Throughout history, talent and wealth were the only means of achieving stardom. The naturally beautiful have pursued acting, those blessed with smooth vocal chords have recorded platinum albums and others with athletic prowess have gained celebrity status through grand slam wins and Olympic golds. Then there are those born into famous families who seamlessly follow the paths set by their parents, despite lack of innate ability or intelligence. I'm happy to see, however, that these two traditional paths to fame are being uprooted and entirely replaced by YouTube.
No longer does one need Brad Pitt's mug, Reese Witherspoon's charm, Chris Rock's comedic timing, Roger Federer's backhand or a mom named Goldie Hawn to become a household name. Instead, all we have to do to attain star status is make idiots of ourselves.
The YouTube phenomenon took off around 2006, when the chubby "Numa Numa" guy displaced William Hung as America's favorite nerd. Since then, the classic notion of celebrity has been infringed upon. The site's true validation as a veritable cultural medium came in April 2008, when some of its most noticeable characters were the subject of an episode of "South Park," a cartoon that touches on some the most relevant social issues of our time.
Several formulas appear foolproof for creating stardom for oneself through this revolutionary social medium. If you happen to fall into one of these categories, film yourself; it's a recipe for overnight renown.
One type of prototypical video parodies a popular song, television show or film. There are spoofs on everything ranging from "Law and Order" to "Laguna Beach."
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