subject: Satellite Internet Brings Celebrities Down To Earth [print this page] Americans have been obsessed with the lives of celebrities for decades now. From Liz Taylor and Richard Burton to Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, from Joan Crawford to Kim Kardashian the personal lives of these famous actors, and now reality stars, has almost become a national fascination. But today, it seems like celebrity obsession has reached a fever pitch. This is largely been made possible by satellite Internet and related technologies. Why? Because instead of having to wait for your weekly copy of the sanitized People Magazine, you can find out all you would ever want to know about Kate Winslet to some D-List reality show participant with nothing more than a satellite broadband connection.
Satellite Internet has created a world of instantaneous connectedness. Before, celebrity watching was much more low-tech. There were a few paparazzi, but most photographers of the stars only showed up at pre-planned events, like red carpet premieres, so these famous actors were never caught off-guard, walking from their SUV to the local Starbucks in a spaghetti strap tank top and a pair of sweatpants. The average Joe and Jane only saw their favorite actors in ball gowns and tuxedos, and must have imagined them to be supremely glamorous. Their love lives were certainly a fascination, but except in the most scandalous situations, celebrities were generally able to present narratives based on who they showed up to awards ceremonies with.
But now, throngs of paparazzi scatter across Los Angeles and its environs, all waiting for the perfect shot of Jessica Alba almost dropping her baby on the way into a super market, or of Toby McGuire kissing a mystery blonde who definitely isnt his wife or his costar, or of Reese Witherspoon looking like shes put on a little weight while frolicking in a too-tight bikini at the beach. Celebrities no longer exist on a pedestal in this new world order.
And just when these famous actors think they are alone at a gas station near their set in Montana, some otherwise non-nosy civilian can snap a picture of them with a digital camera, or a camera phone. There are so many ways for the average person to record pictures and video these days that the most famous celebrities are unsafe virtually anywhere they go. Once a picture or video has been taken of them, it can be uploaded to the Internet instantly. With satellite Internet, people can post the pictures or videos on their own personal websites, social networking pages, or even YouTube, and hope the content becomes viral. Or they can send the content to a popular celebrity-sighting blog, such as Perez Hilton or TMZ, and instantaneously gain a huge audience. If they have something really juicy, they can approach the hoards of celebrity magazines, like Us Weekly, InTouch, or Life & Style, and maybe even be paid large sums for what they found.
On one hand, these blogs and magazines tend to pry into the personal lives of these actors beyond belief, never stopping to consider the fact that theyre human, despite the fact that they are rich, successful, and attractive. But on the other hand, the narratives they create about the lives of celebrities are often so far from the truth that the stories of their lives become almost like another acting job.
