Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Can Celeb Gossip be Beneficial?
In the olden days, people could go grocery shopping and have a pleasant experience free of flashy tabloids at the checkout counter. Now days, you can’t escape from any convenience or grocery store without seeing ridiculous magazine headlines about reality TV stars like Kim Kardashian or teen heart throbs like Robert Pattinson. Is it really important if we know that “Kim K”—as people like to call her—supposedly had work done to her face? Or, that Robert Pattinson, the sparkly vampire from the Twilight movies, may be in love with his co-star?
Earlier today, I found myself scrolling through a celebrity gossip blog as I procrastinated studying for a finance exam. Sure, what I was reading was entertaining; I felt like I was getting an inside look at the secret lives of celebrities. However, I wasn’t long before I realized that I was simply wasting my time. Yes, it was interesting to look at pictures of Britney Spears hanging out at a secluded beach in Mexico, but it was in no way conducive to me learning the ins and outs of a financial balance sheet. Right as I was about to x-out of the site, I came across a blog entry that had me questioning whether paying attention to celebrity news media is a waste of time.
A new post was posted not about a celebrity, but about a twenty-year old Virginia Tech student. The student, Morgan Dana Harrington, was recently declared missing after disappearing outside of a Metallica concert this past weekend. Of course, I heard about this incident a few days ago, as the student disappeared at an arena only minutes away from my dorm at UVa. However, I was impressed that someone outside of UVa had taken the time to post about this girl on a celebrity gossip blog. Who knows? Maybe, someone reading that blog will be able to aid the police in finding out what happened to the student.
As a result of this, I am left wondering: Is media gossip a waste of time, or can it potentially be helpful?
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Well, I suppose entertainment isn't a total waste of time. Sometimes we just need a break from thinking so much! And I see your point, if millions of people find themselves drawn to celebrity gossip, then there is certainly an audience that could be addressed for other purposes.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of celebrities getting involved in political issues. They have a lot of power and an enormous global audience.
Any your example with the blog shows that you don't have to be famous to be heard if you comment on a blog that thousands (or millions!) are reading!
That is a good point that blogging is a good outlet for people getting their voices heard. I've never thought of blogging that way before. I've always believed that if people are faitful to blog that their blog will eventually pick up followers that the writer does not know personally. Blogging is definitely a good idea for those that have something important to say.
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