Om Kändisjournalistik
(2022) In Lund Studies in Media and Communication- Abstract
- The thesis approaches the research question of how journalistic practices facilitate the construction of celebrity status. Theoretically, celebrity is conceptualised as a particularly fluid form of social status based on mediatized attention and engagement. Journalism is studied as an invitation to share
experiences, organised through media logics and narrative structures. The empirical cases studied in the thesis are two multifaceted Swedish celebrities: The singer, dancer, actor and host Måns Zelmerlöw and the equally multi-faceted painter, designer, author, actor, singer, and glamour model Carolina
Gynning. The study follows their individual careers, as they represent two archetypes of celebrities: the potentialist and the... (More) - The thesis approaches the research question of how journalistic practices facilitate the construction of celebrity status. Theoretically, celebrity is conceptualised as a particularly fluid form of social status based on mediatized attention and engagement. Journalism is studied as an invitation to share
experiences, organised through media logics and narrative structures. The empirical cases studied in the thesis are two multifaceted Swedish celebrities: The singer, dancer, actor and host Måns Zelmerlöw and the equally multi-faceted painter, designer, author, actor, singer, and glamour model Carolina
Gynning. The study follows their individual careers, as they represent two archetypes of celebrities: the potentialist and the craftsman respectively. These types were constructed based on Richard Sennett’s work on capitalism in late modernity. The thesis investigates how journalists build inviting narratives for
the audience and thereby facilitate parasocial relationships in the process. The study finds that the distinguishing features of the genre of celebrity journalism come from the genre’s function to both report about and construct celebrities. The genre defines its own reality by employing a distinct melodramatic
style, mixing strong emotions and a strict journalistic reporting style, borrowing stylistic elements from both hard and soft news. The journalistic reporting tends to focus its stories on how celebrities approach and overcome obstacles. It further shows how journalists employ the melodramatic genre conventions when presenting the media event to make them into engaging rallying points by portraying it through the eyes of the celebrity. The event becomes a challenge to conquer for the celebrity. Further on, by investigating how each journalistic text acts as a mediated micro-interaction between the celebrity and the audience, the thesis shows how the different texts link each other into an ongoing
meta-narrative that locks the celebrity and audience into a parasocial relationship.
Finally, the study shows how mediatized arenas influence the career logics of celebrities by offering different opportunitites for celebrity performance and journalistic portrayals. In conclusion, the thesis argues that celebrification is the by-product of journalistic practices in which celebrities manage their emotions in order to facilitate engagement for individuals and the contexts they appear in. By portraying them as extraordinary actors with a desire to accomplish and overcome obstacles to fulfill a dramatic conflict, journalists create an appealing and engaging narrative, inviting the audience to engage and participate
in the mediated everyday lives of celebrities. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Avhandlingen närmar sig frågan om hur journalistiska praktiker underlättar konstruktionen av kändisstatus. Teoretiskt uppfattas kändisskap som en särskilt flytande form av social status baserat på medierad uppmärksamhet och engagemang. Journalistik studeras som en invitation att dela upplevelser, organiserade utifrån narrativa strukturer. De empiriska fallen som studeras i avhandlingen är två mångsidiga svenska kändisar: sångaren, dansaren, skådespelaren och programledaren Måns Zelmerlöw och målaren, designern, författaren, skådespelaren, sångerskan och glamourmodellen Carolina Gynning. Studien gör nedslag i deras karriärer, utifrån hur de representerar två arketyper av kändisar.
Avhandlingen undersöker hur journalister bygger... (More) - Avhandlingen närmar sig frågan om hur journalistiska praktiker underlättar konstruktionen av kändisstatus. Teoretiskt uppfattas kändisskap som en särskilt flytande form av social status baserat på medierad uppmärksamhet och engagemang. Journalistik studeras som en invitation att dela upplevelser, organiserade utifrån narrativa strukturer. De empiriska fallen som studeras i avhandlingen är två mångsidiga svenska kändisar: sångaren, dansaren, skådespelaren och programledaren Måns Zelmerlöw och målaren, designern, författaren, skådespelaren, sångerskan och glamourmodellen Carolina Gynning. Studien gör nedslag i deras karriärer, utifrån hur de representerar två arketyper av kändisar.
