Americans have been following celebrities for a long time. However, in recent decades, rapid advancements in technology have given us greater visibility than ever before. Celebrity culture is harmful to young people because it gives extreme power to ordinary people, causes youth to become disconnected from reality, and causes self-esteem issues in terms of body image and quality of life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay Celebrity culture is the perpetuation of the personal lives of celebrities on a global scale, a modern phenomenon that emerged amid of 20th century trends such as urbanization and the rapid development of consumer culture. The personal lives of celebrities have been exposed to the public on radio, cinema, television and the Internet, which facilitate the mechanical reproduction of images and rapid dissemination of information, as well as through publications, tabloids and talk shows. Intimate interviews, such as those with Barbara Walters, and tours of celebrity homes, such as those on Edward R. Murrow's Person to Person television show, changed the public's perception of celebrity. This false intimacy is what has led to celebrities having extreme power and disconnecting consumers from reality. Celebrity culture was born when, in an early quest for self-definition, Americans in the revolutionary republic worshiped military heroes and romantic fictional protagonists who embodied virtue and autonomy. By the mid-20th century, the obsession shifted from politicians to baseball players and movie stars. American writer Washington Irving wrote that Americans “want something to rally around; a bright light to seduce them from afar. They want something that attracts and focuses their affections. Magazines specializing in illustrated stories about leading players found an audience, featuring stories about celebrities such as the Barrymores Girls or Ziegfeld Follies. The advent of the broadcasting industry in the 1920s marked a new step forward in the development of celebrity culture. Radio became a presence in homes: by 1934, 60% of all American homes had at least one radio. Today's more advanced technology has made celebrity culture even more ubiquitous. Proponents of celebrity culture have many arguments to support the claim that celebrity culture is not harmful. They argue that celebrities who promote ethical behavior and make responsible personal decisions can have a positive effect on adolescents. It's true that some celebrities promote social justice, relief efforts, and fundraisers; Some celebrities also promote a positive self-image and help teens with self-esteem issues. There are many instances of celebrities promoting education and cultural/political awareness by writing books, participating in debates, expressing interest in travel and politics, participating in eloquent interviews, and speaking engagements during university graduations. The Global Education & Skills Forum 2018 debate room debated this question. Sir Tony Little, academic director of GEMS Education, opposes celebrity culture, saying “Role models can be healthy, they improve our personal lives and those of our community. Just thinkto Stephen Hawking and how he focused our minds on his genius, but also on his resilience in overcoming daunting odds. But celebrity culture now is about a person who is widely recognized because they are a caricature of themselves. This is an inflation of personal lives on a global scale, intrinsically linked to consumer culture” (“Is Celebrity Culture Harming Young People?”). In reality, adolescents, especially vulnerable and poorly educated adolescents, cannot distinguish between good and bad role models. Zayna Aston, head of EMEA communications and public affairs at YouTube, makes the case for celebrity culture, saying that "social media channels have given rise to a plethora of positive role models, making it easy for a young person to find someone 'one he can relate to. This online celebrity culture has exposed our young people to a world beyond their own, they have diverse and authentic role models. Compare this to the past, where the only celebrities were predominantly American, white, male movie stars” (“Is Celebrity Culture Harming Young People?”). She points out that celebrities can serve as effective role models and that the world of celebrities is becoming more and more diverse. His claims are backed up by the good deeds of celebrities. The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research has raised more than $350 million for research to find a cure for Parkinson's disease and singer Sir Elton John is a very dedicated AIDS advocate, having raised more than $300 million to fight HIV/AIDS. But, often, celebrities don't use their power in the most magnanimous ways. While some celebrities use their power to raise awareness about issues, many celebrities have given health advice that contradicts that of medical professionals. For example, diagnosed with breast cancer at age 36, actress Christina Applegate supported MRI screening for early detection; Yet advisory groups do not approve MRIs for people at average risk for breast cancer. Applegate's preferred breast MRIs also cost more than US$1,000, about ten times more than a mammogram. In this case, a celebrity used their power irresponsibly and gave health advice in uniform. Actress Suzanne Somers advocates her own brand of drugs, including bioidentical hormones to reverse aging and proteolytic enzyme therapy for pancreatic cancer, without approval from medical professionals. A randomized controlled trial comparing chemotherapy and Somers-approved proteolytic enzyme therapy for pancreatic cancer found that the former provided significantly longer survival times and higher quality of life. In this case, a celebrity endorsed their own brand and used their power to take advantage of consumers. Similarly, Jenny McCarthy warns of a link between vaccinations and autism, without supporting evidence. His claims are believed to be partly responsible for recent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases in North America and the United Kingdom. McCarthy made a careless remark and her actions caused her to step away from necessary vaccinations. Celebrities have thus given ill-informed medical advice, using their power for harmful purposes and for branding deals; it is observed that followers of a cult will blindly follow the opinions of celebrities and will not reason for themselves. According to economic literature, celebrities distinguish itemsapproved by their competitors and can