Does Anyone Really Care What Britney Spears is Doing?
by Unless you happen to be a tabloid photographer or the owner of People magazine, do you really care what Britney Spears and other celebrities have been up to? I would rather hear and see more about those individuals who are making a real difference in the world.
- I worry that children in middle school know more about Britney Spears than they know about the President-Elect.
- I worry that someday, the children that Paris Hilton may have in the future may be trying to seek therapy using public funding.
- I worry that Suri may become the most popular girl’s name.
Granted, the supermarket tabloids have always been mildly entertaining. After all, what better way to bolster your own ego than to see a photograph of a world famous actress looking like she just rolled off of a camp cot, complete with grungy sweats, greasy hair, and no professionally-applied make up? It works fabulously to make us feel superior- after all, we at least brush our hair before heading out to Starbucks, and we do it all by ourselves!
So, entertainment value aside, what lessons are our upcoming citizens learning from the Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana? (Although honestly; Hannah Montana is one of my secret little guilty indulgences and I just love Miley Cyrus!) Can effective parenting and adequate educational resources outweigh the information that is readily available online?
If you realllllly want to know what Americans are interested in, take a look at Google’s zeitgeist pages, where the popular internet search engine provides statistics for interested readers. According to this function, which can be found at Zeitgeist. “Zeitgeist” means “the spirit of the times” and Google’s tools allow interested viewers to query the popularity of just about anything, almost as easily as one can type an initial search into Google’s search bar on your own internet browser. So, the fastest rising searched name for the year 2008? Hmmm. Maybe Americans *are* interested in more than just celebrities and reality television shows. According to Google, the fastest rising search for 2008 was “Obama”, with the fastest rising image search being for Sarah Palin. There may be hope for us all.
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Post CommentPaul Faulkenham
On January 18, 2009 at 3:15 am
Susan,
You bring up good points, there’s no doubt, but Britany is to kids what popcorn is to us older folks. In some ways we have to give her credit, she’s made a ton of money though fashion, and more so through the songs she sings. Personally I think she’s cute, but her music isn’t of my generation, so I don’t listen to her. Imagine if you will the pressures of always having to look your very best, not being able to let your hair down and relax without worrying about some freak with a Camera trying to catch you off gaurd. I guess that’s show biz for ya, but I wouldn’t change places with her for all the tea in China.
C Jordan
On March 15, 2009 at 10:49 pm
This is an article that should have more views. Therefore I have Stumbled it. I have not bought a newspaper in approx 20 years for the simple reason that I know I will read about mindless “celebs”. Well said.