Who we are

magazine covers Although celebrity gossip may seem to have been borne in the modern era, with the rapid dissemination and ease of access that technology such as the internet provides, the interest in others and the the need to put certain people on a pedestal, is certainly not new and has been around for as long as humans have existed.

At different times in history humans have celebrated or decried their fellow man and woman. This serves many purposes. Some of these purposes serve the human psyche. It is healthy and natural to be interested in the details of someone else's life. In essence, life's mysteries take a lifetime to unravel. We look to others for clues to help us understand, both our own life and life in general. Identity is fluid and uncertain, we look to others to find out who we are.

Another reason for a voyeuristic interest in people we will never know personally is also found in the psyche. Our psyches or subconscious selves process our deepest fears and desires in ways our conscious mind is never aware. In following the lives of celebrities, or in watching a movie, or reading a novel, our subconscious is able to play out and process our fears and desires. This is similar to why young children enjoy fairytales and why fairytales have traditionally had scary elements. In much the same way, when a celebrity goes to rehab we follow the story intently; it is a way for our subconscious to play out our own fears of failure. Likewise with the success of celebrities.

justin timberlake and britney spears This is why seeing a scary movie when you are stressed will help you more than a simple feel good romance. Your mind needs a way of playing out its fears in a safe way.

Who are we? This is something we spend our whole lives trying to work out. On an existential level, we tell others "this is how you should be, how you should live" with our every behaviour, with our every word... Words are important because we want people to know what we think of what we say and do, we want to share our interpretation, and we want to know what theirs is too. Interpretation is story.

Our whole lives are composed of stories - a resume is a story of about our education and job experiences; a shopping list is a story about our lifestyles, health, income. Every conversation is a story.

So our interest in celebrities is just part of our need for stories, stories that help us understand who we are.