Cult Media Driven Society

When the word “cult” is said aloud, many people get shivers, or groups like the mafia or KKK come to mind. But a new, less forbidden breed of cult is on the rise. They boast names like Swifties, Beliebers, Directioners, Selenators, and KatyCats, and worship those who, to the general public, are divine. They’re an elite group of the divine with gods and “saviors” like Rihanna, Kanye West, Kendall Jenner, Cristiano Ronaldo, Tyler Oakley, and more. Although worship of kings and war heroes has existed for centuries, it has undergone a massive revolution through internet, media, and a further connected world. These cults are part of a growing concern of a media driven society, and a real mental condition is on the rise- celebrity worship syndrome. CWS has been described as an obsessive-addictive
Maltby and his team Identified three independent dimensions of celebrity worship. The first and least obsessive category is the entertainment social dimension, which relates to attitudes where individuals are attracted to a celebrity because of their perceived ability to entertain and become a social focus of conversation with like minded others. A more serious concern for young people is the growing popularity of worship of the second category, the intense personal dimension. Individuals affected by this realm of celebrity worship have intensive and impulsive feelings about a celebrity, often feelings of love or pride when their beloved celebrity wins an award. Scarily extreme and far too common is the third category, Borderline pathological. A person has uncontrollable behaviors and fantasies relating to their favorite celebrity in this dimension. Young people especially have been known to do more than just create shrines. They’ve tried drugs, robbed fellow fans, fought their way past countless security guards, and in the worst circumstances, taken their lives. “Our findings suggest the posibility that many people do not engage in celebrity worship for mere