When William Gibson published Mona Lisa Overdrive in 1988, he portrayed a future that featured multinational corporations and high tech outlaws competing for power against a backdrop of cyberspace and celebrity culture. And today, what do we see? The machinations of cybercriminals and high tech corporations are so massive that even international leaders are scared, and celebrity worship is more massive than ever.
I find it interesting that not only does wealth turn people into celebrities(eg. Bezos, Musk, Gates, Zuckerberg), celebrities now turn celebritydom into wealth. (eg. McCartney, Kylie Jenner)
Correctamento. Not bad indeed, though it will be a while before she cracks the top ten. Her current rank is 2,674. That is a lot of billionaires to surpass.
It's also somewhat astonishing that this year's Billionaires Club has nearly one-third more billionaires than last year (2,755), despite the purported negative economic impact of the pandemic. A case can be made that the rich get richer while the poor scramble about for crumbs.
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I learned about KK's billionaire status via Twitter where the news happened to be trending. Here are a few of the Tweets I read:
Renee Libby Kim Kardashian becoming a billionaire is precisely everything that is wrong with America rolled into one surgically enhanced nutshell.
British Glamour As Queen Kim herself would say: 'Not bad for a girl with no talent!'
CNN
Kim Kardashian West is joining the ranks of Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and other moguls.
Kahled Beydoun
Kim Kardashian is officially a billionaire.
Meanwhile, the poverty rate in the U.S. has increased to nearly 14%.
Andrew
Is Kim Kardashian the first Porn Star Billionaire?
(EdNote: This last Tweet is a reference to a "leaked" video that was published via Vivid Entertainment, a leading porn merchant. She initially sued, but then dropped it. It was making her famous, and fame opens doors, right?)
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Naturally the story was carried in nearly every media channel. She's a Celebrity. Here's a short list followed by a couple of story examples. BBC, NBC, TMZ, Billboard, YouTube, NDTV, USA Today, PageSix, Fox Business, Deadline, US Magazine, EW, Harpers Bazaar, High Snobbery, Cosmopolitan, Hindustan Times, Eon Line, RTE, India Today, Glamour, Newsday, Women's Health, Chicago Tribune, Hollywood Insider and even Seventeen.
Variety
Kim Kardashian Is Officially A Billionaire
E! News
Kim Kardashian Has Officially Become a Billionaire, According to Forbes
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Related Link
Celebrity Culture: How Did It Happen and Where Is It Going?
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