A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events.[1]
American socialites were originally listed in the Social Register, a list of the names and addresses of the "preferred social contacts" of the prominent families in the 19th century. In 1886, Louis Keller, described in his obituary as “known to more persons here and abroad than any other one resident of New York,” had the idea of consolidating these lists and packaging them for sale. Mr. Keller’s formula met with great success and by 1918 there were 18 annual volumes representing 26 cities.[2]
The book The Socialite Manifesto by Christiana Spens satirizes the concept.