Eva discusses the death of traditional celebrity culture and how a new culture is emerging where everyone, providing they have the right social media profile, can acquire celebrity status including students within St Andrews.
Credit: University of St Andrews website.
Celebrities are dying
At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, being an avid TikToker, it occurred to me recently whilst watching a red-carpet fashion review, the nature of celebrity culture is almost completely unrecognizable. Celebrities, those defined by the traditional conventions of fame and stardom have become inseparably interlinked with criticism, boredom and maybe the biggest threat of all, the modern influencer.
Is the once aspirational figure of the movie star; the pop star or the model drowning in irrelevance? If so this begs the question has the culture associated with celebrities died a death? Is it morphing into something new?
From silver screen to small screen
I think it’s safe to say social media has begun to, if not already, dethrone the traditional media associated with the idea of the celebrity.
Fame has become democratised like never before. Social media has opened pathways for ordinary people to essentially be plucked from obscurity; propped up by endlessly changing algorithms and increasingly fickle audiences. Before these platforms, fame was planned and perpetuated by the traditional media outlets, meaning that celebrities were ‘chosen’ intentionally to be public figures, and were moulded into perfect representations of this supposedly aspirational life style.
We can see this even here in St Andrews. Those with considerable social media followings, of which there are many here, have become, at least in my eyes, synonymised with the idea of celebrity status. Whilst there may not be paparazzi hounding them down Market Street, those who I lovingly refer to as my ‘campus celebs’ are recognisable and iconic. However, the fact that I refer to these small scale social media influencers as such emphasises the erasure of the exclusive idea of the celebrity. Where before there was a blatant separation between being traditionally famous and being an influencer, the lines have become too blurred to differentiate.
Being increasingly easy to achieve fame, it isn’t the exclusive fantasy it once was. No, now, the addictive pursuit of the unachievable has vanished. You or I could be famous tomorrow, with one tap of our finger. Somehow, it doesn’t really have the same appeal.
Through these online platforms, influencers can command the admittedly short attention spans of audiences, adapting their content and image to whatever fits their current fancy. Where traditional celebrity audiences may wane, an influencer’s can vary and expand on a day to day basis. I mean, look at the Longchamp bags here in St Andrews. Can you honestly turn a corner without seeing at least three of them on peoples' shoulders (including mine)?
Cancel culture and the collapse of the celebrity
I think cancel culture (or accountability culture, depending on who you ask), represents an interesting dichotomy of human psychology. Relating to celebrities, it's morbidly fascinating to note how comfortable we feel demanding accountability, anonymously behind our screens. Almost as though these public figures are a looking glass in which we see ourselves, but deny our own flaws by placing them on a righteous pedestal.
Cancel culture, elevated by social media, has changed the public’s foundational perceptions of celebrities. Before we were bombarded by constant reminders of their existence, it was their obscurity, their mystery which enthralled us in the first place. The modern idea of celebrity culture, one under the constant scrutiny of social media and cancel culture, has blown away the smoke and mirrors. Instead of icons worthy of our reverence, we see the base layer, or rather, the human layer. The sad thing is, while we may claim to enjoy relatability, we don’t want celebrities to be human. They’re a fantasy, cut from a different, special cloth.
This enlightened perspective shows that celebrities are in fact, just as flawed and fallible as us. Post Pandemic, there has been a growing public awareness on the huge wealth disparities between fans and their idols.
The years following the pandemic have been tough in many ways. As the world recovers from the economic stagnation of 18 locked-down months, disparities in lifestyles and in attitudes towards these struggles are more blatant and frustrating than ever. Whereas in the UK, the ordinary person may be forced to choose between eating and heating their homes, celebrities are on architectural digest flaunting their multi-million dollar homes.
Ultimately, in the world’s current state, celebrities have become a luxury that frankly, a lot of us can’t be bothered with anymore. Even in St Andrews, where as a student community we are never avioding those posh, privileged allegations, it can be incredibly difficult to keep up with the latest trends. With ball tickets setting you back around thirty pounds’ minimum, and entry to the local “clubs” for example costing ten for entry alone, the aspirational lifestyle for the average St Andrews student is completely unsustainable. I think we’re all a bit tired of being told to spend to achieve a worthy (or at least Instagrammable) University experience.
Credit: Facebook, St Andrews Students Association.
All things considered, the sun is setting on the celebrity. Gone are the days of mystery, of worship and honestly of interest. While distraction is always in, we now find it on the black mirror, not on the silver screen.
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