Where Fame Comes From?

Most systems have some sort of currency. Market economies have money. Cells have ATP. The fame game has attention. The currencies are often taken for granted; I don’t think why I can exchange a sweaty handful of bills for a sweaty handful of Bud Light–I just do it, and all is well.

In fact, it’s sort of unseemly to talk openly about currency in itself.  Talking about jobs among friends, we pass off money as a tangential factor: “The money’s better, sure, but I’m really excited about . . .”

So it is with attention.  We don’t say, “Gosh I enjoy staring at hot babes (dudes, cars, gadgets, whatever)”–in fact, in those cases, we don’t even say anything.  The reaction is internal and, often, unnoticed.

The name for a big pile of money is wealth; a big pile of attention is fame.  The difference is that people have spent a lot of time studying how money works.  One can, for example, get a PhD in economics.  When it comes to attention and fame, though, we act as if there’s some sort of alchemy that happens.

Really, though, fame comes from attention, and attention comes from individual people–from you and from me.  It’s time we start analyzing how people accumulate our valuable attention.

Wired Magazine, Time Out NY, and New York Magazine — respectively.

[update: the whole post, now!]

One can hardly rush down the steps of the subway station without tripping over a magazine promising to explain this strange phenomenon of internet celebrity while, as a special bonus, also giving away the secrets of becoming internet famous. New York Magazine, Wired, Time Out New York, Wired again — it seems readers are desperate for this sort of thing. Therefore, we present the Play Blog guide to achieving internet fame and all its attendant pleasures . . .

1. Be Attractive. This cannot be stressed enough.  The internet is a visual medium, and so is the real world.  Attention is the lifeblood of celebrity, and being attractive is a great way to get attention.  Think about it: most celebrities are good looking.  Not just actors and models, but crossovers from other arenas as well.  At least have a good body for pity’s sake.

2. Be Rich. Having a lot of money will allow you to circumvent a lot of the obstacles that litter the path of lesser humans trying to reach internet fame.  You will be able to retain a publicist, penetrate the most exclusive scenes, and undertake elaborate PR stunts.  Bonus: your wealth will fuel your celebrity as it enhances your ability to symbolize concepts that inspire passion in people, that is, people will be eager to discuss why someone should have so much wealth at all.

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photo courtesy of Platon; slightly altered

Here’s a conversation I imagine has been taking place in your hipper editorial conference rooms lately:

EDITOR: Guys, we need a story that’ll show readers we’re “with it,” and also one that will get people to buy the magazine.

REPORTER 1: I’d like to meet an attractive woman!

REPORTER 2: I’d prefer to work from the office if I could.

E: Hold on, my 9-year-old just emailed . . . oh, weird. Here’s some guy dressed in–is that from Tron? Wow, think of how long that must have taken.

R1: Oh yeah, I love Tron guy.

R2: Me too.

(pregnant silence)

E, R1, R2: Let’s do a story about internet fame, as if it’s some new phenomenon, and totally differentiable from fame generally.

E: Also try to format it like a list, like a how-to. Readers love that.

A volley of stories on Internet Fame have appeared recently.

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