The world’s
biggest stars have always been in the public sphere, continually in the
spotlight when on screen, and even more so off screen. It is the media’s
spotlight which is constantly surveying their personal lives, resulting in
extreme scrutiny of every facet of a celebrity’s life. In the past, the only
way we were able to perceive celebrities was by seeing how they were being
represented in television or films, or by reading stories in print media. For
most of the twentieth century, spanning many careers, global stars were unable
to personally represent themselves. In recent times, due to the rise of digital
media and globalisation, celebrities are now able to use a range of social
media sites to display themselves in a way they wish to be viewed. Due to the
freedom of social media, it can often lead to detrimental outcomes for
celebrities if used in a socially unsuitable manner. This post will explain the
ways in which the celebrity’s life has been transformed; beginning with
previous methods of media representation. Then I will highlight how modern
media has positively affected the celebrity life, in terms of communication
opportunities to positively present themselves in the specular economy. I will
then examine the negative implications celebrities face which have arisen from
digital media, such as increased surveillance of their lives, and now online
activity.
Society and
its public have forever been intrigued by the lives of the rich and famous. As
Homes and Redmond state, there has always been an obsession with celebrities
from their fans for a variety of reasons. They say that it is "the
adulation, identification and emulation" at the heart of this obsession, and
is what drives the celebrity culture (2006, p. 2). Whether it is Hollywood
action stars or sports stars, there are always people reporting about them, and
consequently, a massive audience willing to consume these stories. Before the
age of modern media, the lives of celebrities were traditionally only reported
through T.V and gossip magazines; often representing them in undesirable ways.
It was a large issue for celebrities, as they had no avenues to pursue to deny
or clarify a rumour or image, besides taking legal action. When the media
depicts the celebrities on their behalf, it is called media representation,
which was the most prominent form of presentation regardless of the
truthfulness behind it. Steve Baker describes
this as taking “something that is real,
a person or an event and they change its form to produce whatever text we end
up with” (2007, p. 1). He says that what we see is not reality, but merely
someone else’s version of it. So we do we get engulfed in these often false
representations of celebrities? It is through mediation where we are influenced
by the media. It places us a step away from reality, so that while it is often
untrue or altered information, we still feel as if it is possible to
believe. It is all for the entertainment
and in turn, to profit from the entertainment. There are countless examples of
fabricated stories from the tabloids, often ridiculous rumours such as the one that claimed Richard Gere had sex with a gerbil
among many others. Before digital media, tabloid stories were the only insight
the public had into their idols’ lives. What we saw on screens or read in the
press was the only material to influence our perceptions of celebrities.
In
recent years, however the rise of social media has
produced a new method to deliver the personal information of our favourite
stars to a global audience. David Marshall's term "specular economy" describes the
public presentation of ourselves in an increasingly online environment. He explains
the term ‘specular’ to be "a two-way mirror of projection on to the screen
and the circulation of and interaction with those images and texts into the
wider world" (2010, p. 498). This means celebrities now have the chance to
communicate firsthand information, and only information which they want to be
viewed. Due
to the effects of globalisation, which “stretches the relations of power and
communication across the globe”, this form of online communication has the
capability to reach a far more widespread audience, and at previously
unimaginable speeds (Artz 2003, p. 4). Social media
has become an advertising tool for modern celebrities to personally construct a
public identity, instead of having popular media portray them in an idealised
and mostly unwanted perspective. Celebrities use the specular economy to shape
our perception of them into a way they wish to be seen. Marshall explains this
action as a reconstitution of our lives "through screens of engagement and
interactivity that serve to organise and shape our lives" (2010, p. 499). Sites
like Facebook, Instragram and particularly Twitter let people employ “an economy of circulating images, information, text,
conversation and interpersonal exchanges”, which has changed the celebrity culture
forever (Marshall 2010, p. 502). It is these ‘tweets’, photos and other digital
messages that consequently “circumvent the gatekeeping and controlling
mechanisms of broadcast and print media” (Marshall 2010, p. 498). This means
that the rise of digital media – specifically celebrity use of social media –
has diminished the effectiveness of popular media’s representation of
celebrities. It seems that the majority of famous stars have grasped new media
and embraced the fact that they are constantly accessible. It has added a more
personal experience between fans and celebrities, and allows the online public
to interpret and share information between each other, which is an example of
globalisation in the specular economy. Instead of relying on a publicist to
quash untrue rumours, many celebrities now use social networking to
clarify them. There is always misinformation being
created and shared, and although celebrities are a main target of this, such as
the common celebrity ‘death rumours’, digital media provides an avenue to quickly and
efficiently provide a truthful explanation.
