Fame: Can Being Famous Give Someone A False Sense Of Importance?

Nowadays, it doesn’t take much for someone to be famous, and this has meant that more people are ’famous’ than ever before. In the past, it was often necessary for someone to have achieved something significant in order to be known by others, but in today’s world, this is no longer the case.

Along with this, there were of course people in the past who were famous for committing crimes or for other reasons. Therefore, there are plenty of examples where people were famous for doing things that had a ’negative’ effect on others.

A Shift

One way of looking at this would be to say that there has been a shift in what people value, and this is partly why it is relatively easy to be famous. At the same time, the internet has also played a significant role in how things are.

When it comes to being famous, exposure is vital, and through being able to connect with millions of people online, it is a lot easier to gain attention from others. As an ‘individual’, someone has far more influence than they have ever had before.

Videos

The only thing they need to do is to create some kind of video, for instance, and they could end up being known by people from all over the world. While they could buy special equipment to make a video, it is not something that is necessary.

This is because the only thing they need is a Smartphone, and once they have taken their video, they can upload it onto a social media site. While someone might need to be creative in order to make a video, they might not.

Unoriginal

The only thing they need to do is to see what other people are doing, and to do something similar. Then will then be no need for them to come up with their own idea, and this could save them a lot of time and effort.

On one hand, there is the chance that they won’t get very far, but on the other hand, they might be able to receive the attention they desire. If this was to happen, their video might receive more exposure than the video they copied.

As Time Passes

To gain exposure is one thing, but it is another thing altogether to maintain the level of exposure that they have attained. There are going to be plenty other people who are doing the same thing, and this means they might need to make sure they stand out.

Also, people’s attention spans are generally short, and what might interest them at one point in time might not interest them at another. However, if other find people value what they have to offer, they are likely to give them their attention.

A Different Meaning

When someone is famous, they can end up feeling good about themselves, and as a result, there are not going to want to lose other people’s attention. However, even though this can be their inner experience, it doesn’t mean that their level of fame has the same impact as it would in the past.

In the past, being famous would have allowed someone to stand out, but in the today’s world, this is not always going to be the case. They can be seen as just another person who is famous, and this shows how normal it has become.

Different Levels

What is also going to play a part here is what level of fame someone has achieved. If they are a well-known actor or musician, for instance, the effect they have on people can be the same as it would have been in the past.

Yet just because someone doesn’t have the same level of fame, it doesn’t mean they will see themselves as being any different. In their eyes, they could be just as important as the people that have a higher status.

One Outlook

It could be said that at a deeper level, all human beings have the same value, and therefore, if one person is perceived as having more value than another, it is a man-made occurrence. When it comes how valuable someone is perceived to be, there can be what they contribute on one side and on the other side there can be how other people respond to what they contribute.

This is why one person can do more than someone else and end up getting paid less money. For example, a top sports star can earn millions a year, whereas a nurse is unlikely to earn that much in their whole career.

Grounded

Through earning a large sum of money, a sports star could end up believing that their professions is more important than most of the professions that other people have. This outlook can also be supported by the feedback they receive from other people.

If this was to happen, it could be said that they are out of touch with their own humanity and their healthy shame. However, if they were to stay in touch with themselves, and not get caught up in how much they earn and the feedback they receive from others, it will be easier for them to stay grounded.

Impermanent

Also, no matter how they are experience life, it is not going to last forever; there will come a point in time when they no longer have the same ability. As a result, it will no longer be possible for them to earn the same amount of money, and they won’t receive the same feedback from other people either.

The same could also be said about someone who is famous; it is unlikely to be something that will last forever. And even though they could come to believe that they are more important than others, this is nothing more than an illusion.

A False Sense Of importance

Through the feedback they receive, they can come to see themselves as being the centre of the universe as opposed to being part of it. It can then be normal for them to see themselves as being more important than other people.

In this case, they are going to be out of touch with their healthy shame, and this means they are going to be out of touch with their true-self. But while this is something that can take place through being famous, there could be more to it.

Conclusion

What it could come down to is that they didn’t feel comfortable with themselves to begin with, and this then caused them to develop a false-self. Through feeling as though they are more important than others, it then allows them to avoid facing how they really feel.

If they didn’t feel this way to begin with, it would be a lot easier for them to stay grounded. At some point in their life, they may have been shamed in some way, and this would have caused them to feel flawed.

When it comes to moving beyond this kind of challenge, it might be necessary for someone to work with a therapist and/or a support group.