Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 PhD Student in Sociology, Dehaghan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Dehaghan, Iran.
2 Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Dehaghan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Dehaghan, Iran.
3 Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract
Abstract
Today, the media world and its audiences are experiencing a paradigm shift from an era that was characterized by a one-sided, ideology-driven media industry that favored a one-sided, monologue, and dictatorial approach. In contrast, the digital world and social media are based on a communication model that enables interaction with everyone, regardless of their intellectual or skill levels. The integration of modern media and social networks into daily life is pervasive, leaving an indelible mark on various relationships and aspects of human existence. In fact, in the current century the concept of celebrity is tied to mass and social media, and without the support of the media, one cannot expect the formation of a celebrity in today's sense, if not the issue of fame, it has a history beyond mass and social media. The global culture industry leverages modern tools, such as media and social networks, with the intent of producing a uniform and standardized culture that serves to manipulate public opinion.
Among today’s media, social networks emerge as a novel media ecosystem that has engaged a wide range of age groups, cultural classes, and social spectrums as users. Through this platform, new social classes have been formed, including influencers, celebrities, and sub-celebrities, who collectively contribute to the ongoing reproduction of the culture industry's goals. The rise of this emerging group on social media platforms, and its influence in the real world, is the main factor in addressing this issue. The main objective of this article is to analyze the effects of celebrity status on the Instagram social network, which has the largest number of users in the country according to the Alexa database with 26 million domestic users in 2019.
This article adopts a quantitative approach with a survey methodology, and its socio-analytics encompasses all active users of the Instagram social network within the year 2019 in the capital city of Tehran. For this research, the SPSS Sample Power software was utilized to ascertain the requisite sample size, where the alpha level was considered across three thresholds: 0.01, 0.03, and 0.05. Taking into account the optimal sample size in the form, a range of 400 to 450 individuals was estimated. In the present study, the sample size at the error level of 0.05% totals 450 participants.
The data for this article was gathered through an online web questionnaire distributed to Instagram users (OneDrive). Given the nature of the topic, data collection was carried out entirely online. The data was then analyzed using SPSS and Smart PLS software. The theoretical foundation of this study rests upon the subject of "culture celebrity" and the impact it has on the various dimensions of daily life of users within the sphere of "culture celebrity" and the primary indicators of "celebritization." Formative processes, as proposed by Flanagan and Nowell (2004), are examined through the lens of the transferability of mental and objective indicators of daily life. This serves as the basis for the evaluation of the proposed hypotheses.
The overall results of the research support the relationship between becoming a celebrity and the external dimension of users' daily life (R2=43%) as well as the internal dimension of users' daily life (R2=49%). In the overall fitted model, the effect of celebrity on daily life is equal to 0.59x0.48, which equals 0.283. As per the provided data, the greatest explanation lies in the social incidence variable, while the lowest explanation pertains to the social capital variable. Drawing upon the findings of this study, it can be concluded that the primary contributors to the new media and social space, along with the ensuing discourse that has absorbed the term "celebritization," not only establish their own discursive realm but also exert a significant impact on various aspects of users' lives, particularly in the realms of both internal and external dimensions.
Life has a substantial influence on this topic, and the evidence suggests that in the near future, this space will exhibit a pronounced impact on identity formation, as generations establish the prevailing thought framework and forge their own ideological foundations through discourse. The discourse will serve as a means for thought leaders and the founders of user belief systems to exert influence. The phenomenon of celebritization holds the potential to instigate a reevaluation of social developments and actions, particularly when considering the long-term consequences of celebritization on societies moving forward.
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