Hugh Hefner's twitter response to death rumour (source: Urban Legends)
Although the specular economy has enhanced and changed the life of a celebrity, there are also ways in which it can be viewed as detrimental to a celebrity’s reputation, career and general living. The rise of technology and digital media is the major structural and cultural change within society in recent years, which we all must face and adapt to, including the famous population of the world. For them, this has meant the drastic increase in overall surveillance of their every action, due to “new technologies and their capacity to capture proof” (Marshall 2010, p. 500). The downfall of Tiger woods’ life is a perfect example of this increased surveillance, as the speed of circulation of information regarding the incident was multiplied with digital and social media sources compared to traditional media. It is interesting that his flawless public persona – which he had constructed partly through digital media in the specular economy – added to the severity of his public disgrace. There are certain stars that use digital media in highly individual ways, with almost no regard for society or consequences. It is known as hyper-individualism, a term that Marshall links with many modern celebrity’s expressiveness over the internet (2013, p. 5). Stars such as Rihanna and Miley Cyrus exemplify this carelessness of their content. Rihanna often posts photos of her smoking marijuana and Cyrus seems to welcome controversy over her recent actions. While many of their fans admire a celebrity’s individualistic values, it can it can also prove harmful to their reputation if it causes indignation among the public. Regardless of their public identity, if a well-known person posts a controversial tweet or image, it can result in negative repercussions and tarnish their image, career and their lives respectively. I can think of endless examples of certain sports stars and celebrities expressing their not-so-bright opinions through Twitter only to receive backlash from the public.
Shane Warne's controversial 'sexy-selfie' (source: The Daily Telegraph)
Celebrities
have forever been in the public eye, with people sharing a fascination for the
private lives of their idols. Traditional media – while it isn’t quite dead
(yet) – doesn’t have the same influence over a celebrity’s life as it once did.
Digital media has introduced a new style of self-representation, allowing for a
more accurate interpretation of them through the mirror that is the specular
economy. Due to its advanced globalising and surveillance capabilities, digital
media has taken away even more of a celebrity’s privacy. Social media has
increased audiences of stars, and with greater publicity comes greater
responsibility. While some are hyper-individualistic and have little care of
the world’s perception of them, others need to be more careful. Social media
can taint or completely break down a celebrity’s image, far quicker than they
constructed it. The specular economy may have given celebrities new
opportunities to positively (or negatively) present themselves, but I
think it has given anyone with access to mobile media to do the same. Although
we are the non-famous majority, with a much smaller audience, it's nice to know
we have at least one similar luxury that the mega-stars have.
References:
Artz,
L 2003, Globalization, Media Hegemony and Social Class, University of
New York Press, retrieved 9 October, 2013, <http://www.sunypress.edu/pdf/60803.pdf>
Baker,
S 2007, Media Studies Key Concepts:
Representation, Film communication Media, retrieved 8 October, 2013, http://www.adamranson.plus.com/Representation.pdf
Holmes, S & Redmond, S 2006, Framing Celebrity: New
Directions in Celebrity Culture, Routledge, retrieved 29 September, 2013, http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=3sKwWqBQpbUC&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=%E2%80%98Celeb+2.0:+How+social+media+foster+our+fascination+with+popular+culture&ots=-WuDZ_esOK&sig=mASR9ybEe58qqRzw2AiEgCDhc3s#v=onepage&q&f=false
Marshall, P 2010, 'The Specular Economy', Society, Vol.
47, No. 6, pp. 498-502
Marshall, PD 2013, ‘Persona Studies: Mapping the proliferation of
the public self’, Journalism, pp.
1-18. Retrieved 9 October 2013, Sage.
Video:
MTV's 10 On Top: Celebrities on Twitter & Social Media 2011, YouTube Video, Shorty Awards, New York City, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99PtDfyyO6s
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