1990's Assessment
1990's Assessment
The 1990's brought a lot of change to America with the advancement of technology. It also brought with it a new fascination with becoming famous simply for being on television. Americans had grown up watching sports stars, musicians and actors becoming famous just by being on TV and many Americans wanted their chance to make it big too. As a result, you see the rise of the reality television shows and programs that were just as much about the audience as they were about the focus itself. You see shows like Total Request Live that base their shows identity around the audience, shows like The Real World took seven average strangers and put them in a house to live together and be filmed, shows like House Hunters follow people around while they look for a home to buy and Road Rules sent college age students on a road trip around America to compete in strange challenges.
Each of these programs and other shows of the time along with other factors such as the rise of the internet, the increased role of musicians and celebrities in multiple media platforms and the importance of personal image lead to the rise of skill-less stars.
Your job is to research and identify what led to the rise of the skill-less star - the people that are famous for being famous. Then, you will prepare to debate whether these trends are for the better or for the worse in American culture. While you will be crafting your debate to prove your side is correct, it is important to have a complete understanding of the issue to produce a well rounded defense.