What role should celebrity play?

The Role of the Celebrity
The concept of celebrity was expanded when technology in mass media made possible the duplication and distribution of images. Hollywood became a birthplace of celebrity as soon as it adopted the star system and popularized the close-up. The large screen made actors recognizable in public. But industries supply prod­ucts that people need. What need do celebrities fill?
Celebrities fill the public need for fantasy. Audiences can iden­tify with celebrities who seem to live out fantasies. Stars are pre­sented as people who are different-but not too different-from their fans. This enables the fans to fantasize the celebrity as a more glamorous version of themselves.
few days or months) by a marriage, divorce, carefully leaked story of a fight, an altercation with the law, or nearly any outrageous behavior.
Celebrities have become somewhat like a national extended family. If a major rock star is arrested on a drug charge, millions are shocked or dismayed. If a hot young actor marries an equally well-known actress, the marriage is a topic of conversation in mil­lions of households. Some fans feel they really know celebrities well enough to call or write them with advice on personal prob­lems. The nation mourns the death of celebrities, talks endlessly about their latest plastic surgery or alcohol dependency cure, and sends congratulation cards on the birth of a child.
Many viewers develop imaginary romantic relationships with media personalities. Many dress, talk, and behave in imitation of real or fictional celebrities such as James Bond, Cher, Elvis, Madonna, or Rambo. Sometimes these fictional relationships interfere with reality, occasionally with unfortunate results.
Audiences embrace celebrities and make them part of their social relationships. They dream that since in America "all men are created equal," they too might become famous. Mass media can touch the ordinary person and make him or her famous for a day. As artist Andy Warhol observed, "In the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes." We dream of becoming rich and famous, but if we cannot actually do so, then at least we can watch those who are.