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Every other TV show is some kind of talent contest at the moment, with people trying to show that they’re the best singer, dancer, baker or gymnast in the world. For those of us who eat dinner in front of the television, they are moderately entertaining. But they also reveal something about our culture as a whole: people are desperate to be famous.
It’s not just on TV that we see this; ‘vlogging’ seems to take up half of YouTube right now. ‘Vlogs’ (video blogs), via the democracy of the internet, offer everyone the opportunity to have a platform - to become ‘web-famous’. Some of them, the best and most creative of them, become actually famous as ‘YouTubers’, and start genuine careers off the back of some videos filmed in their bedroom.
- Have you ever entered some form of talent show?
- Do you enjoy watching them?
- Do you, or anyone you know, ‘vlog’ or have a YouTube channel?
Our culture is addicted to fame. The news is dominated by famous people, and a whole heap of our TV shows are about people who want to be famous. This phenomenon isn’t reserved for TV shows and vlogs. Someone once said that Twitter is the ultimate computer game; replies, retweets and favourites all accrue points, and if you’re clever or funny enough, you can get famous just through social media.
- Do you want to be famous? Why or why not?
- Why are people so desperate to be famous?
The Bible doesn’t seem overly concerned about fame and it certainly doesn’t suggest that people should make the pursuit of it a priority. At one point during his life, Jesus was presented with the opportunity to gain fame and power for himself. What he did in response seems the complete opposite of all that the world tells us to do. Read Luke 4:5-8.
- Are you surprised by Jesus’ reaction here?
- What would you have done in that situation?
- Do you think we face similar temptations today? What might they be?
Team Youthwork (who also make Premier Childrenswork) have filmed their very own baking contest - to rival the likes of GBBO. You could use this video to illustrate the opening point about society’s desire to be famous. Watch the bake-off series for yourself at www.premierchildrenswork.com
