Constructing Microcelebrity Identity Narratives in Celebrity News
Journal: Arts Studies and Criticism DOI: 10.32629/asc.v5i5.3094
Abstract
The article delves into the transformation of celebrity culture, marked by the ascendancy of microcelebrities, with Lydia Millen, who boasts 1.2 million Instagram followers, serving as a case study. It explores the mechanisms through which digital personalities foster relatable identities and assesses the impact of journalism on the identity construction of microcelebrities, drawing on news coverage of Millen. By analyzing the interaction between Millen's self-representation and journalistic portrayal, the study seeks to uncover the power dynamics at play. Ultimately, the aim is to deepen our comprehension of modern celebrity culture and the consequences of media attention on microcelebrities.
Keywords
microcelebrity, myths, critical discourse analysis, celebrification
Full Text
PDF - Viewed/Downloaded: 6 TimesReferences
[1] Marwick,A.E. (2013) Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity, and Branding in the Social Media Age. Yale University Press.
[2] Brooks, G., Drenten, J. & Piskorski, M.J. (2021) ‘Influencer Celebrification: How Social Media Influencers Acquire Celebrity Capital’, Journal of advertising, 50(5),528–547.
[3] Mooney, G. (2022) Inside the life of Lydia Millen and how she makes all her money to splash at The Savoy Available at: https://thetab.com/uk/2022/11/23/who-is-lydia-millen-net-worth-dramas-age-husband-the-savoy-hotel-rich-karen-millen-is-her-heating-fixed-yet-282891 (Accessed at: 13 May 2023)
[4] Marwick, A. & Boyd, D. (2011) ‘To See and Be Seen: Celebrity Practice on Twitter’, Convergence (London, England), 17(2),139–158.
[5] Usher, B. (2020a) Journalism and Celebrity. Milton: Taylor and Francis.
[6] Turner, G. (2004) Understanding Celebrity. London: SAGE Publications.
[7] Boorstin, D. (1971) The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America. New York: Atheneum.
[8] Sant, T. (2008) ‘Camgirls: Celebrity and Community in the Age of Social Networks, Theresa M. Senft (2008)’, International journal of performance arts and digital media, 4(2-3),189–193.
[9] Usher, B. (2020b) ‘Rethinking microcelebrity: key points in practice, performance and purpose’, Celebrity studies, 11(2),171–188.
[10] Jennes, I., Pierson, J. & Van den Broeck, W. (2014) ‘User Empowerment and Audience Commodification in a Commercial Television Context’, The Journal of Media Innovations, 1(1),70–85.
[11] Gamson, J. (2011) ‘The Unwatched Life Is Not Worth Living: The Elevation of the Ordinary in Celebrity Culture’, PMLA : Publications of the Modern Language Association of America, 126(4),1061–1069.
[12] Rojek C (2001) Celebrity. London: Reaktion Books.
[13] Geyser, W. (2022) What Are MCNs for YouTube Creators (+ Top Multi-Channel Networks) Available at: https://influencermarketinghub.com/mcn-youtube-creators/ (Accessed at: 12 May 2023).
[14] Labrecque, L.I. (2014) ‘Fostering Consumer–Brand Relationships in Social Media Environments: The Role of Parasocial Interaction’, Journal of interactive marketing, 28(2),134–148.
[15] Nunn, H. & Biressi, A. (2010) ‘'A trust betrayed': celebrity and the work of emotion’, Celebrity studies, 1(1),
49–64.
[16]Dyer, R. (1991) Stardom. London: Routledge.
[17]Simon, B. & Klandermans, B. (2001) ‘Politicized Collective Identity’, The American psychologist, 56(4), 319–331.
[18]Fairclough, N. (1995) Critical Discourse Analysis. London: Longman.
[19]Janks, H. (1997) ‘Critical Discourse Analysis as a Research Tool’, Discourse (Abingdon, England), 18(3),329–342.
[20]Machin, D. & Mayr, A. (2012) How to do critical discourse analysis : a multimodal introduction. Los Angeles; London: SAGE.
[21]Palk, S. (2011) Royal wedding guide: How to be 'frightfully posh' Available at: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/04/14/how.to.be.posh/index.html (Accessed at: 12 May 2023).
[22]Halliday, K. (1985). An Introduction to Functional Grammar. London: Edward Arnold.
[23]Tan, S. (2011) ‘Facts, opinions, and media spectacle: Exploring representations of business news on the internet’, Discourse & communication, 5(2),169–194.
[24]Hall, S. (1980) 'Encoding/decoding', In S. Hall, D. Hobson, A. Lowe, & P. Willis (eds.) Culture, Media, Language : Working Papers in Cultural Studies, 1972-79. London: Hutchinson,117-127.
