ARE PERSONS WITH STATUS OF A CELEBRITY BECOMING A SOCIAL GROUP?

Abstract

In the light of the development of technology by the end of the 20ᵗʰ and the beginning of the 21ˢᵗ century the status which is enjoyed by celebrities is starting to grow into an important cultural segment. The expansion of influence of celebrity culture makes the desire to become a celebrity one of the main goals of the younger population. In the so called "Golden Times of Hollywood", which we take as the beginning of the modern idea of celebrity, one had to carefully and with devotion work hard on gaining recognition and drawing attention and becoming a celebrity by successes and achievements, in today's society there is a shift in the paths of becoming a celebrity. Unlike previous times, in the contemporary society there is a larger number of celebrities who are famous for being famous. This phenomenon, among other thigs, is enforced by the development of technology, especially the develpoment of the internet and emergence of social networks, and television form of reality programs or programs which are designed to document the daily activities of certain people, which cut short the road to fame and success. The desire to become a celebrity resembles earlier periods in which there was a tendency to try to become a part of certain social groups. In that context, through the historical overview applying known theories of the characteristics of social groups, this essay examines the extent to which celebrity status is becoming a separate social group.