By Jeff Spicer,LuElla D’Amico

Copyright thedispatch

Travel back with me to 2006, the nadir of the paparazzi era. Perez Hilton and TMZ ruled the landscape. Paris Hilton, the hotel heiress turned reality-TV star—and no relation to Perez—was their crown jewel: famous simply for being famous, her last name enough to guarantee a headline. Perez, with his neon doodles and cruel captions, turned young stars into punch lines (he dubbed Lohan “Blowhan” for her rumored cocaine use—obviously hilarious, right?). TMZ, with its paid tips and grainy ambush videos, transformed young people’s breakdowns into “breaking news.” America ate it up. Maybe not you, dear reader—but many of us (myself included) sat at our bulky desktops, refreshing Perez’s site between classes or work shifts. Together, they created a machine that monetized humiliation as entertainment.