Today, fame is now perceived as the new American Dream, which everyone aspires to. The issue is that fame is now reduced to public attention, which means, people will clearly do anything for that micro-second of fame. Celebrity-ism has become another commodity of our commodity fetishized world, where fame is no longer an attribute of success but an ulterior motive.
A study conducted by Twenge and her colleagues showed that 12% of teenagers in 1950 agreed with the statement "I am an important person" where as by the 1980s the percentage reached to 80. Twenge believed that this 'spike in narcissism is linked to an overall increase in individualism'. This increase is a result of a combination of factors, the main one being an increase in traveling. As its become more popular it has broken up traditional tight communities. Now we are brought up repeatedly being told, 'You're special' and 'You can be what you want to be'. Unfortunately advertisements have picked up on this, now feeling good about yourself is associated with commodities.
Branding, the internet and celebrity over exposure has created the impression that our normal, everyday lives are less significant and unworthy compared to a celeb lifestyle. Therefore, people believe if your not famous, your nobody. We have to remember the internet isn't completely at fault. Our culture has created famous celebrities through ALL forms of media. The internet's sole purpose is not to create micro-celebrities, but to inform and to communicate with the world.