Celebrity-industrial complex
Encyclopedia
The celebrity-industrial complex is a social and economic construct which involves a symbiotic relationship between celebrities
and business corporations. First proposed by Vanity Fair
columnist
Maureen Orth
in her book, "The Importance of Being Famous" (2003), it is fueled both by the celebrities' seemingly continual search for fame and attention and the business corporations' search for catchy headlines and viable name brands that could be sustained by such celebrities.
In the celebrity-industrial complex, the celebrity either has a particular feature that is attractive to a public audience or is a victim of an occurrence that wins sympathy or condemnation from that same audience; this celebrity, for an initial period of time, becomes a subject of media scrutiny or marketing by properly funded media publication distributors. This media scrutiny, however, can often become a source of income for the celebrity, or the media scrutiny becomes an outlet of promotion for future manufactured publications or initiatives by the celebrities, and the media scrutiny around the celebrity expands to include coverage of such products.
The term "celebrity-industrial complex" is an homage to the much older term military-industrial complex
, which refers to a similar bilateral relationship between national militaries and industrial corporations which profit from each other.
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
and business corporations. First proposed by Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
Maureen Orth
Maureen Orth
Maureen Ann Orth is an American journalist who largely covers stories pertaining to pop culture.-Education and early career:Orth attended the University of California, Berkeley, graduating in 1964...
in her book, "The Importance of Being Famous" (2003), it is fueled both by the celebrities' seemingly continual search for fame and attention and the business corporations' search for catchy headlines and viable name brands that could be sustained by such celebrities.
In the celebrity-industrial complex, the celebrity either has a particular feature that is attractive to a public audience or is a victim of an occurrence that wins sympathy or condemnation from that same audience; this celebrity, for an initial period of time, becomes a subject of media scrutiny or marketing by properly funded media publication distributors. This media scrutiny, however, can often become a source of income for the celebrity, or the media scrutiny becomes an outlet of promotion for future manufactured publications or initiatives by the celebrities, and the media scrutiny around the celebrity expands to include coverage of such products.
The term "celebrity-industrial complex" is an homage to the much older term military-industrial complex
Military-industrial complex
Military–industrial complex , or Military–industrial-congressional complex is a concept commonly used to refer to policy and monetary relationships between legislators, national armed forces, and the industrial sector that supports them...
, which refers to a similar bilateral relationship between national militaries and industrial corporations which profit from each other.
See also
- Military Industrial Media ComplexMilitary Industrial Media ComplexThe military industrial media complex is an offshoot of the military industrial complex. Organizations like Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting have accused the military industrial media complex of using their media resources to promote militarism, which, according to Fairness and Accuracy in...
- Prison-industrial complexPrison-industrial complex"Prison–industrial complex" is a term used to attribute the rapid expansion of the US inmate population to the political influence of private prison companies and businesses that supply goods and services to government prison agencies. The term is analogous to the military–industrial complex that...
- Military-industrial complexMilitary-industrial complexMilitary–industrial complex , or Military–industrial-congressional complex is a concept commonly used to refer to policy and monetary relationships between legislators, national armed forces, and the industrial sector that supports them...
- Politico-media complexPolitico-media complexThe politico-media complex is a name that has been given to the close, systematized, symbiotic-like network of relationships between a state's political and ruling classes, its media industry, and any interactions with or dependencies upon interest groups with other domains and agencies, such as...