Fame Attack

The follow up to the hugely successful 'Celebrity', this is an analysis of what celebrity culture is today. In 2001, the phenomenon of Jade Goody and reality TV shows was in its infancy. Now, Rojek explores celebrity engineering, technologies of fame creation and issues of loneliness and uncertainty. It is set to become the benchmark in the field.

This follow-up to Chris Rojek's hugely successful 2001 book "Celebrity" assesses what celebrity culture means now, especially in the age of reality TV. Rojek argues that the framework for looking at celebrity culture is still valid, but the genres of ascribed celebrity, achieved celebrity, and celetoids overlap. He explorers the principles of celebrity engineering, including the technologies of fame creation in the context of reality TV. He also investigates whether performers and contestants are intentionally staged in particular ways to gain notoriety or acclaim. Rojek argues that we need to look at audiences in more detail, asking whether psychological issues of loneliness and personal uncertainty are really at the core of celebrity culture.