The Kardashians have become synonymous with low-brow entertainment. And whether you love them or hate them, you cannot deny that their E! reality TV empire has launched the family into the stardom stratosphere.

Just this past week the trailer for their newest spinoff “Kourtney and Khloe Take the Hamptons” aired, sealing the deal that we won’t go but a few weeks without a Kardashian fix. The family’s wacky antics, openness with their audience and constant self-promotion has earned them a spot as our cultural currency.

Their clout is unmatched and they will retain their celebrity status for a long time to come. If you don’t like it, get used to it.

What makes the Kardashian family so popular is its overexposure. Our social habits have changed from local to virtual — we have become less present in our physical world and as a result more engaged in our virtual one.

As Robert Putnam describes in his critically acclaimed book “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of the American Community”, civic engagement and social capital are lower than ever before. We are more invested in the lives of people whom we have never met than people who we are in contact with everyday. This change of American community has forced our hand in our social interactions.

We no longer gossip about our neighbors. It’s not that we have risen above the gossip. Our brains are hardwired for it. It allows us to share information, learn about people we’ve never met and form closer friendships with one another. If we want to make causal chitchat and gossip with our peers, we have to reach further than our local neighborhood. We have to look toward Hollywood — and the Kardashians are there to guide us.

You don’t have to tune in to the family’s reality show to learn about the Kardashian’s lives. The sisters’ faces are plastered all over gossip magazines and tabloids, they all have huge followings on Twitter and Instagram and their names are attached to clothing lines, nail polishes and even books. They are everywhere.

The Kardashians will be first to tell you that all press is good press. “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” was launched back in 2007 on the heels of Kim Kardashian’s sex tape scandal; instead of hiding in the shadows they embraced their 10 minutes of fame. And look where it’s gotten them. Now the network devotes programming to the family’s latest woes and constantly obsesses over who will be the next to marry, get divorced or have a baby. All of this attention fuels the family’s accessibility.

This constant inundation with all things Kardashian has solidified its spot as cultural currency. Unless the Kardashians decide to leave the spotlight, it doesn’t look as if we’ll be rid of them any time soon. Our interactions as viewers and fans make us feel like we know the Kardashians, like they are friends rather than strangers. And as a result, we can’t help but obsess over them.

The thought of another Kardashian spin off has already gotten criticism from some disgruntled viewers who claim that “Kourtney and Khloe Take the Hamptons” does not deserve the spotlight, but whether we like it or not, the Kardashians are in it for the long haul.

Erin G. Kelly is a senior broadcast and digital journalism major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at egkelly@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @egknew.

Published on September 15, 2014 at 12:45 am