catalyze herd behavior; Marketing studies and neuroscience research tell us that celebrity traits transfer to endorsed products. Celebrity endorsements activate brain regions involved in making positive associations, building trust, and encoding memories. There are many cases where celebrity experiences have influenced people's health behaviors. When journalist Katie Couric televised her colonoscopy on NBC's Today Show in 2000, colorectal cancer screenings performed by 400 U.S. endoscopists increased 21 percent the following month; Following actress and singer Kylie Minogue's breast cancer diagnosis, bookings for mammograms increased by 40% in four Australian states. Additionally, the popularity of juices, cleansers, detox diets, weird exercise routines, and anti-aging products can be directly linked to celebrity endorsements. Specific examples include Angelina Jolie's revelation that genetic testing precipitated her decision to have a preventative mastectomy, leading to an immediate increase in demand for genetic testing and preventive mastectomies. Celebrities thus catalyze herd behavior and often provide erroneous information. Celebrity culture is detrimental to today's youth because it is misused to escape reality. More and more people consider becoming a celebrity or adopting a celebrity lifestyle as a life goal reasonable and feasible. As sociologist Karen Sternheimer writes in "Celebrity Culture and the American Dream," "rather than mere superficial distractions, fame and celebrity are unique manifestations of our sense of American social mobility: they provide the illusion that Material wealth is possible for everyone. Celebrities seem to provide proof that the American dream of going from rags to riches is real and achievable. The countries that seem most obsessed with celebrity culture (the United States, Britain, and South Korea) don't score particularly high in population happiness. According to the World Happiness Report 2013, a study prepared for the United Nations, the happiest countries in the world are Denmark, Norway and Switzerland; Canada ranks sixth. The United States and Britain, two countries that produce and consume a lot of celebrity culture, rank 17th and 22nd, respectively. Additionally, when it comes to social mobility, Britain ranks last among the 34 member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Convention, and the United States is third. So countries that do relatively poorly in terms of social mobility, happiness, and education, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, also adopt a celebrity culture and a star-reaching mentality. Therefore, celebrity culture is harmful because people are disconnected from realistic expectations of success in life and believe they can become celebrities; it distracts them from their education and safer means of upward social mobility. Stephen Duncombe, associate professor of media studies at New York University, says that “fame is so linked to democracy and success, especially now. People like Kim Kardashian seem real. They act like us. They come from places we come from. Celebrity culture makes social mobility seem like magic.” The dream of fame that people havedeveloped is a “get rich quick” fantasy that is very unlikely to come true. Furthermore, this societal obsession does little to elevate or prioritize activities that will promote true social mobility and well-being. A 2007 study published in the International Journal of Cultural Studies found that those who "follow celebrity culture are least engaged in politics and least likely to use their social networks to get involved in actions or events." discussions on public issues. Young people now have more rights and are less interested in community involvement and intrinsic rewards. The cycle appears to be one where declining social mobility and diminishing life options lead to an increase in dreams of fame, which reinforces the allure of fame and leads to a focus on extrinsic rewards and a diversion from the attention to actions likely to improve social mobility, such as education and advocacy. social change. Surveys have shown that "60% of American children believe they will become famous, only 1% plan to work in an office, and 4% plan to become teachers." People are disconnected from realistic expectations of success in life and believe they can become celebrities. This distracts them from their education and safer means of success. Celebrity culture is also harmful to young people because it causes problems with self-esteem, body image and quality of life. In a 2016 study by Girlguiding UK, 37% of girls said they compare themselves to celebrities most of the time (Malacoff). The constant reinforcement of the “perfect” woman in the media has a direct impact on girls’ body confidence. A study on body image found that looking at magazines for just 60 minutes lowers self-esteem in more than 80% of girls (Malacoff). “It's natural — although often unhealthy — for humans to compare ourselves to others,” says Carla Marie Manly, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist who focuses on self-esteem and body image. Author of Joy From Fear (Malacoff). “When you look at celebrities, those who are not able to achieve this truly impossible level of perfection secretly (or not so secretly) feel ashamed and imperfect,” she explains (Malacoff). The pedestal on which celebrities are placed leads young consumers to compare themselves to “perfect” images and reduces their self-confidence. In addition to self-esteem issues related to body image, celebrity culture leads to self-esteem and quality of life issues. Roger Scruton, philosopher, affirms that pleasures come in all kinds, but that the most dangerous for us come from consumption. Happiness, beauty and the sacred are things that we cannot consume and which thus offer us consolation and lasting refuge (Scruton). “Consider beauty – the beauty of flowers and landscapes, of birds and horses, of the things we see and touch and smell when we walk in the countryside. We completely agree with these things. We have no desire to consume or destroy them. It is an elementary experience that we struggle to put into words. The cult of celebrity is a substitute for religious faith, but also an inversion of it. He offers profanation in place of holiness, envy in place of reverence, and pleasure in place of happiness. But that doesn’t satisfy anyone” (Scruton). Celebrity culture dramatizes the lives of the wealthy and leads consumers to feel dissatisfied with their own lives. Celebrity culture is harmful to.