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'Where are the next Tom Cruises?': how the internet changed celebrity

In our social media-saturated society, modern fame has become fragmented resulting in a galaxy of stars vying for our attention

Who is the most famous person in the world? According to Google – top of “1,040,000,000” answers – is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the wrestler turned movie star whose brand of brawny justice can be seen in Jumanji, Moana and the Fast & Furious franchise. If this doesn’t seem totally impossible, it feels muddled: why is this according to an Australian website called New Idea? Why is the accompanying picture of Michael Jackson? When you pause for a second, it becomes strangely clear. Chaotic, weirdly sourced, plain wrong in parts but somehow still making sense: this is as good a reflection of modern fame as any.

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