Reality TV decoupled celebrity from objective merit or achievement

Evidence

But the attention that celebrities had previously captured had some more or less objective basis in their attainment, appearance, wealth, or talent. Reality television inverted the process, industrializing the manufacture of celebrity for the pure sake of attention capture. — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 844

Categorization

• XREF: This inversion is a companion to the broader arc of the book — attention harvesting decoupling from substance, like advertising decoupled from product information. — connects to: Micro-celebrity involves fame detached from any discernible achievement or work — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 316; Fame is treated as an earned given, not a legitimate goal — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 404; Eyewitness viral stars are accidental celebrities manufactured by television news networks — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame…, 150 (+12 more)

Broader Connections

• Fame shifted from costly earned status to broadcast and reality-driven attention #corroborates (0.90)
• Micro-celebrity status can be imposed by media regardless of self-presentation #corroborates (0.75) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 345