Erostratus Syndrome: Doing Crazy Things To Become Famous
It is known that social relationships change the deepest aspects of our way of being. Thanks to the existence of others, for example, we learn the ability to use language, thanks to which we are able to think and even develop an identity, a concept of the “I”.
However, sometimes the existence of a civilization in which standing out from the crowd is considered a feat can lead to behavior that is at best necessarily bizarre and at worst criminal. This phenomenon by which some people decide to do anything, no matter how extreme, to become famous, It can be called Erostratus syndrome
Erostratus was a Greek shepherd originally from the city of Ephesus. But unlike other great historical figures of Ancient Greece, he was neither a renowned intellectual, like Plato or Aristotle, nor a politician and soldier like Pericles, nor a renowned merchant.
If today we know that during the Hellenic world of the 4th century BC. C. there was a specific man named Erostratus because he wanted to be remembered for millennia. To go down in history, the Greek Erostratus decided to burn one of the most beautiful monuments in the Mediterranean: the temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the seven wonders of the world
Although when the motivations of this humble shepherd were known, the mention or registration of his name was prohibited to prevent future generations from knowing of his existence, the result is obvious: Erostratus wanted fame at any price, and not even the more terrifying threats prevented him from achieving his objective; Far from curbing his popularity, the bans fueled his legend.
The phenomenon by which prohibited information spreads precisely because of the prohibition imposed on it is called the Streisand effect. The case of Eróstrato fits perfectly into what centuries after her life and death became known by the singer’s last name, but that is not what draws the most attention in the history of the Greek.
What is fascinating is that, on the one hand, someone can direct their entire life towards obtaining fame, on the one hand, and that this can come in a way that is as tragic as it is, in reality, easy: the only price to pay is one’s own life.
Erostratus syndrome reaches the present day
Unfortunately, two conditions currently exist that mean that the story of Erostratus can be repeated many times, thus giving rise to Erostratus syndrome.
On the one hand, globalization makes the distance between anonymous citizens and famous people is immense: It is impressive to think about the number of people who know references like Shakespeare or, in recent years, Lady Gaga and the like. On the other hand, there are a large number of people who live in apathy or a degree of alienation that can lead to the perception of social recognition as the maximum objective to which one can aspire.
In reality, the society of the spectacle, in which it is easy to obtain fame through quick, relatively effortless and impactful acts, makes the Erostratus syndrome easily hit the target: fame comes, if one wants it.
It is possible to create viral phenomena, acts that occupy the covers of many websites and newspapers, and all of this motivated simply by the fact that someone wanted to be there. Other people see it, observe how someone who has sought popularity has achieved it, and take note of it. This, on the other hand, is a mechanism that serves both more or less innocuous acts, such as creating a funny video, as for those that cause pain, such as certain types of attacks
The same society that teaches that having the attention of others is desirable, gives the tools for everyone to know that personal story (or a distorted version of it, but a story of their own, after all). Social networks are on fire, newspapers spread all kinds of related information, and there are even ways to make the legend pass from word to ear through the use of mobile phones or even live streaming.
It is clear that you cannot control what others think of you, but to a certain extent you can. sneak into the stream of thoughts of others, breaking into the consciousness of others even if those others have not sought it. This is why the story of Erostratus is still relevant today.
