American Idol has impacted people all around the globe. It made everyone, who watched believe they had real talent. Many hopeful contestants were shocked when they were not selected to compete on the real show. Some of them threw tantrums; they screamed and yelled at the judges. This was embarrassing, but it was often funny to watch. Their behavior demonstrates the way popular culture impacts the goals of young people, that there iscan be a negative effect. Author Terry Golway says teenagers used to aspire to important professional jobs such as “engineers,
mathematicians, scientists, and systems analysts” (331). He claims that now young people just want to become famous for being pop culture icons, and he thinks this is a dangerous change. This desperate desire for fame explains why some people react so strangely when rejected on American Idol; they see it as their only option for the future.