Media and Celebrity Culture - Extended

5th October 2012

  In the 21^st century, with the emergence of new media such as social media Facebook and Twitter, YouTube and blogosphere, it is not difficult for people to be well known, famous and even become a celebrity. It is irresistibly that the development of the internet where consists of different media platforms and the online culture that allows for different flows of messages and images, provides products and services, has changed the way that people publish of the self and the movement of shifting boundary between public and private, especially for those people whom we consider to be celebrities.

Michael Jackson
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  The technological shifts in the way people engage with popular culture and media activities, participating in what Jenkins (2005) calls convergence culture. He says convergence culture is “the flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation of between multiple media industries, and the migratory behaviours of media audiences in search of personalized entertainment experiences” (Jenkins, 2005, pp.2-3). Indeed, the emergence of the internet provides a new wider capacity to send messages and images, breakthroughs the restriction from the gatekeeping and controlling mechanisms of old media such as radio and print media. Besides, because of the unique internet involves multiple media platforms, it also allows and privileges a wider interaction and exchange between and among users (Marshall, 2012, p.498). This element is crucial to convergence culture. It is because while the technology changes, the behaviours of media audience or consumers’ online culture change at the same time. As Jenkins (2005, p.3) says this is a cultural shift, convergence encourage consumer to seek out new information and make connection among technology, and then adopt as part of their life and culture.

Convergence culture definitely is a crucial influence in the way of people engage with popular culture and media activities and the way of today’s celebrities present themselves, technologically. However, ideologically, there is a phenomenon that even more profound and extend the way of the presentation of the self in the celebrity economy. Marshall (2010, p.498) calls this phenomenon as “specular economy”. He draws an analogy between the mirror reflection of self and the contemporary culture, Marshall (2010, p.499) describes the “specular” is a mirror world, and what we can see from this mirror world is not just ourselves but also the public version of ourselves and others, a mask that for public consumption, the appearance of the world. We can reconstruct and represent the self as we can notice our weaknesses and how others perceive us through the mirror world (Marshall, 2010, p.499). Thus, the online and mobile media platforms and screens is a mirror that celebrity can construct and reconstruct their image and how the audiences “look” at them.

The convergence culture provides an easy way for people and celebrity to find, explore and share entertainment and information. One of an elaborate and powerful self-production discourse in celebrity culture is the gossip. Marshall (2010, pp.36-37) defines that gossip is a continuity of discourse that gives an explanation of their onscreen personality and usually reveals their private experiences to uncover a hidden truth about their self. It is because generally gossip can be reported as a well-structured form of information through traditional media such as newspapers, television programs and magazines, in which means it is highly mediated and well organized (Marshall, 2010, p.37). Besides, celebrity gossip can be revealed through their personal conversation and evaluation on every day public performance (Marshall, 2010, p.37). In which, online pathways such as the internet and the social media provides powerful platforms for celebrity to self-production, and this has indicated the technological and cultural shifts.

According to Page (2011, p.5) defines social media as “Internet-based applications that promote social interaction between participants…delivers content via a network of participant where the content can be published by anyone but is still distributed across potentially large scale audience”. Facebook and Twitter are not the only examples of social media but also discussion forums, blogosphere, wikis, podcasting, video sharing, and micro-blogging. As Marshall (2010) mentioned, the internet allows and privileges a wider interaction and exchange between and among users, which accurately reflect a dominant media activity that social media allows a direct connection between celebrities and fans, and celebrities themselves actively expose their movement and lives further in order to gain “Friends” and follower. In which, these “Friends” and follower also created a micro-public networks which is part of an individual’s online persona, and an intercommunication that an individual’s movement (e.g. you “like” Starbucks page and made comments, both physical and virtual movement) exchange between the personal and the highly mediated (Marshall, 2010, p.500).

For example, the following series of Twitter updates were reposted in Lady Gaga’s Twitter account (quotes from Page, 2011, p.10), the updates follow the schedule of her activities:

l   In a Pub in England, ruining bar napkins with lyrics and memories.
Dreams are never weak like we are, drunk or sober.
Ladygag: Wed, 26 May 2010, at 17:33

l   At 12pm London time I will doing a LIVE interview with the amazing Nick Knight on www.showstudio.com tune in to see me answer your questions.
Ladygag: 30 May 2010, at 08:06

l   In exactly one hour and 36 min u can watch me being interviewed live@ http://live.showstudio.com answering all your questions lil monsters!
Ladygag: 30 May 2010, at 09:24



Lady Gaga
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l   Just heard ALELANDRO on the radio in LONDON, what a marvelous day. Showstudio, the O2 Arena, a peaceful lone car ride to hotel. Supreme.
Ladygaga: 30 May 2010, at 23:58

Last but not least, even you are not a user of social media but you still familiar with it as we are in the age of convergence culture and specular economy where people that around you mostly is one of these social media user who follows every pages and status of their favorite’s celebrities and brand products, and every time they checks status, they will share and discuss with you. You don’t even have to buy any second-hand sources such as a printed newspaper or magazine to get first-hand news and information, but by “like” or follow celebrity’s Facebook pages or Micro-blog. This is globalisation.

 

Reference List

Marshall, P.D 2008, The Specular Economy, Society. Vol. 47, pp.498-502.

Marshall, P.D 2010, The promotion and presentation of the self: celebrity as marker of presentational media, Celebrity Studies, Routledge, London, pp. 35-48.

Page, Ruth E. 2011, Introduction: Stories and Social Media in Context, Stroies and Social Media: Identities and Interaction, Routledge, pp.1-10.

Leslie, Larry Z 2011, Celebrity in the 21^st Century: A Reference Book, ABC-CLIO, USA.

Deakin University 2012, Week 9 Lecture Slides, ALC 215.