Title: Socialite phenomenon: How the image of socialites being constructed by mass media and consumers?
1Socialite phenomenon How the image of socialites
being constructed by mass media and consumers?
- Group 5
- Jamie Wang, Jennifer Wei, Nikie Hsih, Tiffany
Lee, Veronika Kuo, Vicky Chuang, Vicky Wei
2(No Transcript)
3- General Introduction
- ----Tiffany Lee
4What are Socialites?
- What do you think socialites are? What conditions
do they hold? - What can they do? What exactly do they do?
- Do you want to be one?
- How would you describe one?
- Have they always been there? Or are they created?
- (Madame Bovary is Me, a Cinderella story, ?????,
????, ???)
5What are Socialites?
- Socialite (a) a socially prominent person.
- (b) One prominent in
fashionable society. - 1928, probably a coinage among writers and
editors at "Time" magazine, perhaps as a
contraction of social light, in imitation of
words in -ite. (dictionary.com)
6- Definition
- ----Vicky Chuang
74 types of socialites
- 1. Notable family background
- 2. Through marriage
- (real-life Cinderella
story ) - 3. Celebrities and models
- 4. Publicists of luxurious brands
8Notable family background
- Born rich
- High social and economic status
- Eg. ???, ???, ???, ??
9Real-life Cinderella story
- Married to the rich
- E.g.. ?S, ???, ??, ???
- NOKIA???????????N82,?????????????(??/???)
10- ?????? ????????
- ???????????????????,?????????????????????,????????
??????????,?????????
11Celebrities and models
- With fame
- Attend fashion shows and parties
- E.g.. ???, ???
- ?????? ???????
- (???) ?????????,????????????,???????????,????????
?!???????,??????,???????????
12Publicists of luxurious brands
- Frequent contact with the media
- Familiar with named brands
- E.g.. ???, ???
13Another type
- Beautiful, famous people but not belong to any
type above, e.g.. ???, ???
14- The term, socialite, misused by the media,
- e.g.. ?????? ????????, Fashion Queen
???????? ?GUCCI?------ - ??Fashion Queen ?????????????????????????????
,????????????????,??????,?????????????????????,???
??????????,???????????,??????????????????,????????
?,????????????????????,????????????????LOGO????,??
??????????????????3???????????????,????????TOM
FORD??GUCCI??????????,TOM FORD?????????????
15What makes one a socialite?
- Beautiful appearance
- With fame
- Rich (at least looking rich)
- Frequently show up in public
- Aware of the fashion trend
16Symbols Lifestyle
17Symbols exist everywhere
- Food Drink
- Brand-name Products
- Socialites
- Pop Stars
18Functions of Symbols in Consumption
- Showing what kind of merchandise an individual
will purchase - Showing an individuals social status
19Symbolic Consumption
- Mass Media as a conductor
- Consumers receive a sense of
- self-confidence and self-identification
through buying symbols - Reach an ideal self
-
20Lifestyle of Socialites
- Name-brand clothes, shoes, accessories, etc.
- Participate in Fashion shows, Parties, etc.
- High quality life
- Pedicure, manicure, facial, spa, fitness
- Expensive food, cars, yacht
- Luxurious Travel
- Press Conference, News Paper, Magazines
- Making friends with someone who are also rich
21How socialites influence consumption
- Conspicuous Consumption
- Fame High social status give symbols meaning
- Socialites are ideal symbols for people to follow
- Some consumers copy their fashion styles
- Believe some products are better than others by
promotions of socialites - News of socialites
- Best promotions to evoke peoples desires
- A way to sell products
22M-Shape Society Fashion
23M-Shape Society
- An economic term by Kenichi Ohmae, 1943
- In a well-developed capitalistic society, middle
class? the largest group - reversed U shape
24(No Transcript)
25M-Shape Society
- Middle class declining, moving towards the two
sides? M shape - Wealth concentrates on the rich? lower classs
pursuit of the similar lifestyle as the upper
class
26The Theory of the Leisure Class
- By Thorstein Veblen in 1899
- Conspicuous consumption
- Two processes of fashion
- 1. Luxurious stuff of the upper class?
- difference from the lower class
- 2. Lower class as followers? the spread of
- the trend
- ? integrated influence? circulation
27Georg Simmels Definition-Fashion
- Class-conscious
- A concept of chase and flight
- The unity of the upper class keeping out the
lower class - The trend dominated by the upper class
- Lower class followers, in keeping w/ the same
style
28Georg Simmels Definition-Differentiation
- 1. The circulation of the trend between the two
classes one difference - 2. upper classs vanity purchasing expensive but
useless stuff? representation the status - The lower class not being able to afford the
other difference
29Rituals
- Showing off the wealth thru public activities
- Fashion shows, TV shows, socialites books, the
media, and the Internet - ? make ppl fall into the trap
-
30- Commercial Purposes
- ----Jennifer Wei
31IV. Commercial Purposes
32How consumers behaviors are affected?
