The media frenzy surrounding the Kardashians’ visit to Australia reminds me of the frenzy that surrounds most Apple product launches. Right down to folks queuing up overnight in the rain. But the coverage isn’t equal, and I think the tech fans are ultimately better off.
Warning: Rant ahead.
“Oh, they’re queuing up to see her outside David Jones!”
That was the first thing I heard when hitting the office this morning, emanating from the lovely ladies of Sugar — who, to be fair, have jobs that revolve around this kind of thing, especially at PopSugar.
This thing happens to be the current Australian media tour of Kim and Khloe Kardashian, especially in the light of Kim’s imminent divorce. I should point out straight away that no words exist to describe how little I care about the Kardashians in any respect whatsoever. Perhaps that’s a lie; I suspect in 20 years they’ll make a great media study in the science of being famous for… being famous?
Beyond that, I’d rather watch mould congeal on an N-Gage than watch anything Kardashian. Just making my position clear.
But the line about people queuing up to see Kim and Khloe overnight got my attention, and for one reason alone. Not to do with the Kardashians, but to do with what’s seen as “socially acceptable”. The Kardashians, apparently, are it. Technology, in the main, isn’t. I’ll happily describe myself as a gadget geek to anybody who’ll care to listen, but it’s still not a generally mainstream thing that’s “cool” to admit per se. Personally, that doesn’t fuss me too much — I decided years ago that (to borrow a line from Popeye) I am what I am, and that’s fine.
At the same time, though, the wider media loves to run stories about people lining up for the latest shiny gadget with a sneer in the coverage, whether they’re queuing for iPhones or Samsung Galaxy S IIs or GTA V. But for all the regular people fawning over the latest shameless media junkie, there’s an even greater amount of celebrity fawning, if this morning’s Sunrise interview is anything to go by. No, I didn’t watch it by choice; it needed to be on for PopSugar coverage, so it was within earshot.
At least at the end of queuing up for an iPhone, you get… an iPhone. At the end of queuing up outside David Jones, you get a fleeting glimpse of the jacket that Kim’s wearing, plus pneumonia. I know which I’d rather have. The next time anyone even tries to have a go at me for having a love of gadgets, I’m going to point out that mainstream culture is a whole lot more inane.
Alex Kidman is Gizmodo Australia’s Editor, and is happy to point out that he’s been married for more than a decade.
Marty McFly
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 9:06 AMNothing like a Kardashian article in the morning to quickly lose brain cells in the morning.
k
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 12:58 PMfucking tools.
Dan Miller
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 9:15 AMI turned off Sunrise this morning because of this crap. Don’t make me do the same to you.
olearymo
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 10:02 AMYou were actually watching sunrise?!
Dude.
jj
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 9:16 AMThe sheep need to wake up and live life…. Turn off the telly….go for walk… Be creative and challenge themselves. To idolise a nobody…. Even a somebody is over the top! Wake up and Live.
Jamie
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 9:17 AMI feel the same about them and Apple. ie: Who gives a $#!7.
moloko
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 9:25 AMI think you just have to remember that 96% of people are complete morons, follow each other around like sheep and eat up anything that the media or marketing tells them.
Jainash Prakash
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 9:41 AM99% of Australia are morons.
Dave
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 10:06 AMGuess your one of the 1% hey ;)
Mitch Bus
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 7:26 PM#WEARETHE99%!! ;)
sam
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 10:59 AM76.4% of statistics are made up on the spot, and 804% of people exaggerate.
Lillee
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 9:26 AMzzz…
lolwut
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 9:31 AMkim who?
the only kim i repeatedly hear is kim jong il
and he is dying
dr_nic
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 9:46 AMCould you not have popped “iPhone hacked” in the headline as well to get some more SEO hits? :)
MDolley
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 9:55 AMLet me play devil’s advocate for a second…
You can get an iPhone from any carrier.
You can pre-order and iPhone and have it delivered to your home.
Even if you don’t line up for an iPhone and they sell out, more stock will be made available soon.
Seeing somebody famous who is only in the country for a few days is a bit different.
(Please note: I don’t actually have any interest in Kim Kardashian, although I have heard she made a sex tape, which is a nice way of giving back to the community)
cayal
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 10:37 AMBut you can see a famous person at any time, via media of some sort, you can’t touch them and you can’t talk to them.
Technology, at least you get to hold and play with it.
MDolley
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 11:02 AMThe point I was trying to make was that lining up for an iPhone makes less sense because it is so widely available.
Seeing Kim in person (as pointless as that seems) is less available and therefore more exclusive.
Seeing somebody in person at a public event is different to seeing them in the media.
Lillee
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 11:22 AMI can’t agree more, lining up overnight for the iphone 4s was totally and utterly a waste of time. Many got theirs Friday 8am after arriving at the store at 7:58am
TSH
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 10:37 AMShe did, and unsurprisingly it’s not the best pr0n ever. Far from the worst, and disregarding any questions of personality or celebrity IMHO she’s one damn attractive woman.
