Sunday 2 September 2012

Week Eight: Celebrity Culture


Source: Click.

Professor David Marshall's guest lecture this week was quite an illuminating take on globalisation in terms of 'celebrity culture'. Examples included Prince Harry's leaked photographs and Catherine Zeta-Jones' anger appearing in paparazzi pictures. I was incredibly interested in the idea he introduced about private and public persona, and how the line has become finer and much more blurred with converging technologies.

Marshall (2008, p.498) talks about how it is personalities that the public are interested in, and personalities that are being bought and enjoyed. Marshall also discusses that new media are making possible what was thought impossible about fifty years ago. Media input has become more democratic, and the humiliating, unexplainable acts by celebrities are able to be posted, reported, broadcast and digested by audiences almost within the hour, within even minutes of occurring. 

Source: Click.
I personally do not understand this boom in 'celebrity culture'. and I barely care; especially when the celebrities involved have not earned their media coverage as others have. Celebrities are human and they are free to make their mistakes; but I don't support these mistakes splashed across covers of magazines and in big, bold headline font, by people paid to do it and apparently frame this as 'news'.

More recently people tend to explode with their media coverage; One Direction and individuals associated with Twilight come to mind. I have found that people either care religiously or not at all; both extreme polar opposites. There's the few people in the middle, but most tend to be one or the other.

Are your own experiences something like this? I'm interested to hear what you think!

Marshall, D, 2008The Specular Economy, Society. Vol. 47.

5 comments:

  1. I was shocked when I found out that a One Direction store had opened on Chapel Street. It baffles me as to how people can feel so connected to people who they have no connection to. Sure people may like the music but do these kids even write their own songs? I agree with you on saying that there is a strong polarity when it comes to care for celebrities. Personally I like reading tabloids and looking at 'who got fat' but I forget it 5 minutes after I read it. If celebrities conduct themselves in a respectable way what is there for them to report? This was an engaging blog which I enjoyed reading. I wish you had gone into a bit more depth and used some links though!

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  2. I agree, with advances in technology and the boom in globalisation of the media has also come a boom in celebrity culture. Although I don’t know where the demand comes from. I also don’t care to read about ‘famous’ peoples lives, whether it be intimate secrets from their private lives or public appearances to boost their careers. They are just people like everyone else and I find myself much more concerned about what’s going on in my life, or my friend’s and family’s lives or in my immediate surroundings. Great post; really thought provoking. I never realised before, but I think your right, most of the time people are either obsessed with celebrity culture or couldn’t care less about it.

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  3. I dont get how and why One Direction are famous nor Justin Bieber despite I am a fangirl for the Biebs. Its odd how people can be so 'in love' with someone who doesn't know they even exist its weird. We all know how they became famous, thats clear. I just dont know how.. I mean. How. Its interesting to see that through the globalisation of social media networks i.e Youtube & TV's X Factor there is a culture that appears. What makes me question people is how they can be so obsessed with celebs. I mean, my sister shes 14 and she has over 200 posters of One Direction.. thats a bit much now isn't it?
    Your blog is great, really enjoyed reading it! :)

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  4. Strong opinionated post, Michelle. You make a good point when you mention that people tend to care a great deal about celebrities like Justin Bieber or they don't care at all, yet none of us can escape talk of them. You might want to consider using mroe in-text references to engage the audience.

    Cheers, Robert.

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  5. There is absolutely no doubt that there is an extremely strong correlation between the amazing advancement in technology and the ever increasing obsession that people have with celebrities and in particular, celebrities being interviewed, invaded and reported on the television, radio and newspaper. Your reference to Marshal is very interesting, that people are buying into a personality that is being portrayed. People develop obsession with other people (celebrities,) that they do not even know. This is due to the development of globalisation and the media, why these days people are so obsessed with getting to know someone that appears on a televisions screen over their next door neighbour.

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