Date of Award

2007

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Communication and Culture

First Advisor

Kate Eichhhorn

Abstract

How have relatively new technologies changed the way in which the celebrity system and tabloid culture function in North American culture? With access to technologies, such as the internet and digital film and photography, and websites, such as Youtube.com, the average citizen is now able to actively participate in the world of celebrity and even turn themself into a celebrity figure. The world of celebrity (online, at least) has become do-it-yourself and has, in many ways, democratized the process of fame. Through the rise in online readership and recognition, even the creators of online tabloids have themselves become celebrities and active members in the star system they seek to critique. This thesis will demonstrate that the technologies used to demystify the celebrity through perpetual surveillance have, at the same time, succeeded in turning ordinary people into celebrities, thus placing them squarely within the star system they never intended to inhabit.


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