Sociology Now, Census Update

A Hungarian-born socialite named Zsa Zsa Gabor (1917–) was probably the first

celebrity created purely by media exposure. She was technically an actress, with a

string of bad movies to her credit. But she didn’t become one of the most recogniz-

able people in the world because of her movies. She appeared on talk shows to talk

about her marriages, her diamonds, her appearances at posh functions, her jet-set

lifestyle. She became “famous for being famous.”

Today, that’s increasingly common. Celebrity itself has become the product—rather

than a device for marketing films or music. Now there are “faux celebrities” every-

where—from the winners (and runners-up) of reality shows like Survivor, The Bache-

lor, Joe Millionaire,and others, to Anna Nicole Smith, to Jack and Kelly Osbourne, to

Paris Hilton. Celebrities and their agents have now begun to collaborate with photog-

raphers and publications, staging shots that then appear to be intrusions in their private

lives in exchange for more control over their image and a share of the profits.

Consuming Media, Creating Identity

Whatever the producers may intend, consumers use media texts for their own ends.

Through our consumption of media, we actively create our identities. In fact, it is

largelythroughour media consumption that we know who we are and where we fit

in society. Consumers have five broad goals in consumption:

1.Surveillance, to find out what the world is like.This is the main reason that we

consume news and information programs, nonfiction books, magazines, and news-

papers. However, we also acquire information from fiction. The best-selling novel

604 CHAPTER 18MASS MEDIA

Confidence in the Press

Conservatives claim the press has a liberal bias, but liberals claim the press has a right-wing

bias. Most people probably don’t think they are getting the entire truth from the media regard-

less of their political persuasion. In an age of globalization and media conglomerates, many

sources of news are controlled by a small number of large corporations and powerful individuals.

However, the rise of the Internet as a means of conveying information has changed the media

landscape. So, what do you think?

18.1

What

do

you

think

❍A great deal

❍Only some

❍Hardly any

As far as the people running the press are concerned, would you say you have a great deal of

confidence, only some confidence, or hardly any confidence at all in them?

?

See the back of the chapter to compare your answers to national survey data.