Emma Bono ’30
Staff writer
The other day, I saw an Instagram carousel of celebrities running the New York City Marathon. As I scrolled, I noticed that most, if not all, “celebrities” listed were people I had not heard of. I don’t think it’s because I don’t spend a lot of time online. I do, too much time in fact. I think it’s because the bar for being a “celebrity” is too low, and anybody can be considered one.
A celebrity should be someone who is notable or famous for doing something like acting or singing, has seen success, and has done that thing for an extended period of time. Take Taylor Swift for example. She’s someone who has been making music for a long time and has seen lots of success. People have had lots of opportunities to see her name and get an understanding of what she does. Taylor Swift might be too extreme for this example, so I’ll use Cillian Murphy. He has been in lots of movies and TV shows, and while people might not recognize his name, they have most likely seen his face.
A prime example of someone who is famous because of a low bar for fame is Dylan Efron. Take a minute and think about what he does, why he is “famous”. The reason is because he is related to someone famous. That’s right, Dylan Efron is famous for being Zac Efron’s brother. Dylan Efron does not act, does not sing, and managed to get on “Dancing with the Stars” (even though he isn’t a star), where he did not win. So why is he famous? Why should he be considered a celebrity who ran the New York City Marathon? When you look up what he does, it says he’s a content creator and outdoor enthusiast. That’s how little this guy does. Google Gemini was so desperate to come up with something that this guy does that they decided that liking going outside can be considered a job. So do dogs, but I don’t see them listed as celebrities.
Why does this happen? I think it’s because of the internet. Just think about it: the internet is so huge and connects everybody so inevitably there are going to be people who gain lots of attention from certain people and not others. There are so many times that I’ll be scrolling on Instagram, come across a video, and swipe to see the profile only to find out that this creator has millions of followers. I’m sure bots and fake accounts also have something to do with the high follower count, but a huge portion of most of the people’s followers are not bots or fake. It’s also so easy to follow someone, so I’m sure a huge amount of these people’s fame is inflated.
A solution to this problem? Get a new term for these people. I think if they are famous for being online, they should only be referred to as influencers. The word celebrity just seems too prestigious for people whose work is, I’m sure, hard in its own way, but not as hard as people who sing or act. I just think it’s a little weird that when you say celebrity, you could be referring to Harry Styles or Dylan Efron.
Copy edited by Claire Flynn ‘29
Featured image couretsy of @capecodclippings on Instagram
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