Ladies and gentlemen, readers of Nigerian Compass: I present to you 'The Fame Game'. Take one camcorder, possibly add a microphone, place in a public place and watch the interest it generates.This theory was something I discovered whilst attending the Clothes Show Live in London. Thanks to being a member of G: TV, I was rewarded with press access, meaning I got to go backstage and was within touching distance (well almost) of the UK sensation, Gok Wan during the catwalk. Wearing my shiny press badge with pride, I couldn't help but feel a tad bit excited as I took my place with journalists and photographers alike from swanky newspapers and magazines across the United Kingdom.After, getting past the initial feeling of inadequacy, I soon mastered the art of making a student television society sound just as thrilling as Heat and The Daily Star or wherever these press packers came from. 'It's an up and coming television station located in heart of Birmingham ', I would say with what I hoped was my most executive tone. I was usually greeted with a blank stare and a slow nod as they frantically tried to recall where they may have heard the name before, always to no avail of course. Now you may laugh, but this seemed to do the trick. As I spun this line to more and more people, it sort of became a mental challenge to fool as many of the innocent Clothes Show Live attendees as possible. You will be surprised how far a charming smile and an official name badge will get you. Although no one knew who I was, as soon as I said the words 'Hi, I'm Lola from G: TV' and pointed to the camera, people were more than happy to place themselves in front of it. In actual fact, the number of observers I and my team obtained whilst filming was somewhat alarming. With the speed at which some people turned their heads when they spotted us, it would come as no surprise if they went on to suffer whiplash. I think the Pice de rsistance of the whole affair however had to be while I was interviewing a girl group that had preformed (I really wish I could tell you their names, but they are that unknown that I have forgotten). To my amusement, I noticed that a group of onlookers had made a small congregation around us and were taking pictures. Pictures!' Don't get me wrong, the attention was flattering but you have to wonder why anyone would think that a shot of little old me with a non-entity girl group deserves to make its way to their Facebook.So, why do people act this way as soon as they see a camera' Is it inquisitiveness or just plain lunacy' I put it down to the celebrity culture that has been engrained into us. It has become a big deal to make a big deal out of anyone who is believed to be famous. Even when we are not sure who the person is, as soon as we notice that someone else is paying attention to them, our minds tell us to join the bandwagon so as not to get left out. The more people do this, the more others think that this person actually is a big deal. And so the vicious fame cycle goes on. After hearing about a supposedly famous person who you don't have the foggiest clue about, how many of you have gone on to carry out some 'extensive research' courtesy of Google' If you are shameless and you know it put your hands up. My point is that, we are always on the look out for the known. Therefore, if there is a camera about, our instinct is to become interested, just in case someone famous is nearby too. Needless to say many of my snappers probably went home that day to press the delete button in disappointment. 'lola_lawal@hotmail.co.uk
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