We, the Spectator-Consumers

Feeling small and insignificant.

Those without special gifts have an even harder time feeling like "somebodies."

The world of our direct experience continues to be dwarfed by the realm of media.

Today's celebrity system represents a potent form of secular mythology.

Even the tiniest shred of media celebrity can help an ordinary person feel like "somebody."

Maybe we're "programmed" to consider the people we watch more important than ourselves.

The media present a realm beyond most people's experience or contact as the most significant dimension of contemporary life.

Overvaluing the "media world" can profoundly devalue those of us whose frame of refernce is the real world.