When you see someone who’s famous for any reason, but especially famous for a reason you think of as “untalented”—like a reality show star, a TikTok dancer, or a “famous for being famous” type—you might wonder why people are drawn to famous people. What about famous people makes them such a draw to thousands and millions of people around the world? Here are four reasons people might be attracted to famous celebrities.
1. Parasocial Relationships
A parasocial relationship is a type of relationship that centers around famous people. Famous people tend to bring their audience into their lives in a more intimate way. They may host live shows, do live streaming events, and do intimate interviews that they put out into the world. This makes viewers, especially regular viewers, feel like they have a personal relationship with these people.
These relationships are not new. The term was coined in 1956, mostly centering around radio and television shows. However, the extent of social media, as well as the accessibility of social media, has made it easier for people to form parasocial relationships with a variety of celebrities, including fairly small ones. Of course, this can become dangerous. It’s important to avoid issues with fraud that can arise from parasocial relationships; even when you think or know you’re dealing with a celebrity you really love, common sense should keep you safe.
2. Entertainment
A more innocuous reason that many people enjoy famous people is just for general entertainment. For example, imagine that you’re a fan of a specific actor. Watching interviews with that actor, looking for red carpet appearances, and finding out what they’ve been doing may give you something to do in your free time.
Even people who are often berated as being “famous for being famous” often provide a degree of entertainment to people. The Kardashians, one of the more famous families on the planet, are often described as being “famous for being famous,” but they have reality shows and social media appearances that provide entertainment to their fans.
3. Role Models
Some famous people may be role models to an extent. When a famous person documents their rise to fame, it may inspire other people to do something similar. When a famous person talks about their personal beliefs, it may make someone else rethink their personal beliefs, possibly changing their own beliefs.
The usefulness of having famous people as role models can sometimes be debatable. If people take on certain role models that act inappropriately, especially when they’re children, or if they don’t have good role models in their real life, this can negatively impact their development. However, famous people can generally act as role models in a beneficial way for many people.
4. Social Bonding
To an extent, people may engage with famous people in an act of social bonding. If two people meet each other and they’re both fans of Madonna, that acts as a social bonding moment in a similar way that these two people may socially bond if they’re both from the same regional location, religion, or ethnic background.
Being a “fan” of someone or something may indicate something about who that person is, especially if the person tends to have fans that share specific identity elements. That means when you meet someone who’s also a fan of a specific famous person that you’re a fan of, you have that experience in common, and you may have other background experiences in common that led to you becoming a fan of that person in the first place. This social bonding process in fanbases makes famous people essentially the touchstone of a social group.
Conclusion
There are many reasons people might love famous people. While it might annoy you to see people who seemingly are famous for no reason, there are people who love those celebrities for their own personal reasons. You also likely have an affinity for certain famous people for your own reasons. It’s just important to make sure you engage with famous people in a safe and thoughtful way. As long as you’re avoiding fraud and other negative issues that might come with famous people, your love of celebrities can actually be beneficial to your daily life.
Image Attribution: Tom Merton/KOTO – stock.adobe.com
