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Fame no longer needs talent
Historically fame was an accelerator that blew on the flames so talent could get bigger. Now fame acts as if it doesn't need talent at all, and talent has started to believe the same thing. A talented person puts the talent to the side and does whatever will make them most famous.
People are rewarded for being famous for things that aren't driven by talent, instead of using talent to earn attention. The effect shows up in politics, corporations, film, and podcasting, wherever fame is more important than talent. The long-term effects are unknown.
The rare cross-section is someone with real talent who also does all the work and has a great following.
When did critics first notice fame without achievement?
Historian Daniel Boorstin made the case in his 1961 book The Image. He wrote that a celebrity is a person who is known for his well-knownness. Boorstin argued that media could manufacture fame without any accomplishment behind it. He called the events staged to generate publicity 'pseudo-events.'
How did reality TV change who gets famous?
Survivor premiered on CBS in May 2000, and its August finale drew more than 50 million viewers, according to Nielsen. American Idol followed in 2002 and made its contestants nationally known within weeks. The show ran on Fox for fifteen seasons.
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