Sam
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 10:19 AMI can definitely see Alex’s point; and I don’t think it’s without its own merit. BUT – the same argument could be applied to really anything that has a single once off consumption.
Why go and see a band live, when you can buy the album and listen to it as many times as you like, in whatever environment you choose?
Why go to a football game, when you can watch it on TV with a better view, and cheaper alcohol available in your own fridge?
At the end of the day, people pursue these things (and sacrifice their own time, and personal comfort) because they enjoy the end result. Yes, the Kardashians defy logic for their fame, but obviously that’s not something that bothers the girl’s cueing up to see her. It’s the same argument (as pointed out in another comment) that a phone will always be available later on, but what’s important to the fan-boi’s is to have it at first opportunity.
MotorMouth
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 10:37 AMAlex, I think you are missing a vitally important piece of information here – the age of those queuing for each purpose. Without looking, I am reasonably sure that the vast majority of “people” queuing for a glimpse of Kardashian are children, whereas those queuing for iPhones are grown men and women who, quite frankly, ought to know better. I’m sure there are exceptions on both sides but ultimately I think both queues are full of equally sad losers with nothing going on in their lives. That the Kardashian queuers are seen in a more forgiving light than iPhone queuers is down to the fact that no-one expects any better from those people. Of course, Kim Kardashian is also a lot easier on the eyes than an iPhone, which helps when it comes to media coverage.
Sam
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 10:40 AM“…Kim Kardashian is also a lot easier on the eyes than an iPhone…”
Careful, you’ll set off the fan-bois!
Q?
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 10:42 AMThey should drop a grenade into the crowd. If they can rid the world of Kim and some of the brain dead followers the world will be a better place.
Its exactly what’s wrong with the world today, what has the dip sh*t done to be so popular? Its not a good example of humanity…
Tim
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 10:48 AMYou care so little enough to write a nice big article comparing a Kardashian to a telephone. To be honest anyone queuing overnight for either in my mind may need some psychiatric help.
Stevorooni
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 11:08 AMIs it a sign that I’m getting older if I have no idea who the Kardashians are or what they do?
David
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 8:30 PMThis, I’m still not really sure why she’s notable *after* googling (that and her parents apparently like names starting with K).
Q?
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 11:16 AMPeople last night slept outside David Jones in a queue to catch a glimpse of Kim Kardashian who is going to be there today. This all for someone that had done nothing for society. Has no real claim to fame. A couple of months ago the Dali lama was in Australia and no one queued.
With many prophecies of the end pointing to this era, needles wars, world economies, the poor, the starving, the all consuming culture of the west chewing away at a world debt soon to reach 18.5 Trillion dollars. All the while we will depend on a generation that idolises exactly what is wrong with the world today. This ever pushing drama to believe we can all be like these people living their fake lives.
While nature takes a pounding the sick and starving lines the streets, the needless debt piles up to an unpayable amount to enslave us to our own consumption of things we do not need. Driven by a desire to live and be like Kardasians and idolising everything (nothing) they stand all the while we glutinously stuff our faces and narrow our view of the world, slowly imprisoning our minds and becoming slaves to our own greed.
While we scorn the homosexuals for trying to make a mockery of the institution we call marriage, we smile and laugh hearing about KK’s 72 days until death do us part.
We laugh but we should be crying.
The end is near…
Jordaan Mylonas
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 12:37 PMPeople did queue up for the Dalai Lama. However, most of his demographic have jobs and can’t afford to queue up as easily as tweens (Kardashian’s primary demographic) can.
There have always been needless wars. There has always been an imbalance of power and wealth between countries.
The east are just as big consumers as the west, if not more so. In China its fashionable to leave price tags on clothing so people can see how much you spend.
World debt? Ultimately SOMEONE has to be owed money. Seeing as Earth is an insular community, the debt of Earth to Earth will always be a net sum of $0.
The world has always been populated by idiots with a few bright ones sprinkled in between.
The only thing that changes is immediacy of information allows us to more easily see the bad of the world that was always there.
Cheer up. If you want a better world be an exemplar for good and be done with it.
Q?
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 1:17 PMI know people q’ed for the DL more so then KK can but no one camped out over night.
Sure there has always been needles war so why should we try and change right? Clearly you have never experienced it first hand. There is no sugar coating and even less make excuses.
The east can afford to consume at a negative interest as they own western debt… all of it. In other words they own the west, they should hang a price tag of that at parliament.
I agree with the fact its mostly always been there but that’s no reason to stop trying to change things. This is just as alarming factor about modern society.
Your last line is by far the best one.
PeterB
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 1:09 PMThankfully I had a popular culture bypass years ago so am immune.
MotorMouth
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 2:56 PMIt would also be interesting to know how big the overlap is. i.e. How many people who have queued for iPhones also queued for Kardashians. I’d be very surprised if the percentage wasn’t quite high.
Dad
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 5:20 PMwho?
smurfydog
Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 10:51 PMAm I the only one who thinks that the Kardashians sound like some sort of Star Trek badies?
“Kardashian warship off the starboard bow Captain”
“Raise shields”