[25]Hawken, L. (2022) 'Tone-deaf' influencer slammed for checking into £1,000-a-night Savoy hotel after her heating broke (and poses in a £2,000 outfit) Available at: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-11460805/Tone-deaf-influencer-slammed-checking-Savoy-complaining-broken-heating.html (Accessed at: 15 May 2023).
[26]Cocker, H.L., Banister, E.N. & Piacentini, M.G. (2015) ‘Producing and consuming celebrity identity myths: unpacking the classed identities of Cheryl Cole and Katie Price’, Journal of marketing management, 31(5-6), pp. 502–524.
[2] Brooks, G., Drenten, J. & Piskorski, M.J. (2021) ‘Influencer Celebrification: How Social Media Influencers Acquire Celebrity Capital’, Journal of advertising, 50(5),528–547.
[3] Mooney, G. (2022) Inside the life of Lydia Millen and how she makes all her money to splash at The Savoy Available at: https://thetab.com/uk/2022/11/23/who-is-lydia-millen-net-worth-dramas-age-husband-the-savoy-hotel-rich-karen-millen-is-her-heating-fixed-yet-282891 (Accessed at: 13 May 2023)
[4] Marwick, A. & Boyd, D. (2011) ‘To See and Be Seen: Celebrity Practice on Twitter’, Convergence (London, England), 17(2),139–158.
[5] Usher, B. (2020a) Journalism and Celebrity. Milton: Taylor and Francis.
[6] Turner, G. (2004) Understanding Celebrity. London: SAGE Publications.
[7] Boorstin, D. (1971) The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America. New York: Atheneum.
[8] Sant, T. (2008) ‘Camgirls: Celebrity and Community in the Age of Social Networks, Theresa M. Senft (2008)’, International journal of performance arts and digital media, 4(2-3),189–193.
[9] Usher, B. (2020b) ‘Rethinking microcelebrity: key points in practice, performance and purpose’, Celebrity studies, 11(2),171–188.
[10] Jennes, I., Pierson, J. & Van den Broeck, W. (2014) ‘User Empowerment and Audience Commodification in a Commercial Television Context’, The Journal of Media Innovations, 1(1),70–85.
[11] Gamson, J. (2011) ‘The Unwatched Life Is Not Worth Living: The Elevation of the Ordinary in Celebrity Culture’, PMLA : Publications of the Modern Language Association of America, 126(4),1061–1069.
[12] Rojek C (2001) Celebrity. London: Reaktion Books.
[13] Geyser, W. (2022) What Are MCNs for YouTube Creators (+ Top Multi-Channel Networks) Available at: https://influencermarketinghub.com/mcn-youtube-creators/ (Accessed at: 12 May 2023).
[14] Labrecque, L.I. (2014) ‘Fostering Consumer–Brand Relationships in Social Media Environments: The Role of Parasocial Interaction’, Journal of interactive marketing, 28(2),134–148.
[15] Nunn, H. & Biressi, A. (2010) ‘'A trust betrayed': celebrity and the work of emotion’, Celebrity studies, 1(1),
49–64.
[16]Dyer, R. (1991) Stardom. London: Routledge.
[17]Simon, B. & Klandermans, B. (2001) ‘Politicized Collective Identity’, The American psychologist, 56(4), 319–331.
[18]Fairclough, N. (1995) Critical Discourse Analysis. London: Longman.
[19]Janks, H. (1997) ‘Critical Discourse Analysis as a Research Tool’, Discourse (Abingdon, England), 18(3),329–342.
[20]Machin, D. & Mayr, A. (2012) How to do critical discourse analysis : a multimodal introduction. Los Angeles; London: SAGE.
[21]Palk, S. (2011) Royal wedding guide: How to be 'frightfully posh' Available at: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/04/14/how.to.be.posh/index.html (Accessed at: 12 May 2023).
[22]Halliday, K. (1985). An Introduction to Functional Grammar. London: Edward Arnold.
[23]Tan, S. (2011) ‘Facts, opinions, and media spectacle: Exploring representations of business news on the internet’, Discourse & communication, 5(2),169–194.
[24]Hall, S. (1980) 'Encoding/decoding', In S. Hall, D. Hobson, A. Lowe, & P. Willis (eds.) Culture, Media, Language : Working Papers in Cultural Studies, 1972-79. London: Hutchinson,117-127.
[25]Hawken, L. (2022) 'Tone-deaf' influencer slammed for checking into £1,000-a-night Savoy hotel after her heating broke (and poses in a £2,000 outfit) Available at: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-11460805/Tone-deaf-influencer-slammed-checking-Savoy-complaining-broken-heating.html (Accessed at: 15 May 2023).
[26]Cocker, H.L., Banister, E.N. & Piacentini, M.G. (2015) ‘Producing and consuming celebrity identity myths: unpacking the classed identities of Cheryl Cole and Katie Price’, Journal of marketing management, 31(5-6), pp. 502–524.
Copyright © 2024 Zhen Zeng
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
