as nobodies
Today anyone can become famous quickly, even without talent, because of reality TV and social media. This supports the idea that modern celebrity is unstable and temporary.
3 Matching Annotations
- Nov 2025
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keywords.pitt.edu keywords.pitt.edu
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personal fame or renown as manifested in (and determined by) public interest and media attention.” The first edition of the OED ended its equivalent definition by offering a pair of near synonyms, famousness and notoriety, with very different meanings. The examples presented also stress the way in which celebrity is a double-edged term,
This shows how celebrity depends on the media and public attention, not on real achievements. It also shows the negative side of being famous for shallow or temporary reasons.
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Celebrity comes into English at the beginning of C15 from Latin celebritās meaning “fame,” or “the state of being busy or crowded” (there is also the related French célébrité). Two important early meanings recorded by OED are: “Observance of ritual or special formality on an important occasion; pomp, ceremony” (C15) and “An act of celebrating something; a rite, a ceremony; a celebration.” Both are now obsolete, but survived as late as C19. It should be noted that both meanings have strong religious connotations
The early meaning of “celebrity” was religious and ceremonial. It is very different from today’s meaning. Interesting how the word changed so much.
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