This thesis examines why and in what way tabloid media and celebrities themselves via social media portray two different realities. Undeniably, celebrities are omnipresent. They are on posters, on book covers and in form of toys on store shelfs, but most importantly, they are omnipresent in various kinds of media. They are in movies and on TV – maybe as participants in a reality show or when taking a seat next to a talk show host, they are covered in news stories of the press and are part of the social network.
In fact, even though celebrities can, for example, be experienced on stage or on a soccer field, they mainly are experienced in the media. And the media play a very evident and crucial role with regards to the creation of a celebrity stigma around a certain person, and also with regards to how stars and celebrities are perceived. When consuming any kind of media portrayal about a certain celebrity, the media consumer feels as if he gets to know the certain celebrity.
But when comparing both, tabloid media’s portrayal and celebrities’ own portrayal via social media, it becomes evident that the portrayals of the one and the other often are very different from each other and it seems as if thoroughly there are two different realities mediated.
Even though a true self or – with focus to specifically celebrities – true celebrity self cannot and does not even exist, in some way it implicitly is (claimed to be) portrayed and also in some way is expected to be portrayed. This might sound contradictory at first but as elaborated in this paper, it actually is not.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Celebrities and their Relationship with Society and the News Media
3. Tabloids, Tabloidization and Gossip Culture
4. Social Media: A Shift in Power Dynamics
5. Social Media: The "Online Self"
6. The Portrayal of Two Different Realities
7. The Portrayal of a "True Celebrity Self"
8. Conclusion
9. Works Cited
Research Objectives & Core Topics
This thesis examines the discrepancy between how celebrities are portrayed in online tabloid media versus how they curate their own identities on social media platforms like Instagram. It explores how these two mediated realities differ, why they are constructed, and how celebrities utilize social media for "damage control" or self-promotion to counter or influence public perception.
- The role of "soft news" media and tabloid journalism in constructing celebrity narratives.
- The process of tabloidization and the cultural shift in privacy concepts.
- Transformation of power dynamics in the celebrity-audience relationship through social media.
- The construction of an "online self" as an optimized performance of private existence.
- Case studies on the contrasting mediated realities of celebrities such as Jason Derulo, Ellen DeGeneres, and Amber Heard.
Excerpt from the Book
3. Tabloids, Tabloidization and Gossip Culture
Tabloid media content is described as "newspaper and [...] broadcast journalistic output that prioritizes entertainment [and] human interest [...] and which is usually presented as oppositional to ‘serious’ and socially responsible journalism" (Biressi and Nunn 7). And tabloid’s journalistic output is purely regarded as "soft news" in contrast to "quality media’s" main focus on "hard news" which describes news coverage with regards to mainly political or economic news (Cf. 7; cf. Danesi 132).
Tabloids are attached with characteristic features like an often antagonistic, very sensationalist and exaggerated but at the same time somehow trivial coverage with regards to the people they are reporting about. They often portray celebrities in a very scandalous context and often are considered as "rude press." This often as antagonistic perceived coverage of the tabloid press, their portrayals of celebrities which often conclude that the certain celebrity is depicted "in a bad light," and the tabloids’ attributed "anti-celebrity-attitude" are resulting out of their certain primary goal to generate the highest possible profit of any kind (Cf. Conboy 2; cf. Biressi and Nunn 7-8).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Introduces the ubiquity of celebrity culture and sets the scholarly stage for comparing tabloid media portrayals with celebrity self-portrayals via social media.
2. Celebrities and their Relationship with Society and the News Media: Defines the concept of "celebrity" and explores how the media historically framed individuals as public commodities.
3. Tabloids, Tabloidization and Gossip Culture: Analyzes the sensationalist nature of "soft news" and the profit-driven mechanisms of tabloid journalism.
4. Social Media: A Shift in Power Dynamics: Examines how social media platforms allow celebrities to bypass traditional media gatekeepers and shape their own public presence.
5. Social Media: The "Online Self": Discusses the construction of a curated "online self" as a strategic tool for personal branding and virtual intimacy.
6. The Portrayal of Two Different Realities: Investigates specific instances where tabloid narratives conflict with celebrity-generated content, demonstrating the tension between mediated and self-curated realities.
7. The Portrayal of a "True Celebrity Self": Critiques the societal expectation of an authentic "unfiltered" celebrity existence and its role in media consumption.
8. Conclusion: Synthesizes the analysis, confirming that the interplay between media and self-portrayal creates "different realities" driven by conflicting profit and branding goals.
9. Works Cited: Lists all referenced sources and academic literature.
Keywords
Celebrity, Tabloid, Social Media, Online Self, Soft News, Media Portrayal, Gossip Culture, Tabloidization, Authenticity, Relatability, Image Control, Digital Journalism, Public Image, Reputation Management, Celebrity-Audience Relationship
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this bachelor thesis?
The work investigates the dichotomy between how online tabloids report on celebrities and how celebrities represent themselves on social media, focusing on how these sources construct two often-conflicting "realities."
What are the primary themes discussed in the paper?
Key themes include the evolution of the celebrity concept, the mechanics of tabloid sensationalism, the impact of the digital age on privacy, and the strategic use of Instagram for personal branding.
What is the core research goal of the work?
The primary goal is to determine how and why tabloid portrayals differ from celebrity self-narratives and whether these differences serve distinct strategic objectives for the respective parties.
Which methodology is adopted for this study?
The research employs a qualitative analysis of specific case studies, comparing online tabloid reports with contemporaneous Instagram posts from the same celebrities to demonstrate the disparity in narrative construction.
What topics are covered in the main body of the text?
The body chapters cover the historical relationship between society and media, the definition of tabloid and gossip culture, the transition of power offered by social media, and a deep dive into the concept of the "online self."
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is defined by the intersection of celebrity studies, media theory, and digital communication, focusing on concepts like tabloidization, the "online self," and media-driven narrativization.
How does the author define the "online self"?
The author views the "online self" as an audience-customized, often staged "performance of a private celebrity self" used to maintain relevance, authenticity, and virtual intimacy with followers.
How is the term "different realities" used in the context of the Jason Derulo or Amber Heard cases?
It refers to the fact that tabloids often frame incidents in a scandalous, negative light to maximize clicks, while the celebrity’s own social media content aims to restore their image or provide a counter-narrative, resulting in two distinct versions of the "same" event.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Max Häussler (Autor:in), 2022, The Medial Portrayal of Celebrities via Tabloids and Social Media. The Portrayal of a True Celebrity Self, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1304818
