IELTS Writing : Fame

Vocabulary

What do the words in bold below mean?

It is easier than ever today for people to become famous because of increased channels for distribution such as television and the internet. This is clearly a positive trend as it opens up the entertainment industry to greater diversity.

Those that decry this trend typically point to talentless celebrities. In the past, a comedian or musician might work for years honing their craft in order to get a slot on one of the few talkshows and then become famous overnight. Nowadays, many celebrities start on reality TV or a YouTube channel and do not have any discernible talents. The socialite Paris Hilton was one of the first to take advantage of her wealth and personality to build a brand without any real product. Kim Kardashian is a more recent example of an individual who through dating celebrities and canny use of social media and television was able to become a celebrity in her own right.

Despite the aforementioned cases, this is on a whole a positive trend because of the more diverse range of famous people today. Fame used to be the prerogative of white men and women, with the occasional exception from an ethnic group. One of the reasons for this is that whites typically come from more privileged backgrounds and have greater opportunity, thereby making up a disproportionate share of success stories. The internet in particular has levelled the playing field to an extent. Anyone with a smartphone today has the ability to broadcast their talents and cultivate a loyal fanbase, regardless of gender or ethnicity and without the barriers that existed in the past such as ingrained reluctance from authority figures to give certain ethnicities an honest chance.

In conclusion, there are clear cultural drawbacks to the ease with which many achieve fame but today it is nonetheless more inclusive. A greater concern should be the age at which people become famous as it can have developmental side effects.