Avhandlingen undersöker hur journalister bygger inbjudande berättelser för publiken och underlättar parasociala relationer i processen. Studien finner att kändisjournalistikens utmärkande drag kommer ur genrens funktion att både rapportera om och konstruera kändisar. Genren definierar sin egen verklighet genom att använda en distinkt melodramatisk stil, blanda starka känslor och en strikt journalistisk reportagestil, låna stilelement från både hårda och mjuka nyheter när den tenderar att fokusera berättelser på hur kändisar närmar sig och övervinner hinder. Studien visar vidare hur journalister använder den melodramatiska genrens konventioner för att göra mediehändelser till engagerande samlingspunkter genom att skildra dem genom kändisens ögon. Vidare undersöker studien hur varje journalistisk text fungerar som en förmedlad mikrointeraktion mellan kändisar och publik och hur de olika texterna länkar ihop varandra till ett pågående meta-narrativ som låser in kändisen och publiken i en parasocial relation. Slutligen, visar avhandlingen hur mediala arenor påverkar kändisars karriärer genom att erbjuda olika möjligheter till framträdanden och journalistiska framställningar. Avslutningsvis hävdar avhandlingen att celebrifiering är en biprodukt av journalistiska metoder där kändisar hanterar sina känslor för att underlätta engagemang för individer och de sammanhang de uppträder i. Genom att framställa dem som extraordinära aktörer med en önskan att åstadkomma och övervinna hinder för att uppfylla en dramatisk konflikt, skapar journalister tilltalande och engagerande narrativ som bjuder in publiken att engagera sig och delta i kändisars medierade vardag.
(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/c5cc8702-f168-4037-8a8d-ca2c949c8170
- author
- Rübsamen, Michael LU
- supervisor
- opponent
-
- Professor Jerslev, Anne, University of Copenhagen
- organization
- alternative title
- On Celebrity Journalism
- publishing date
- 2022-06-03
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- celebrity culture, Media Analysis, kändiskultur, journalistik, press, media and communication studies, genre analysis, glamour, Celebrity studies, journalism, media and communication studies, glamour, press, genre analysis, social status
- in
- Lund Studies in Media and Communication
- issue
- 27
- pages
- 231 pages
- publisher
- Lund University
- defense location
- Hörsalen, SOL, Helgonabacken 12, Lund
- defense date
- 2022-09-23 10:00:00
- ISSN
- 1104-4330
- 1104-4330
- ISBN
- 978-91-8039-285-3
- 978-91-8039-286-0
- project
- On Celebrity Journalism
- language
- Swedish
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- c5cc8702-f168-4037-8a8d-ca2c949c8170
- date added to LUP
- 2022-06-02 20:16:50
- date last changed
- 2022-06-03 10:21:21
@phdthesis{c5cc8702-f168-4037-8a8d-ca2c949c8170,
abstract = {{The thesis approaches the research question of how journalistic practices facilitate the construction of celebrity status. Theoretically, celebrity is conceptualised as a particularly fluid form of social status based on mediatized attention and engagement. Journalism is studied as an invitation to share<br/>experiences, organised through media logics and narrative structures. The empirical cases studied in the thesis are two multifaceted Swedish celebrities: The singer, dancer, actor and host Måns Zelmerlöw and the equally multi-faceted painter, designer, author, actor, singer, and glamour model Carolina<br/>Gynning. The study follows their individual careers, as they represent two archetypes of celebrities: the potentialist and the craftsman respectively. These types were constructed based on Richard Sennett’s work on capitalism in late modernity. The thesis investigates how journalists build inviting narratives for<br/>the audience and thereby facilitate parasocial relationships in the process. The study finds that the distinguishing features of the genre of celebrity journalism come from the genre’s function to both report about and construct celebrities. The genre defines its own reality by employing a distinct melodramatic<br/>style, mixing strong emotions and a strict journalistic reporting style, borrowing stylistic elements from both hard and soft news. The journalistic reporting tends to focus its stories on how celebrities approach and overcome obstacles. It further shows how journalists employ the melodramatic genre conventions when presenting the media event to make them into engaging rallying points by portraying it through the eyes of the celebrity. The event becomes a challenge to conquer for the celebrity. Further on, by investigating how each journalistic text acts as a mediated micro-interaction between the celebrity and the audience, the thesis shows how the different texts link each other into an ongoing<br/>meta-narrative that locks the celebrity and audience into a parasocial relationship. <br/>Finally, the study shows how mediatized arenas influence the career logics of celebrities by offering different opportunitites for celebrity performance and journalistic portrayals. In conclusion, the thesis argues that celebrification is the by-product of journalistic practices in which celebrities manage their emotions in order to facilitate engagement for individuals and the contexts they appear in. By portraying them as extraordinary actors with a desire to accomplish and overcome obstacles to fulfill a dramatic conflict, journalists create an appealing and engaging narrative, inviting the audience to engage and participate<br/>in the mediated everyday lives of celebrities.}},
author = {{Rübsamen, Michael}},
isbn = {{978-91-8039-285-3}},
issn = {{1104-4330}},
keywords = {{celebrity culture; Media Analysis; kändiskultur; journalistik; press; media and communication studies; genre analysis; glamour; Celebrity studies; journalism; media and communication studies; glamour; press; genre analysis; social status}},
language = {{swe}},
month = {{06}},
number = {{27}},
publisher = {{Lund University}},
school = {{Lund University}},
series = {{Lund Studies in Media and Communication}},
title = {{Om Kändisjournalistik}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/119444068/Om_k_ndisjournalistik.pdf}},
year = {{2022}},
}