As Marshall comments, celebrity culture has been intensified in the last century (2010, p. 499). We are bombarded with information about their private lives in gossip magazines, paparazzi shots and interviews (Marshall 2010, p. 499). For example, we all know the Kardashians. Kourtney recently cooked breakfast for her new baby girl Penelope, Khloe was given a new puppy for her birthday and Kim recently divorced Kris Humphries after they were married for just 72 days. How do I know all this? Well, online celebrity gossip told me.
However, thanks to the prevalence of social media, celebrity culture has recently taken a turn. In fact, celebrities can now present themselves online and no longer need Perez Hilton to tell the world about their lives. According to Marshall, self production is at the 'very core of celebrity activity' and is an important way of creating and presenting the 'celebrity persona' (2010, p. 39). Moreover, online self production has become an important benchmark for followers to also present themselves online.
Kourtney Kardashian is a great example of celebrity self production. Not only does Kourtney have a Facebook page and twitter page, she has a celebrity blog, her own personal blog and a mummy blog where she presents herself to the world as a beautiful and devoted young mother who can do it all....just like everyone else.
Reference list:
Marshall, P.D 2010, The Specular Economy, Society, 47.
Marshall, P.D 2010,The Promotion and Presentation of the Self: Celebrity as Marker of Presentational Media, Celebrity Studies, 1.
