We have all dreamt of being famous in our youth. It's what I wanted. It's what every other teenager longs for these days. But is it really worth it?

Fame is often associated with power. The more famous you are, the more power you are thought to have even if you have none. It's a common misconception. Fame doesn't equal money and power. You could be famous while not having even a single bit of those two things. In today's world, young boys and girls dream of being famous. It's what they've always wanted! They consider it to be their life's goal, the purpose of their lives. They think that if they are famous, they will be rich and successful. Everyone will know their name and they will be universally known for what they do.

Being famous in a particular field is not easy, to say the least.

In today's digital age, the entertainment industry is in it's prime. Everyone watches movies and listens to music. They have their favorite musicians, their favorite actors and directors. People look up to these celebrities. They deduce that the "easiest" way to be famous is to either get into music industry or into acting. If they decide to set foot in either of these fields, they can go two ways:

Failure

Being famous requires being successful. And success doesn't come easy. You have to keep your chin up at every failure and keep trying. Let's say that this new musician puts out a single. Unfortunately, no one finds out about it. So, even if it is good, it is lost in a sea of other singles put out by many new musicians much like our own. They keep trying but struggle and fail to find an audience. Then, out of the blue, our young musician gets own offer from a representative of a"well-known" record company. In their naivety, the musician agrees. They are then proceeded to be exploited by that same "well-known" record company. It is the dark side of the entertainment industry. COUNTLESS of new and naive artists are subjected to horrific exploitation, it is beyond the boundaries of humanity.

Success!

Being famous requires being successful. And our new artist's single was a huge success. It is commercially and critically lauded, and nominated for a ton of awards. Even our musician themselves are nominated for the Best Breakout Artist award. They get make tons of dollars off of the royalties. The song is at number one in all the streaming websites. This leads to them getting record deals and signings. They put out an album or two which are hailed as the best of the decade. The dream of our young artist comes true.

Even with all of it's mighty pros, it has some mighty cons. A huge fanbase develops for our artist, just itching for a single look of them. They are at every concert, every signing, watch every interview they give, follow them on social media, buy their merchandise and so on. While professionally, this may have a huge positive effect on our artists career, it may have a negative effect on their personal life.

Let me tell you, nothing is more scary than an obsessed fan. Maybe a ghost. But yeah. Nothing. Is. Scary. Than. A. Obsessed. Fan.

Obsessed fan go to great lengths to idolize their favorite celebrity. They do everything their favorite celebrity does, like everything their favorite celebrity likes, and avoid everything their favorite celebrity avoids. Their day starts with their favorite celebrity and ends with their favorite celebrity. And if obsessed fans are not enough, the paparazzi are certainly the worst.

In this celebrity-worship culture, people would do anything to get a glimpse of where their favorite celebrity is and what they are doing. It is their peek into the personal life of the celebrity. This demand brought paparazzi into the picture. Paparazzi are independent freelance photographers that go to great lengths to take pictures of different celebrities and then sell them to various media outlets. These media outlets then provide these personal photos to the fans online. This is my nightmare. Having photographed all the time, knowing that if you look just a little bit tired or frustrated, you'll be made fun of online and it will stick with you forever, even after your death. One tiny slip and you screw your career over.

Many celebrities have flipped out on paparazzi, too many to include here. Just go on Google and search and then come back. It's mind-blowing really.

What I think

Personally, I did dream of being famous at some point in my life. But I realized that fame just isn't for me. There are people who may handle fame better than me, I just can't handle it at all. In my opinion, being famous is not worth it. Be good in your profession and people will know you. It's better not to broadcast your activities on the internet to your fans, you must keep your private and professional lives separate. There are quite a few actors who do exactly this which is why I have massive respect for them. Being famous is cool, as long as people follow you for your work, not for yourself.