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Celebrity, Journalism and Self-Identity

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1 Celebrity, Journalism and Self-Identity Bethany Rowan Wishhart Usher Submitted in accordance with the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy University of Leeds School of Media and Communication February 2018 2 Statement of Academic Integrity The candidate confirms that the work submitted in this thesis is her own and that appropriate credit is given where reference has been made to the work of others. This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. Word count (excluding references, including tables): 87,000. 3 Acknowledgements With particular thanks to my supervisor Professor David Hesmondhalgh who has challenged and guided me through PhD study and offered personal as well as academic support. Thanks also to co-supervisor Dr Adrian Quinn for the meaningful discussions on discourse analysis and for providing David Bowie interview materials. With much love to my husband Neil for doing more than his fair share of bath and bedtimes. To my children, Elodie and Tobias. Elodie, this began during my maternity leave after you were born, and was only approaching completion when you started school. I upgraded to the final stage while on maternity with you Tobias, and now you’re nearly three. Together you devised never-ending plans to reach me in my office and greeted me with laughs and cuddles when I emerged bleary-eyed. Thank you for keeping my head focused on why this is important. I dedicate this thesis to my Mam, Norma Usher. Thank you for the months of childcare, the sandwiches and cups of tea and the proof reading. But most of all thank you for teaching me that I am capable of completing whatever I put my mind to, and that education is a transformative force that changes lives. 4 Abstract THIS thesis explores the intertwining discourses and displays of celebrity, print journalism and self-identity in the capitalist democracy of Britain, with particular consideration of relationships with US media cultures. Part One plots three successive phases in the development of celebrity journalism in relation to the “authentic self” linked to consumerism, “the citizen” linked to national identity, and “the star” linked to hyperreal self display. It spans the 18th to the late 20th centuries and considers celebrity and celebritised journalism in relation to socio-cultural, political, economic and media transformations. It argues celebrity and journalism cultures developed together, and this formed linguistic constructs and conventions that influenced how self-identity is articulated and constructed. Part Two considers how these themes shaped and are reshaped in digital spaces to create networked presentations of self-identity for specific social, political and commercial goals. It demonstrates how the thematic and structural conventions of celebrity journalism are used to effectively self-present on social media and the impact of this on news agendas. There is a gap in research in celebrity journalism due to it falling “between a number of disciplines, none of which have devoted sufficient attention” (Dubied and Hanitzsch 2014: 140). This study uses a theoretical framework and methodologies drawn from not only journalism and cultural studies, but also history, literature, sociology, and digital communications to demonstrate both the potentials and dangers of celebrity and celebritised journalism as a mechanism for constructing both self-identity and reality. Keywords: celebrity news and journalism; celebritised news and journalism; self-identity; persona construction; individuation; celebrification 5 Contents Statement of academic integrity 2 Acknowledgements 3 Abstract 4 Contents 5 List of Figures 9 Introduction 11 I.1 Conceptualisation and research question 11 I.2: Understanding celebrity and celebritised news and journalism 17 I.3: Understanding self-identity, persona, individuation and celebrification 24 I.4: Method 29 I.4.1 Defining and using key terms as frameworks for identification and analysis 33 I.4.2: From analogue to digital: methods to track celebrity and celebritised news and journalism 36 I.4.3: Web Sphere Analysis, archives and data visualisation 41 I.5: Chapters and Summary 44 References 6 Part One: Foundations: frameworks, inventions and innovations Chapter One: Shaping and circulating the “authentic self”: celebrity news during the Enlightenment and Consumer Revolution 1.1: Introduction 59 1.2: Emerging mass media and changing social landscapes 61 1.3: From glory to ordinary: a new “authentic” self-identity 68 1.4: Celebrity news during the consumer revolution: representation, persona construction and directed emulation 72 1.5: Celebrity authenticity: Romanticism, artistry and love 78 1.6: Summary 86 References 88 Chapter Two: Shaping and circulating “the citizen”: celebrity and celebritised journalism, the bourgeois public sphere and the forging of the British nation 2.1: Introduction 91 2.2: Celebrity journalism at the time of the bourgeois public sphere 93 2.2.1: Celebritised politics, the pamphleteers and the revolution debate 98 2.2.2: Politicised celebrity, early “attack journalism” and newspaper “othering” 106 2.3: The development of the journalistic interview: the nation, the citizen and the people’s voice 110 2.4: Summary 120 References 121 Chapter Three: Shaping and circulating “the star”: the celebrity interview and mediated self- identity. 