Famous People Phrase Short Period Anonymous Future Fame

Andy Warhol was a very famous American painter, "illustrator" (one who draws pictures to go with text or words), filmmaker, and author. In 1968, he once said, "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes." That phrase "inspired" (gave someone the idea and motivation for) a movie called 15 Minutes of Fame. Since then, it has become a popular "expression" (saying) that is often used to talk about people in the entertainment industry.

The phrase can be "interpreted" (understood in a particular way) in two ways. First, it could mean that people are famous for only 15 minutes. This interpretation means that fame is "fleeting" (temporary; something that is present or true for only a short period of time). Certainly, many actors and musicians have fleeting fame. They may be very popular for a short period of time, but a few years later they are "virtually" (almost) forgotten. Relatively few people "attain" (achieve; get) fame that lasts beyond their lifetime.

The second interpretation of the phrase is that everyone will be famous in the future, "whereas" (although; in contrast) in the past it was more difficult to become famous. This, too, seems to be true. New technologies like YouTube and other social networking websites allow "unknown" (not famous) people to post videos of themselves doing unusual things. Links to the video are shared with many other people very quickly, and those people become famous for a short period of time in ways that would not have been possible in the past. Of course, this fame, too, is fleeting.