Give the Public What They Want!

If the public wants scandal, then that’s what they’re going to get. Whether you actually purchase tabloid magazines or not, one time or another, the cover has definitely caught your interest. If you take a look at the majority of these magazines, the words that are highlighted to catch your interest through larger font, tend to be words like: Cheated, Scandal, Rehab, Split Up, and so on. All of these words indicate something negative happening to the celebrity it’s associated with. Why is it that we find these topics to be of such interest?

Generally, the public has become almost obsessed with celebrity media, always wanting to know everything that’s going on in these people’s lives. If a celebrity gets married, wonderful! If he or she wins an Oscar, great! But the magazine covers that generate the most attention are those that are associated with some sort of scandal. When Britney Spears had her “meltdown”, it was everywhere and everyone knew about it. The same thing can be said for the more recent Tiger Woods Scandal. Brangelina/Jennifer Aniston news has been in the tabloids for years. It’s been close to 5 years, yet you’ll still see the occasional reference to that situation every once in a while. These scandals are hard times for these celebrities, and having their business plastered all over the place can’t be easy for them. However, as long as they’re celebrities, and as long as tabloidization exists, that’s exactly what’s going to happen. The public has a desire to know these things, and the tabloids are in business to give the public exactly that.

Although Cashmore focused more on scandals in relation to sex, what he said can go for all types of scandal. He states that regardless of whether the story provokes the public to feel compassion or condemnation, celebrity scandals increase the public’s interest. People enjoy reading about celebrity gossip. Perhaps, in a way, it let’s them see that these celebrities aren’t perfect, and they have to deal with problems just like everyone else. Sure, the media has an influence in creating the public’s interest through tabloidization, but it’s coupled with the public actually wanting to know about these things.