| Though celebrity has played an important role in society in the twentieth century and earlier, in the past few decades, celebrity news has become a main attraction in the media. The immense amounts of attention paid to the private lives of celebrities can be explained by a shift in the public sphere that has emphasized the capitalist ideologies of individuality, personal politics and consumption. Celebrity embodies these capitalist ideologies, acting as a template for desirable engagement with the economic system.;While celebrity has become entwined in all aspects everyday life, its relatively recent involvement in politics represents a further societal shift towards tabloidization and commercialization that encourages passive engagement with important issues, shifting the focus to celebrity news, yellow journalism and "fluff". These practices act in opposition to the democratic ideals of active citizenship and engaged political action, distracting the public from societal problems to focus on materialism and the accumulation of wealth.;In this thesis, I will present some of the factors involved in the celebritization of politics and the tabloidization of the media, problematizing their role in democratic society. Through examination of events of the 2008 presidential campaigns and presidential election, as well as the early months of the presidency of Barack Obama, I will show how celebrity and the media works to create the illusion of democracy and influences political engagement. Finally, I will suggest some steps that can be taken to reclaim control of the media and create conditions more in line with the ideals of democratic society and a functional public sphere. |
