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Age of Celebrity Didn't Die with Jackson

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 8, 2009 3:31 AM CDT

(Newser) – Media commentators claiming Michael Jackson's death marks the end of mega-stardom couldn't be farther off the mark, Richard Florida argues in the Atlantic. It's true that the fast route to stardom the Internet offers has made celebrities a dime a dozen, but like every other new communications technology, the web promises to continue to deliver bigger stars than ever before possible, Florida writes.

Potential global megastars are already emerging, like mixed-race rapper Sean Paul, who is as big in India as he is in Jamaica, Florida notes. "In each previous epoch, the rise of a new technology has led to a celebrity even bigger than the last," he writes. "Digital networks and social media are platforms with such enormous potential and global reach that they are tailor-made for the Next Big Thing."

The image of a young Michael Jackson appears on television screens as the memorial service for Jackson is broadcast inside the Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas yesterday.
The image of a young Michael Jackson appears on television screens as the memorial service for Jackson is broadcast inside the Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas yesterday.   (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)
Fans of Michael Jackson react as they watch the live television broadcast of his memorial service in a bar in London, England, yesterday.
Fans of Michael Jackson react as they watch the live television broadcast of his memorial service in a bar in London, England, yesterday.   (AP Photo/Sang Tan)
Sean Paul arrives at the the 9th Annual BET Awards in Los Angeles last month.
Sean Paul arrives at the the 9th Annual BET Awards in Los Angeles last month.   (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
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My hunch is that sooner or later we will see a new mega-star on a truly global scale.
- Richard Florida

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COMMENTS
Showing 2 of 2 comments
BeatBlaster
Jul 8, 2009 4:25 AM CDT
Yeah unfortunately for Sean Paul he's mixed up in this crazy "mash-up" reality that pop and rap music are currently stuck in. He's not groundbreaking by any means. Here I take that back - he kinda sounds like Bob Marley but raps. That's not groundbreaking to me. When people like Sean Paul are making me feel like the happiest guy in the world and I can't stop talking about his awesome new dance moves and stuff maybe I'll consider it groundbreaking.
Fondue
Jul 8, 2009 1:46 AM CDT
"mixed-race rapper Sean Paul" is no ground breaker. And honestly, was "mixed-race" necessary? As for up and coming artists, I think people like Richard Florida forget the struggles African-Americans had 30-50 years ago. Hell, I don't think he even knows what struggle is.

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