Jeter to Kim Kardashian – or essentially, those who have acquired some sort of fame due to the talents (or lack thereof) they possess.  These select people are seen by the general public as “iconic,”, and people worship them similarly as they would a religious figure.  Robert Maniura discusses this at length in his work, “Icon/Image” which examines the evolution of religious icons.  Maniura believed, “A more widespread current use of “iconic,” though, draws on another feature of the Eastern icon—its focal cultural role and high status—to refer to culturally salient people, things, and concepts: sportspeople, musicians, commercial products, and brands, among other things, can all be “iconic” in this sense. This leads away from material religion.”  Maniura argues that society’s interpretation of icons is shifting away from traditional religion and has gravitated towards secularism.  This is embodied through our worship of celebrities, they are considered “high class” and people look up to them regardless of their lack of merit.    

            So what has caused the gravitation towards more secular figures as opposed to religious ones?  Laderman described celebrities as “media-created, ultimately empty vessels that provide, though captivating, images void of real purpose or value.”  I believe that the part of Laderman’s description that is most crucial to focus on is “captivating.”  Celebrities intrigue people and therefore media outlets bombard us with pictures, videos, and gossip regarding them.  As society’s technological prowess continues to progress, celebrity news will continue to be thrown in the face of the general public.  So I believe that the media and technological progress is responsible for the increasing celebrity worship that we see today.