3.1: Introduction 127 7 3.2: Remnants of Romanticism: W.T.Stead and the celebrity interview 129 3.3: “Keep Young and Beautiful”: promotion, and persona in early “star” journalism 133 3.3.2: Finding the “real self”: psychoanalysis and the star interview 139 3.4: “I could make transformation as a rock and roll star”: hyperreality and the star/journalist exchange 149 3.4.1: “It’s no longer an act. I am him”: star as simulacra 156 3.5: Summary 163 References 165 Part Two: Networked: connections, transition and transformations Journalism and digital celebrity practice: new displays of “star”; "authentic self”; “consumer” and “citizen” 4.1: Introduction 171 4.2: Bowienet, early digital celebrity practice and hyperreality 173 4.2.1: Bowienet and journalism: simulation, parasociality and the audience 180 4.3: Promoting “the talent”: celebrity, journalism and the professionalisation of microcelebrity 187 4.3.1: Consumerism, authenticity and journalism in Zoella microcelebrity practice 194 4.4: “Islamic State as media brand: networked celebrity displays and the mediated citizen as extremist. 201 4.5: Summary 209 References 211 Chapter Five: Click, Consume, Share: news and networked celebrity performance 5.1: Introduction 219 8 5.2: Sustainability of Twitter performances, interactivity with micropublics and impact on MailOnline’s news agenda 221 5.3: “Brand Kardashian”: applied celebrity, networked reality and MailOnline 229 5.4: The celebrity interview: maintained patterns/new practices 242 5.5: Summary 254 References 256 Chapter Six: Dogwhistles, Frogs and Snowflakes: celebrity journalism and symbolic self- display as political communication 6.1: Introduction 262 6.2: Political campaigning on social media as networked reality display 263 6.2.1: Building brands through bond: parasociality, authenticity and authority 271 6.2.2: Politicians as celebrities: photojournalism and post-digital image display 285 6.3: Old dogs/old tricks” newspaper coverage of post-digital UK General Elections 293 6.4: Snowflakes, frogs and dogwhistles: journalists as celebrities and the spectacle of political communication 305 6.5: Summary 316 References 317 Chapter Seven: Conclusion 7.1: Introduction 328 7.2: The importance of accurate historical starting points 331 7.2.1: Pattern and practice: Language, structure, images, and platforms 334 7.3: Form and function: the narratives of self-identity 339 7.3.1: Visibility and value: emulation, self-identity and self-worth 341 7.3.2: Citizenship, democracy and debate 345 7.3.3: Simulation, the symbolic and the signified 348 9 7.4: Weaponisation of celebrity and celebritised news and journalism 352 7.5: The celebrified journalist: “cycles of empowerment” and “opinion spectacles” 353 7.6: The nonsensical nature of “tabloid/quality” and “audience/public” binaries 356 7.7: Summary 359 References 361 List of Figures Part One: Foundations: frameworks, inventions and innovations Chapter One: Figure One (1): Celebrity related content in the Daily Courant/Daily Gazetteer (1702-1792) 64 Figure Two (1): The similar discourses of “Celetoid” and “Celeactor” (Rojek 2001) in the 18th Century press 85 Chapter Two: Figure One (2): Newspaper discourse relating to Edmund Burke and Thomas Paine (1789- 1795) 100 Figure Two (2): Analysis of the Pall Mall Gazette interviews (Oct 1883-Oct 1885) 116 Chapter Three: Figure One (3): “Miss Mary Anderson as Juliet” (January 1885) 132 Figure Two (3): “I go a-calling on the Gish Girls” Photoplay (December 1914: 36-37) 137 Figure Three (3): “Why I never married” Photoplay (January 1924: 30-31) 141 Figure Four (3): “The Girl with Hypnotic Eyes” Photoplay (February 1924: 54) 144 Figure Five (3): Celebrity journalism as psychiatric evaluation 146 Figure Six (3): “Truth or Consequence with Irene Dunne” 148 10 Figure Seven (3): Ziggy Stardust wearing David Bowie as an earring (Circus, July 1975) and a close up of earring image 160 Part Two: Networked: Connections, transitions and transformations Chapter Four: Figure One (4): Bowienet: ISP network, from page login and “virtual world” 175-176 Figure Two (4): Mapping Bowinet as digital
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