Cheap cameras? New publishers? Greed?
These are just a few of the reasons that the paparazzi problem has grown tremendously. There are also others.
The primary reason is greed. People have realized that there is money to be made by selling photos of celebrities. You don't require much talent to snap a quick photo, and the pay-off can be enormous. This has had two effects (i) new people taking up the "profession" of being a paparazzo and (ii) everyday people you encounter trying to cash in using their mobile/cellphone cameras.
Let's face it, how many people carried around a high resolution camera in their pocket just five years ago? Today, nearly everyone has one built into their phone - and it's growing everyday.
But the problem of greed doesn't end there. Publishers have discovered that there is an insatiable appetite for celebrity updates. No longer is the public satisfied waiting to see their favorite celeb in their next film or on the red carpet. Some want to know what celebrities are doing, wearing, eating, thinking 24/7 (well almost). But why?
Many publishers feed this need by publishing "entertainment" stories containing salacious gossip and rumor - something that would never have been considered by serious journalists just ten years ago. What used to be confined to publications like the National Enquirer are now part of main stream media. The media companies will tell you it is because of the consumer demand, but is it? Or is it a self perpetuating consumption cycle, with conjecture and speculation as the commodity?
Regardless who is to blame, there is one thing that is certain. The paparazzi problem will continue to grow if there is a market for celebrity photos. Lets destroy that market by flooding it.
These are just a few of the reasons that the paparazzi problem has grown tremendously. There are also others.
The primary reason is greed. People have realized that there is money to be made by selling photos of celebrities. You don't require much talent to snap a quick photo, and the pay-off can be enormous. This has had two effects (i) new people taking up the "profession" of being a paparazzo and (ii) everyday people you encounter trying to cash in using their mobile/cellphone cameras.
Let's face it, how many people carried around a high resolution camera in their pocket just five years ago? Today, nearly everyone has one built into their phone - and it's growing everyday.
But the problem of greed doesn't end there. Publishers have discovered that there is an insatiable appetite for celebrity updates. No longer is the public satisfied waiting to see their favorite celeb in their next film or on the red carpet. Some want to know what celebrities are doing, wearing, eating, thinking 24/7 (well almost). But why?
Many publishers feed this need by publishing "entertainment" stories containing salacious gossip and rumor - something that would never have been considered by serious journalists just ten years ago. What used to be confined to publications like the National Enquirer are now part of main stream media. The media companies will tell you it is because of the consumer demand, but is it? Or is it a self perpetuating consumption cycle, with conjecture and speculation as the commodity?
Regardless who is to blame, there is one thing that is certain. The paparazzi problem will continue to grow if there is a market for celebrity photos. Lets destroy that market by flooding it.
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