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The impact of celebrity-inspired reality television comes as little surprise. The whole notion of what is a celebrity has become as blurred as the distinction between what is real and what isn't on television today.

You've only got to look at Big Brother. It created celebrities by simply putting them on television 24 hours a day the audience didn't marvel at their talents, nor were we supposed to, they were there simply for us to watch them doing the washing up, having an evening meal and sleeping. The appeal of the show really didn't matter to those contestants who left the Big Brother house as household names. Celebrities who were already entrenched in the public conscious were left to wonder how you're everyday Mr. Jones-next-door was fronting popular magazines and taking up their interview space on prime-time talk shows.

Suddenly, celebrity' wasn't something you earned from any great skill or talent, you just had to be willing to go to the toilet in front of a camera. What reality television therefore offered was a way to build on celebrity status where said status had dissipated (for example, Newly Weds: Nick and Jessica' was a show primarily created to boost the profile of the happy' couple and assist mediocre record sales for both artists), or create celebrity' where there was none, or very little, before (The Simple Life helped solidify press attention for heiress Paris Hilton when really her only claim to celebrity' was her parents and the infamous sex tape.). Essentially, if you can't create a media buzz through a particular talent, you could do it through reality TV. The Osbourne's was a great example of this as it used Ozzy's fame, which had seriously waned, to promote the family as a whole. Now two of Ozzy's children Jack and Kelly have been able to create celebrity status where there was none before, as well as Ozzy's wife Sharon.

The popularity of reality television has its roots in a voyeuristic society that hasn't changed much over the years. Before the onset of the modern reality television show, audiences would frequently be captivated by such real-life crime shows as Cops, and the frequent reincarnations of Best Police Car Chases'. Seeing what goes on behind closed doors is something few people could honestly deny not wanting to know a little about. When it comes to celebrities those starlets and heroes and pin-ups whose lives many would wish for, seeing them on reality television has an added appeal.

But Celebreality has been born out of a changing media industry. The internet with the likes of MySpace and You Tube has created a platform for anyone to gain attention. Long gone are the trials and tribulations of getting your book to the world, or your film broadcast, or your paintings, art, poetry, short stories, or music to the masses, because the means are no further than the nearest computer. Celebrity has changed as much as the industry because even a twelve-year old blogger from Kentucky can have his moment of fame.

Learn more about this author, Daniel Stephens.
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