What’s fame for?
““Anyone whose dreams of fame were formed in the pre internet age is likely to be surprised by the contemporary reality.””
The above quote resonated with me and prompted me to think and research more on this inevitable self-esteem spoiler: fame.
Many of us, at some point in our life, would have wanted to become famous. If you are an artist or in the performing arts domain, you would definitely have dreamed about the limos and the crowd waving at you when you get out of the limo.
“What makes a celebrity special? She was just an ordinary person a month or a year ago, but now, suddenly, your heart goes flitter-flutter when you meet her, or you want an autograph.
One way to consider fame is that it increases the options for the person at the same time the number of demands go up. In other words, celebrity makes the celebrity’s attention more valuable.
It’s exciting to shake hands or get an autograph from a famous person, then, because the celebrity has something others want, you’re getting a slice of attention from someone who has other options. But she didn’t exercise those options—she chose you.
By this definition, you’re famous. Compared to just a few years ago, more people know you, you have more options, and your attention is far more precious than it ever was.”
In the internet age, being famous can be increasing the numbers on social media channels. However, we hardly ask this question - What’s fame for? This is something worth pondering about especially since we are living in the most crowded creative time ever. We are not entitled to attention or leverage anymore.
“Are you just doing something to get more famous? If so, why? If you couldn’t see your numbers, would you still do it? For example, are you only trying to grow your Twitter followers because you can see the number of Twitter followers you have?”
This calls for a redefinition of fame.
“There is famous and there is famous to the family. And famous to the family is precisely the goal of just about all marketing now. You need to be famous to the small circle of people you are hoping will admire and trust you.
By famous, I mean admired, trusted, given the benefit of the doubt. By famous, I mean seen as irreplaceable or best in the world. Being famous to the family is far more efficient than being famous to everyone. It takes focus, though. And failing to be famous to the family is precisely why most Kickstarters fail.
The race to be slightly famous is on, and it’s being fueled by the social and tribal connections permitted by the net. We give a lot of credit and faith to the famous, but now there are a lot more of them. Over time, once everyone is famous, that will fade, but right now, the trust and benefit of the doubt we accord the famous is quite valuable.
The world is more open to a new thing than we think it is, as long as we can accept the fact that it’s never going to be really popular. It’s just going to make a small difference and give us the privilege to do it again.”