4. The popularisation of Politics Flashcards
(23 cards)
What is pop politics?
Mediatization+ celebrization = pop politics
what is infotainment?
news format, news outlets that do not have the serious tone of news addition.
Appealing to the emotions rather than to rational knowledge
Pop politics are built on cultivation theory. What is it?
To claim the centrality of TV as the new storyteller and to acknowledge that it was not just serious formats like news media but also fictional channels like entertainment that had a more cumulative effect on shaping people’s opinions. –> more likely they are to believe that the real world is like what they see on screen.
What is the aim of the participation of political actors in entertainment channels?
To breach the gap between politicians and citizens.
Pop culture is intrinsically political. Why?
Because of its structural features and not because of its content
What are the structural features of pop culture?
- Schematic–> follows a narrative
- Syntagmatic–> stories work through apposing dichotomies (highly gendered)
- paradigmatic
- Individualised
- Gendered
How many dimensions are there for the popularization of politics?
3:
- Popular culture as fiction
- pop culture as a political stage
- Pop culture as political practices (political communication)
- Popular culture as a political fiction
All these shows concur to a representation of politics through dichotomies (honest citizens vs corrupt politicians). It is more about conveying the idea of politics as something that is intrinsically corrupt→ not about left or right.
- Pop culture as a political stage
Like Tony Blair starring in the Simpsons→ selling themselves as an authentic person, who understands others, a human being not a politician (we are equal). And they do this also by associating with celebrities (musicians, athletes, etc). This association is what projects onto politicians higher visibility on the media stage and therefore on the public arena.
- Pop culture as political practice (that is, as political communication)
Radio and TV talkshows→ Popular culture format and products in certain political historical moments provide a stage for minorities to have their voices heard. This was the role played by talk shows when they were first developed. They provided a stage for ordinary citizens and civil society and activists. They also provided a free space where traditional dichotomies and opposition could be crossed also the border of private and public.
Music→ has been a form of protest to make political claims, claims for minorities
Celebrization
is the process where ordinary people, politicians, or experts are turned into celebrities through media exposure. It happens when someone becomes known not just for what they do, but for being visible and mediagenic — meaning they fit the media’s preference for emotion, personality, and entertainment.
Celebritization
is the slow, structural change where celebrity becomes central to how people gain attention and influence in society — even in politics, education, or activism. Olivier Driessens (2013)
the media can do what to celebrities?
Sanction and destroy them as they are recognised as celebrities (ex. reputation issues)
What is diversification of celebrities?
until recently celebrity culture was only sport and show business. But now celebritization invest in all fields→ famous chef, famous scholar, famous
What is migration of celebrities?
celebrity as a form of symbolic capital can be transferred from one field to another (ex. Trump, Ronald Reagan, Zelensky, etc)
Celebrity Politician 1
- articulated on both sides
- have different background but they can leverage their skills for political gain
- An elected politician or candidate who uses the forms and associations of the celebrity to enhance their image and communicate their message.
- On the other side, because of mediatization and personalisation we have politicians who increasingly become celebrities in their own rights
POLITICIANS AS PERFORMERS
Celebrity politician 2
- The engaged celebrity. Celebrities in other fields usually show business or sport. Who are not seeking to get elected but campaign for certain political and societal issues and claim to represent social groups and identities
PERFORMERS AS REPRESENTATIVES
Critiques of celebrity politics
- Celebrity politics undermines any claim to “representativeness”
- “If democracy is nothing but legitimation by the most successful form of communication, then the communication artist is the best democrat, with no effort whatsoever” (Meyer, 2002)
- “Serious political issues become trivialized in the attempt to elevate celebrities to philosopher-celebrities” (West and Orman, 2002)
In defence of celebrity politics
The idea of pop politics is the representation of mediatisation.
There is a trend of increasing …
the selection of leaders based on their communication skills rather than their political skills and their political platforms.
politics on itself is
a performance
Voter identify the most with:
the aesthetic dimension
