Q - Examine motivations of tabloid reporting into celebrity culture, setting out your position in relation to Lacan & Foucault.....
Western Culture has had no choice about its participation within hearing about 'celebrities' and their trivial daily chores becoming front page news, be it a footballer having an affair or lady gaga buying a pint of milk. Regardless of the who or the what, we know about it, it makes the news and it makes the newspapers, tv and radio, meaning at some point during the day, each and every day we will be fed some piece of mind numbingly boring & irrelevant piece of information, clouding our judgement on somebody that we have never even met.
Tabloid reporting is responsible for this. It is split into two types, being informed of daily occurrences and information about people in such a voyeuristic way, people need to know where lady gaga is and what she's doing even if it is a simple trip to the shops. And in our world today, we are the people that make the news what it is, if we weren't interested, and I use the term 'we' loosely, then the tabloids wouldn't tell us. We have made tabloid culture what is.
Being informed about world disasters, and important issues is something that is important to all aspects of economy, society and culture, and is what should be reported. Celebrity culture...well, I wouldn't be protesting if tabloids decided it wasn't worth reporting anymore.
Lacan's mirror theory talks about how a child can recognise his or her own reflection before they can actually master their own bodily movements. This is the basis and forming of an ego. In relation to tabloid culture, this theory indicates how from such a young age we have this voyeuristic element to us, that we are more interested in watching something than actually doing something ourselves.
Foucault's theory plays on a different element to this of how a panopticon guard can see hundreds of prisoners, yet is not seen by any of them. It is the fear of knowing that they are being watched which is what deters them from misbehaviour. This is mirrored in the celebrity lifestyle of constantly being under watch by the tabloid reporters & photographers and how they are waiting for celebrities to slip up and do somethign which the newspapers can exploit them for.
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