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Understanding Representation Jen Webb

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International Journal of Cultural Studies
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Celebrity culture and public connection: Bridge or chasm?

Nick Couldry

Goldsmiths, University of London, England, n.couldry{at}gold.ac.uk

Tim Markham

Birkbeck College, University of London, England, t.markham{at}bbk.ac.uk

Media and cultural research has an important contribution to make to recent debates about declines in democratic engagement: for example, is celebrity culture a route into democratic engagement for those otherwise disengaged? This article contributes to this debate by reviewing qualitative and quantitative findings from a UK project on `public connection'. Using self-produced diaries (with in-depth multiple interviews) and a nationwide survey, the authors argue that while celebrity culture is an important point of social connection sustained by media use, it is not linked in citizens' own accounts to issues of public concern. Survey data suggest that those who particularly follow celebrity culture are the least engaged in politics and least likely to use their social networks to involve themselves in action or discussion about public-type issues. This does not mean that `celebrity culture' is `bad', but it challenges suggestions of how popular culture might contribute to effective democracy. •

Key Words: celebrity culture • democratic engagement • diaries • popular culture • public connection

International Journal of Cultural Studies, Vol. 10, No. 4, 403-421 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1367877907083077
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