Last week, I realized it didn’t matter the social media outlet, sites and apps were bombarded with images and posts about the fight between Beyonce’s sister Solange Knowles and rapper Jay-Z in a hotel elevator in New York City. Why are they fighting? What was said? What triggered the fight? Are Beyonce and Jay-Z getting a divorce? There were some “serious” questions at hand. I even turned on the morning news and this was a topic of conversation. While I was exposed to all of these images and news coverage about the incident, I didn’t think anything of it. This is normal. Celebrities have become a major focus for all types of media, and unfortunately, this has become a norm in American society. It didn’t hit me that I also was becoming very tied up in celebrity gossip. I saw a post on my Facebook newsfeed with a link to the “MUST SEE PHOTOS” surrounding the Solange and Jay-Z incident. I clicked on the link and then was directed to this page: http://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2014/05/13/the-5-shocking-jay-z-solange-pictures-you-have-to-see/ Wow. It hit me. Our society has become so obsessed with celebrities we are losing sight of REAL issues in the world. When the photos that loaded on the page were not of the celebrity incident but of the aftermath of the kidnapped girls in Nigeria, I felt ashamed. It was a wake-up call. There are many issues and situations throughout the world and even in our own country, yet we continue to place more focus on the personal lives of famous celebrities. While this is something that may be difficult to bring an end to in society, I personally would like to work on steering away from the celeb-obsessed media. This issue tends to affect the younger generations more often. It will need a large effort from both the individuals being targeted and the media outlets themselves to make this change. Time will tell. While I was ashamed to have clicked the link, I am glad I did, as it definitely put things in perspective. Live and learn! — Olivia Falcione, advertising manager