Fame is a disfigurement. As the costs of fame increase, how will this effect the distribution of people who seek to do great things? This is probably a much more important question than many things we worry about.
Consider the case of Howard Thurman, not nearly as famous as Martin Luther king Jr[0], or Nelson Mandela[1]. Yet highly influential on them, and they went on to catalyse massive change.
So his impact if we consider social change, was massive and far outpaced his actual fame.
[0] he mentored Martin Luther King and otherS [1] Mandela came out of prison with a completely different philosophy to when he went in.Mandela appears to have been highly influenced by by his writing while in prison.
but TL;DW: People are always looking for status, because status means others acknowledge and praise them. And today's celebrity culture means being famous is seemingly a quick way to gain status.
With a better community you'd have friends who like you and acknowledge you because they got to know you and your character.
You hit the nail on the head. It's such a simple truth, but we are stuck in a machine now and can't even change things to help us live healthier lives. Great documentary too! Thanks!