Remaining in the public eye

As I’ve mentioned throughout my previous blog posts, celebrities’ posses much influence upon today’s society. Many take advantage of this power and use it beneficially. Through action in charities, public awareness campaigns, donations, etc., stars have the ability to promote positive change and set a good example to others. However, this is not always the case. Hollywood reports feature stories of cheating, drug and alcohol abuse, fights, and arrests on a daily basis. With the involvement in this unlawful behavior, how is it that celebrities still remain role models?

Despite their numerous arrests for drug use, DUI’s, and crazy behavior, celebrities like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan still remain in the public eye with thousands of fans adorning their every move….and the reason for this is? A qualitative study published in the Oxford Press researched the media coverage of these two celebs, along with Michelle Rodriguez and Nicole Richie, and how each was portrayed after their run-ins with the law. Over a year, five television and three print sources were observed and resulted in 150 print and 16 television stories published about each girl’s incidents. The studies end outcome found that“Stories were brief, episodic and focused around glamorous celebrity images. They included routine discussion of the consequences of the DUI for the individual celebrities without much evidence of a consideration of the public health dimensions of drinking and driving or possible prevention measures,”(Oxford Press). Through observational study, it can be viewed that due to the medias glamorized coverage and portrayal of these celebrities, their actions are not seen as serious infringements in society.

Unobtrusive research: part 2

The first blog I chose to comment on was Paige's. She made some interesting and valid points in her application of the use of unobtrusive research in the fashion world. I had never before realized just how much designers rely on this form of research in their work. For instance, she discusses how when someone knows that what they are wearing may be judged, they may put in extra effort to make it look nice. Paige makes a good observation in stating that “In reality, the designer most likely wants to see the shirt when they dont really think about it.  They want to see if the shirt goes well with all different pants, not just a certain color.  Or perhaps they would like to see how the shirt looks when it has been worn a few times and not been washed or ironed.  Unobtrusive research allows for the designers to see exactly what the clothing is like for their customer's on a typical day.”

            The second blog I chose to discuss is Francesca's. Her discussion on the use of unobtrusive research being a common method used amongst celebrities and the general public in the social networking world is similar to my post as well. Through browsing on your computer, you can learn exactly what your friends, family, or celebrities are doing at that moment without ever talking to them. Francesca uses a great example of celebrity tweets to substantiate her points made. “Or, here is one of Ellen DeGeneres's recent Tweets:

‘I just finished reading the novel "Ape House" by Sara Gruen. If you love animals like I do, its a must read. http://ow.ly/2PKmn’

From Ellen's Tweet, we know that "Ape House" is what she was just reading, and because she is recommending it to others, we can gather that she really likes this novel.”

Unobtrusive research in the celebrity world

            Many of us are performing unobtrusive research every day… without even knowing it. Unobtrusive research is the process of collecting data through methods where the subject is unaware, allowing for the researcher to have little to no influence upon the research. Now after reading that definition, you may wonder how or what we do on a daily basis that can be considered unobtrusive research.

Today, millions of people worldwide are connected to some form of a social network whether it is MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc. We use these to stay in touch with friends, family…and to keep updated with the lives of celebrities. Some even refer to it as “stalking”, where the average person can learn the every move of what their favorite celebrity is doing throughout the day. Although some may find this interaction overwhelming and creepy, many celebrities use it to stay connected to their fans. For instance, this is what Kim Kardashian recently wrote about Twitter on her site “Twitter is the best! U guys really help me make decisions, cheer me up, but most important keep me connected to YOU! That's the best part!”