When we encounter famous people, why do we feel the need to get an autograph or take a picture with them? Couldn’t you just go online and print a picture of their signature or of them? I mean the obvious answer is because we want to show validation that we met this person, that we have been in the same space and spoke with them. But it’s funny because when you ask for an autograph from a friend or a random individual walking down the street, their signatures are meaningless while the celeb’s is cherished and has value, only if you actually encountered them.
Another weird thing to think about is that when a person’s status is elevated, whatever they say, write, think, or do is carefully monitored and repeated by an audience. As I briefly mentioned in my past blog about twitter, fans and critics alike either glorify or demonize celebrities by creating witty comments or retweeting their messages. What does that say about our society?
Because I remember my exact emotions and what I was thinking when I first met Chance the Rapper. There was nothing else on my mind other than, “I need to meet this man and get a picture or anything that would prove to my friends, and really to myself, that I had actually met and talked to this Chicago Icon. I eventually did get a picture and posted it on my snap story for all of my friends to see.
Another personal example is that my best friend was messaged by lil Xan on instagram and she was freaking out. She posted parts of their conversation all over her snap and insta page.
Was she and I trying to prove or showoff to all of our friends that we now have or done something they may very well never have the same chance to do so? Or perhaps we are just trying to document the event/encounter so that we have something to retain these wonderful memories.
I think in my past experiences of sitting really close at concerts, I’ve chosen to document the moment to remember it, but not so much that it ruins it. I think, as a society, we have this natural obsession with celebrities because we look at them as inspirations and icons. It’s definitely hard not to freak out when someone of that status messages you or is willing to take a picture with you. I think it’s natural for us to want to brag to our friends about meeting celebrities because their lives are seemingly so much cooler than ours. Overall, I think that it’s definitely a little bit of both. I think that people want to take pictures to have memories of the moment, but also want to brag to their friends,as meeting celebrities isn’t an everyday occurrence.