In 2004, the world received its very first celebrity sex tape.

“One Night in Paris” is a grainy, night-vision, cringefest starring a neo-celebutante hotel heiress and some random meatstick with whom she was drugging and smacking uglies. 

Methinks “viral” is the appropriate term, in all the possible ways.

A few years later a similar mess was unleashed in the form of “oh Ray J / oh Ray J / oh Ray J” and an entire family nee cabal of pleasure-seeking attention whores spawned upon the earth.

Paris Hilton got a “reality” “tv” show out of it. 
And the Kartrashians are a plague of billionaires. 

The law?  “All publicity is good publicity.”

PT Barnum was widely and popularly known as a charlatan, and crowds flocked to his performances because everyone wanted to see his next exhibition … a 161-year-old slave who once nursed George Washington, a Fijian mermaid, a dwarf doing tricks for Queen Victoria. 

Most understood his tricks were nonsense and did not care.  Barnum observed that “crowds tend to act in conjunction,” and once he drew the attention of a few, he could capture the attention of the many. 

The idea is to draw attention to yourself with controversy and scandal; integrity and virtue are considered pretentious and dull.  Those who rise to prominence tend to exude an air of ostentation …
Homelander is the hero we deserve.

When coveting power, the worst outcome is to be ignored.

Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol …
Amanda Lepore, Jocelyn Wildenstein, Anna Nicole Smith …
Mata Hari, Count Lustig, Lola Montez …

Novelty, oddity, the enigmatic, the quirk … all enthrall.  Cultivating mystery draws attention and tinge of fear; people are attracted to those who are unpredictable and inexplicable. 

However.

One must be certain to avoid drawing attention away from those with the power to destroy you. 
Again – Law #1:  Never outshine the master.  While coveting attention is one of the keys to power, knowing when to mute the desire / dim your light is equally – if not more – important. 

Never appear desperate for attention, which suggests greed, childishness and insecurity, anathema to acquiring true power.

In sum, introverts are doomed BUT those personalities seem contrary to the quest for power, tending more towards self-satisfaction and reflection than the attention and validation of others.  Recent studies have demonstrated that extroverts do better in the workplace, and likely the world, because they desire to be seen, recognized, and celebrated.

But, as the wise, imaginary man once said … “There is a difference between knowing the path, and walking the path.”

Temet nosce.