- Reporting socialites high-classes lifestyle in
all aspects beauty treatments, fashion taste,
food, parties, etc. - Candid photos snapped by Paparazzi /mentioning
brand name by accident free promotion (example
1) - Socialites Authentic Opinion Leaders, icon.
- Teaching the audience how to be like them
(example 2) - News or advertisement?
33Example 1
Candid photo Motorcycle bag became the most
well-known bag of the year.
34Example 2
35News or Ads? Victim of Product Placement?
- Product placement advertisements are promotional
ads placed by marketers using real commercial
products and services in media, where the
presence of a particular brand is the result of
an economic exchange. - How product placement works?
- In entertainment-related news or supplement
page - Marketers provide products? invite socialites to
take photos with their products? create an
eye-catching title? create a feeling that
socialites recommend those products? how much it
costs and where to get it below the news. - --Example in Apple Daily
-
36 ??????????????????7?5400?
Chloe?????? ?????? 12/30/2007
????????????Chloe??,??Chloe 08????piece?????????,?
?????????????????Chloe???????Jeans?Converse,?????
????Stylish????Chloe??????????,??????,???????Chlo
e??????
Paddington Chain?????5?9300?
??????? 08????????,Chloe????Paddington??????????,
?????,??????Clutch????Nancy?Apple,Nancy???????????
????????,Apple????????????????????
37Commercial Functions of Socialites
- Attract audiences attention
- Medias reports helps to enhance brand exposure
- Stimulate Consumption( not only )
- Who will benefit?
- --socialites (attending fee, different
endorsement) - --suppliers (exposure)
- --media (higher reach)
Mass media transcends messages and greatly
influence peoples consumption.
38- Consumption Habits
- ----Veronika Kuo
39Consumption Habits
- Products and brands connected with celebrity
easily take media coverage. - Viewers/listeners/readers are easily affected by
these media messages. - People with different understandings toward media
,fashion and self-identity have different ways to
read messages. - Classify the ways into three groups
- a. oppositional position
- b. negotiated position
- c. dominant-hegemonic position
-
40Oppositional Position
- Viewers/listeners/readers have abundant
knowledge of fashion. - Know the purpose of the media stimulate
fashionable consumption. - Trust their own taste instead of the information
of product mass media provides with. - ?higher self-identity.
41Example of Oppositional Position
- Student V
- a. the way how celebrity dress is not fit for
- everyone ,not an universal standard.
- b. even if she likes David Beckham, she will
not buy - the product Beckham speaks for if because
it does - not go fits her.
- Student C
- a. she hate to be others shadow.
- b. on finding people using the same products
- as her, she will never use them again.
- c. never buys the product connected with
celebrity.
42Negotiated Position
- viewers/listeners/readers have abundant
knowledge toward fashion. - do notice about celebrity but only for those they
identify with. - a. admire celebritys taste and other
substances - b. the product corresponds to their status
- ? negotiate with their personal conditions
- ? consuming based on their financial
permission. -
43Examples of Negotiated Position
- Student J
- a. crazy about ???, and regards her as an
image. - b. would like to learn some characteristics
of her like - independence and bright.
- c. expect herself to perform like ???s
- characteristics.
- Student C
- a. really likes Pradas new arrival purse,
but without - enough money, she decides to give up.
44- Dominant-hegemonic Position
- viewers/listeners/readers have not enough
knowledge toward fashion. - consider celebritys dress or coverage to be an
index of fashion - taking celebrity as a reference to help them
find - their taste.
- know not much about the product but follow the
trend blindly - ?lower self-identity
-
45Examples of Dominant-hegemonic Position
- Student A
- a. not used to using perfume.
- b. After seeing the perfume advertisement of
Chanel , - she went to buy it.
- Student C
- a. feels like gaining self-identity through
using the - same products with the celebrity.
46Conclusion
47Symbolic consumption
- - integrated by three aspects
- socialites, mass media, audience
- - socialites as an representative of a new life
style - -People consume an image
48socialites as a symbol function-showing an
individuals social status-commercial
benefits-consumer receive a sense of
self-identity through buying this symbol to
reach an ideal self ?the desire to be the
desired
49How it affect consumer behavior?
- -socialites as an ideal symbol for people to
follow - -socialitesauthentic opinion leadersan icon
50M-shaped society
socialites
51- Negotiated position-----
- appropriate consumption!!!
52- Nigel Well, not you, obviously, but some
- people. You think this is just a
- magazine, hmm? This is not just a
- magazine. This a shining beacon of
- hope
- ---- quote from the Devil Wears
Prada
53- This new way of consumption behavior---
symbolic - consumption system is actually an integration
of the mass media, socialites and audiences.
While using an oppositional reading to look at
this phenomenon, we have to be aware that we as
consumers are just purchasing an image which can
not last for too long. Meanwhile, we can not find
our true self identities through simply consuming
socialites. Therefore, instead of blindly
following the trend, we should learn to be
appropriate consumers.
54 55Works cited
- ???,???,??? (2007)???PRADA??????????????????????
??????????