Here is an article exploring the question of whether the age of the superstar is over.
The Fading Monolith: Is the Age of the Superstar Over?
Think of a name from the 20th century that everyone knew. Michael Jackson. Madonna. The Beatles. Their fame wasn’t just a matter of record sales; it was a form of cultural gravity. When they released an album, premiered a music video, or appeared on television, the world stopped to watch. They were the center of a shared cultural conversation, a monolith of fame in an era of limited channels.
Today, that landscape is unrecognizable. We live in a fractured media multiverse of infinite choice. With millions of YouTube channels, endless TikTok feeds, niche streaming services, and podcasts for every conceivable interest, our attention is scattered into a million different pieces. This fragmentation begs the question: In a world where everyone curates their own reality, can a true superstar—a figure of near-universal recognition and influence—even exist anymore?
Is the age of the superstar over? The answer is not a simple yes or no. It’s an evolution.
The Argument for the End
The primary argument for the demise of the superstar is the death of the monoculture. The 20th-century celebrity machine was built on scarcity. There were only a handful of television networks, major record labels, and film studios. These gatekeepers acted as a funnel, directing the public’s attention toward a select group of artists. If you wanted entertainment, you were likely consuming what they offered.
The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 was watched by an estimated 73 million people—a staggering 40% of the US population at the time. When Michael Jackson’s Thriller video premiered on MTV in 1983, it was a national event. These moments created a cultural campfire that everyone gathered around.
Today, that campfire has been replaced by millions of individual bonfires. A creator with 20 million TikTok followers can be a household name to Gen Z and a complete unknown to their parents. A star from a hit Netflix series might walk unrecognized through a mall filled with people who only watch traditional cable. The very mechanisms that once forged universal fame have been dismantled by the internet. Attention is the new currency, and it has never been more divided.
The Counter-Argument: A New Kind of Stardom
While the monolithic superstar may be a relic, to declare the entire concept dead is to ignore the colossal figures who dominate our modern era. The definition and metrics of fame have simply changed.
Consider Taylor Swift. Her “Eras Tour” is not just a concert series; it’s a global economic phenomenon, boosting local economies in every city it visits. Her album releases don’t just top charts; they dominate the cultural conversation for weeks, spawning think pieces, social media trends, and fervent analysis. She is arguably more globally powerful and has a more direct, intimate connection with her fans (the Swifties) than any star of the past.
Then there’s Beyoncé, an artist who has transcended music to become a cultural icon, whose every move is a statement on art, race, and power. Or look at Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who leveraged a wrestling career into becoming one of the highest-paid and most universally liked actors on the planet, all while building a business empire and mastering the art of the direct-to-fan social media post.
These modern superstars thrive not by capturing everyone’s attention all the time, but by consolidating massive, hyper-engaged global audiences. Their reach is arguably wider than their predecessors’, thanks to the very platforms that fragment our attention. A K-pop group like BTS can mobilize a global fanbase (the ARMY) in dozens of countries simultaneously, creating a force that feels universal in its scale and passion, even if your neighbor has never heard of them.
The New Superstar Playbook
The superstar hasn’t vanished; they have adapted, operating under a new set of rules:
- Multi-Platform Mastery: A modern superstar cannot exist in one medium. They must command attention across music, film, social media, fashion, and business. They are brands, not just performers. Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty empire is as central to her fame as her music.
- Direct-to-Fan Connection: Today’s icons bypass traditional media gatekeepers to cultivate a powerful, personal relationship with their audience. This creates a fiercely loyal base that is less a passive audience and more an active community.
- Global by Default: The internet makes every artist a global artist from day one. The new superstar builds their empire not just in the West, but across continents, harnessing the power of a borderless digital world.
Conclusion: A Different Kind of Galaxy
So, is the age of the superstar over? The age of the singular, monolithic superstar—the product of a centralized media world—is indeed a thing of the past. We will likely never again see a figure who commands the simultaneous, undivided attention of such a high percentage of the population in the way Michael Jackson or The Beatles did.
But the superstar is not dead. It has been reborn.
Instead of one giant sun that the entire cultural solar system revolves around, we now have a galaxy filled with incredibly bright, massive stars, each with its own powerful gravitational pull. The nature of fame has become more complex, more entrepreneurial, and more deeply connected to niche, yet enormous, communities. The throne is no longer singular, but it is far from empty. It has simply been replaced by a pantheon of new gods, each ruling a vast and devoted digital kingdom.
