Fame Attack: The Inflation of Celebrity and Its Consequences

Description

The follow up to Chris Rojek's hugely successful Celebrity, this book assesses celebrity culture today. It explores how the fads, fashions and preoccupations of celebrities enter the popular lifeblood, explains what is distinctive about contemporary celebrity, and reveals the psychological, social and economic consequences of fame both upon the public and celebrities themselves. The book develops the framework for looking at celebrity culture which Rojek set out back in 2001, by showing how ascribed celebrity, achieved celebrity and celetoids overlap. The book gives a new emphasis to the role of the media and public relations in engineering fame, and the psychological consequences of celebrity - notably Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Celebrity Worship Syndrome. The book is a landmark contribution in explaining how celebrities dominate the social horizon and why we need them. Cover Half-title Title Copyright Contents Preface: The New Aristocracy of Fame 1. Celebrity Supernova 2. The Fame Formula 3. Celebrity and Sickness 4. Charisma Gulch 5. Exposure Management 6. Supply Side Factors in Celebrity Infl ation 7. Demand Side Factors 8. Para-social Relationships 9. The Icarus Complex 10. Reality TV: The Return of the Fool 11. The Sphinx of Celebrity and the Idolatry Funfair Notes Bibliography Author Index Subject Index