Chris Crocker

If any of you have been following late night talk shows lately, you might have seen some type of stint about a man named Chris Crocker. As I was watching Jimmy Kimmel Live on Youtube yesterday, I came across this very "interesting" character. Chris is a gay man who makes videos about celebrities, his feelings, and his very obvious identity crisis. He is often very real about his feeling on himself, society, and others (albeit oftentimes delusional feelings). Most recently he has come into the popular media limelight with his rant about how the media should leave Brittney Spears alone. In this very popular Youtube video, Chris is seen crying hysterically and shouting profanities at paparazzi. While I am not personally a supporter of Chris' lifestyle and his gay pride, I do find myself sympathizing and seeing his point on some issues. This is one of the beauties of internet celebrity. It can bring down barriers of communication and understanding.

I see Chris as a perfect example of the diversion of public media from major corporations to society in general. The opening of media channels to the everyday person has helped to reshape the American dream and perpetuate the American Idol syndrome throughout our society. Whereas, five years ago, the only way that anyone could be famous was through major media conglomerates, now anyone with a web cam and internet access can become an overnight sensation. We, as a society, are coming to use the internet as our primary source of community, celebrity and news. TV shows are online; News can be found on demand online. Blogs are becoming an increasingly mainstream medium of communication, in some circles replacing objective news in its entirety.

I look on this whole phenomenon with apathy. I don't really think it's a bad thing necessarily. We are becoming more connected in some ways to others in our society. The internet has opened up modes of communication that can allow us to carry on a meaningful relationship with someone 3000 miles away. It has allowed everyone to have a voice and contribute to the betterment of society. At the same time, the internet can be a very bad tool. Internet pornography has become a $4 billion dollar industry, further enslaving many men and even women to it's very accessible alluring attributes. Internet theft is a very large problem, destroying lives for the sake of personal gain.

Overall, I think that the dissemination of power from corporations to society is a good thing. While there is a lot of crap being made by people, it has also served to expose very talented people to the public who would never have a voice otherwise. People, like Chris Crocker.