It would seem that everything in our world is subject to trends and fashions these days, even journalism.  Not so long ago the celebrities we most wanted to read about were the royal ones and it was difficult to find a magazine without  Di or Fergie gracing the cover.  Now, however, we seem to have an interest in celebrities who are rich, dim, trashy, scandalous and preferably with a stint in rehab.

The recent inquest into the death of Princess Diana has finally concluded and I’m sure you’ll agree that now we can all get some sleep!  The findings really came as no surprise to most of us but it appears that the official  view differs from the public one.  While the inquest concluded that the drunken chauffeur was mostly to blame, the public still like to condemn the media, or more precisely, the paparazzi.

Similarly, it is the media who are blamed for our current trend towards gossip stories about trashy celebrities, but who actually drives the media?  You do, dear public!  You are actually the catalyst in the whole media chain reaction.

When you buy these magazines, readership numbers increase, which in turn make the publication more attractive to advertisers.  It is this advertising dollar that makes the media world go round.

As long as there are some members of the public who continue to want to know all the sordid details, true or otherwise or glimpse an embarrassingly candid photo of a well-known celebrity, the media will continue to meet the demand.

One wonders at the motivation behind this desire to take a voyeuristic view into other people’s lives.  Is it admiration or empathy, or rather is it almost a “tall poppy syndrome”, where we enjoy seeing the more human moments of our stars that seem to level them:  that hint of cellulite, a lack of make-up or a bad hair day.

It is a proven statistic that the people with the most disposable income at the moment is the younger generation, you know, the ones without kids and mortgages.  It is therefore this sector of the public who are more inclined to drive the media machine.

Currently, we seem destined to be updated daily on whether Britney Spears is wearing underwear or not.  Who really cares??  Obviously someone does.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 13th, 2008 at 7:59 am and is filed under In The Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.