What Happened to the Ordinary People?

My friend lives in a village in the country. There's a calm about him that reflects the life he leads, and the pace at which he lives it. 
It's in his voice, the easy movement as he walks, conversing in a sonorous tone and comfortable rate of words so that everything is clear, considered and articulate.
So, when I met him recently, and saw that he was experiencing some turbulence in his life, I was curious.

'It's the celebs', he said, with a kind conspiratorial tone that suggested he didn't want anyone else to hear him.
'They're everywhere.', he continued. 'You can't move for the Celebrities and Famous People that have emerged in the country.'

He then went on to tell me of the number of people in his village who had become minor, medium and major celebrities, courtesy of the Internet.
They were running everything from local podcasts to jumble sales to blog sites and each of them was an Expert, a Specialist, in the scheme of things, particularly the world and its problems.
'Now', he said, 'Most of them talk a good story and seem to have a sound grasp of facts. But my concern, Dave, is that there'll soon no ordinary people left. Everyone is either a celebrity,  or on the way to being one.'
'So, there'll be no ordinary people. No audiences. No one to listen. Everyone will be too busy giving their own celebrated opinion.'

I wondered whether he was exaggerating, whether or not his view had become a bit skewed as a consequence of listening to too many 'influencers'.

But he did have a point. There exists a 'Celebrity Culture' today. Apart from the Showbiz crowd who are asked for, and give, their opinions in the various media outlets, there are sports stars, business types, politicians, all of whom once stuck to their various milieux, now all queuing up to expound their expertise on everything from coarse fishing to coarse humour to how the country, the media and the world should be run.

There's even a splash of it in the Criminal Fraternity.

Someone was telling me of an article in which he read about a vicious psychopath, couched  in warm, fuzzy cuddly terms by the diminutive pet name by which the miscreant is addressed by his associates. One wonders if he may be the next interviewee about the severity and unfairness of sentences for murder, torture, intimidation, protection, and terrorism.
Yes, he's a rogue. A likeable one, of course. And he loves his Mammy. 

Celebrity is indeed a strange phenomenon. It courts the worst in many who'll do anything to be seen, heard and noted in the media.

Though sometimes it can come about accidentally.  Or unintentionally. I asked my friend if there were any particular instances that worried him.

He said there was concern about the planning for a Windfarm in the area. The money on tap for land was staggering. There were mixed and strongly contentious feelings about it. There was a meeting  being  held in a local pub' which would be broadcast on the local radio, and on Social Media too.

He then revealed that he was off to get coaching on Presentation Skills for this event, He'd been asked to make a statement and he was aware that a couple of Provincial Papers would be sending reporters and photographers.

'So,' I asked mischievously, 'Shall we be seeing you on the Six O'clock News? Or Primetime?'
'I doubt we'll make that kind of mark', he answered earnestly.

Then, he lifted his eyebrows, broke a charming smile, and said, 'But you never know, do you? You just never know what could come of a simple event like this.' He then nodded to himself in affable and bemused agreement, 'You just never know.'