How the New Notoriety has Created Opportunity and Increased Fame

If you watch a show like the Voice or American Idol, it can be a real-life fairy tale for both those who have struggled for some time in the industry as well as those who have never before tried. However, shows like this are not just a gift to the contestants, they are also great ways to buoy a career for the celebrity judges and advisers who come onto the show. Take Maroon 5, whose handsome, tattooed drummer/lead singer Adam Levine may have sunk to the next level down of nostalgic university and casino concerts based on the fate of many of his contemporaries. His presence on the show has given him a huge fan base, and skyrocketed the entire band’s career back into fully relevant and hip status. This kind of new notoriety leading to new levels of fame not only exists on a national level, but in local and online worlds as well.

Local Startups

The same kind of synergy of masters helping newbies and helping themselves at the same time also exists on a local level. This may be in smaller versions of large syndicated shows done with local celebrities, but it can also be done on the business level. Companies like Cozymeal take lauded local chefs and allow locals to book them for private cooking lessons, market tours, or home catering events. This is not only a coup for the wedding looking for a special touch and a fantastic learning opportunity for home cooks and culinary students, but also a great way to get the local, talented, hardworking chefs in the area the kind of fame and glory that they deserve.

Online Quid Pro Quo

In the online world, this kind of situation is constantly happening. Especially in the  world. Many sites get their best stuff by reposting the very best of other, smaller contributors, which give millions of clicks to the national site, and give lip service and fame to the longtime bloggers, photographers, video posters and others who churn these things out at a furious pace. On a smaller level, bloggers will give shout-outs and guest spots to one another to try and create a mutually beneficial relationship between them, and gain more readers for both. To some extent, this is a money making ploy. For those who love their craft, however, it is much more than that.

Video and Online Feel-Good

Of course, there are lots of other examples of people doing good and gaining worldwide fame for it in the video and blog world that have nothing to do with quid pro quo. Lots of viral stories and clips these days are all about people going out of their way to help one another. Another popular sentiment is the ability to see brave people suffering unbearable circumstances, and to get the opportunity through a crowdfunded event to help them to get through their problem. This may not just be with money, either. Prosthetics-makers who help disabled vets may suddenly come up with solutions for legless puppy mill dogs found in a shelter. An online testimonial about an old woman’s lost high school love may bring a tearful reunion arranged by curious grandchildren. In this case, the poster gets the benefit of a viral hit on the internet, and the subject, through nothing more than their own good deeds or perseverence, may get exactly what they need, along with the admiration of an adoring nation.

Why it Works So Well

Going back to the first example of music shows like the Voice, there seems to be a positivity trend happening on the scene. This may be part of the reason that shows that have always shown vetted talent and support for it, like the Voice, have endured when shows that are part mocking, part adulation have been put off the air. This is also the case with trolls– though they still exist with spiteful zeal in the cyberworld, they have been recognized and dismissed for exactly what they are. Mutual admiration and support is a much more enduring sentiment, especially when all parties are admiring one another for genuine talent and hard work, and not merely for lip service.

Will It Last?

We are coming back onto a positivity swing as a culture, to a point of optimism that hasn’t been seen since the eighties. Over the past five years, a sweeping set of songs and shows have gained fame for doing just that. It feels so instinctually good that it’s likely to last a generation, until the disillusioned children of the late millennials pop the bubble. However there are a few decades between then and now that give lots of opportunity to find mentors to help you reach your dreams, and to possibly give them a boost while you’re at it.

What do you think about the new notoriety that’s leading to new levels of opportunity and fame?

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