There is no more pop culture; there are backdrops for celebrity. Influencers require these props to display products while the event becomes secondary to their own promotion. The musicians might also be influencers but their musicianship becomes almost an afterthought to how they are living on stage. In previous generations, there were frontstage and backstage behaviors; that line is now blurred as “Always On” culture has become a global phenomenon thanks to the internet. Somewhere, someone is waiting for tweets to come in as they start their voyeuristic day of peering into other people’s lives. Back in the day, the gatekeepers and process delays due to printing or television schedules didn’t allow real-time living with others, but now, with instant broadcast abilities using YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, the consumer can have a surrogate experience with their idol as it’s happening.

In a sense, we’ve transitioned from participation at a distance to a more intimate proximity, with those at the center of our attention being nearly instantly accessible. The need then to craft moments that can play out live on the stage of Instagram becomes the around-the-clock performance of those who are commanding our attention. Maybe the good thing for them is that these types of famous-for-being-famous careers don’t last a long time, and they are allowed to return to normal life at some point.

For those drunk on this life in the limelight, the fickle audiences that quickly move between personalities living in the hype cycle will do away with the stale as they jump to what’s fresh, and that flash-in-the-pan moment that was their domain will quickly be extinguished. We are yet to fully grasp what the impact will be on these sudden celebrities when their internet shine dulls, but I’d imagine we’ll see some spectacular flame-outs that will end up catapulting another personality who is busy capturing the carnage of the star they are replacing.