Couldry, N. and Markham, Tim (2007) Celebrity culture and public connection: bridge or chasm? International Journal of Cultural Studies 10 (4), pp. 403-421. ISSN 1367-8779.
|
Text
4813.pdf - Author's Accepted Manuscript Download (1MB) | Preview |
Abstract
Media and cultural research has an important contribution to make to recent debates about declines in democratic engagement: is for example celebrity culture a route into democratic engagement for those otherwise disengaged? This article contributes to this debate by reviewing qualitative and quantitative findings from a UK project on 'public connection'. Using self-produced diaries (with in-depth multiple interviews) as well as a nationwide survey, the authors argue that while celebrity culture is an important point of social connection sustained by media use, it is not linked in citizens' own accounts to issues of public concern. Survey data suggest that those who particularly follow celebrity culture are the least engaged in politics and least likely to use their social networks to involve themselves in action or discussion about public-type issues. This does not mean 'celebrity culture' is 'bad', but it challenges suggestions of how popular culture might contribute to effective democracy.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Keyword(s) / Subject(s): | Democratic engagement, celebrity culture, popular culture, diaries, public connection |
| School: | Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication |
| Research Centres and Institutes: | Birkbeck Interdisciplinary Research in Media and Culture (BIRMAC) (Closed) |
| Depositing User: | Tim Markham |
| Date Deposited: | 19 Jun 2012 09:55 |
| Last Modified: | 09 Aug 2023 12:31 |
| URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/4813 |
Statistics
Additional statistics are available via IRStats2.
Archive Staff Only (login required)
