How Hollywood became the new American dream

2011-11-14The American Dream is being Subjugated by The Nation’s Growing Celebrity Worship and Replaced by the Hollywood Dream. ❧ Almost everywhere one looks, celebrities now dominate the American culture. From television shows to household products, Hollywood has burrowed itself into nearly every aspect of people's lives. Many people not only want to emulate celebrities, but more and more want to actually become celebrities, too. This growing trend has impacted the attitudes and aspirations of the nation's youth, shifting from the once-revered hard-working American Dream to the ego-driven Hollywood Dream. This change did not happen overnight; it has been hundreds of years in the making, but has accelerated with a series of events in the last two decades. ❧ History shows that societal and cultural attitudes tend to shift over time. While humans all share the same basic biology needs, major occurrences like wars, economic conditions and technological advancements shape each generation's view of the world. This is now evident as many of the Baby Boomers (age forty-seven to sixty-five), who lived the American Dream, share a vastly different view of success than the majority of their children, the Millennials (age fifteen to thirty-one) do now. Many of the Millennials find it difficult to associate with their parents' aspirational views of America, where hard work brought prosperity, and have therefore sought a convenient shortcut: The Hollywood Dream. ❧ From the burgeoning middle class to the invention of movies to the Internet, much of society's ambitions have move from the family to the individual and the ego. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the different attitudes and motivational drivers for two of the nation's largest and most influential age groups: The Baby Boomers and the Millennials. Because of their enormous presence and buying power, and vast attitudinal differences, knowing how to craft messages and “speak” to these groups will be highly beneficial for public relations practitioners. ❧ This paper will compare celebrity fascination across generations and determine the underlining causes of how the Hollywood Dream replaced the American Dream. Additionally, it will identify key messages and tools that public relations professionals can use to effectively connect with this group