Virtual reality

I was at the gym this morning when Minority Report came on the TV. Aside from the fact that it is by far one of my favorite movies (the idea of preemptive crime prevention has always been a curious one to me), the film caught my attention for another reason: too many of the things taking place onscreen felt a little too familiar.

For a film created in 2002 as a futuristic projection of technologies to come, the screenplay was more fantasy than fact. Now, rewatching it, the possibility of a world wherein humans are scanned and tracked as entities is not far-fetched at all, and it's a little unsettling.

With the advancements of technology and social networking sites these days, I feel as though we've all given up such a huge chunk of the very things that humanize us; today's successful people are akin to today's successful businesses - they know how to brand themselves. How much this has to do with the actual integrity or quality of the brand is sometimes irrelevant.

Twitter, Facebook, reality TV, YouTube - it makes everyone and anyone accessible. Anyone with the right amount of determination can self-create their 15 minutes of fame via video (the "Forever" wedding dance that was seen around the world), stunt (the Heene's balloon boy became a best-selling Halloween costume) or words (alleged mistresses coming forward claiming they've had affairs with you-know-who).

And while this idea that "anyone can become a somebody" is something that is knowingly American (and not always in the best way...), I've come to realize that this voyeuristic culture is just cheapening our cultural society and is a serious cause of social decay (is that too harsh? Probably).

It used to be that "celebrity" meant something. There was a mystique surrounding figures like Gene Kelly, Marilyn Monroe and Gregory Peck. The public adored them and were fascinated by them because they were untouchable, these superhuman beings who could command attention on the red carpet and onscreen. Fame was granted to those who had the talents to be esteemed, and that was it.

Nowadays, pulling stunts and having many children seems to qualify anyone for the title of "celebrity." And since sites like Twitter have cropped up, these flashy names are even more accessible and humanized - to the point wherein people start to shift their focuses and morals and really believe that being "popular" and "well-known" is the end-all-be-all of their existence.

In the long list of things to strive for, I don't know if this is the best thing to base your standards of success upon.
And the irony of it all is that when people are caught in the public eye in a less-than-desirable position, the first response is always "I'm only human."

Only. Human.

Definition?