Publications by Evanthe Psarras, Ph.D.
Feminist Media Studies, 2021
Despite vast research on reality television (RTV) and The Bachelor (2002) franchise specifically,... more Despite vast research on reality television (RTV) and The Bachelor (2002) franchise specifically, most scholarship focuses on its appeal or negative impact on viewers. The inclusion of social media analysis is under-used in research on the series or any of its offshoots. Our work, however, analyzes how the women of The Bachelorette make the transition to influencer status on Instagram. Through critical visual analysis, we build on the theoretical concept of postfeminist nirvana, and show how this idealized, gendered state manifests across platforms. Our findings indicate that postfeminist nirvana has evolved in its aesthetic output and the women's digital labor practices. This research demonstrates how postfeminist ideas are perpetuated across media platforms and intersects with studies of RTV, social media influencers, and postfeminist media texts.
New Media & Society, 2021
Cameo is part of a growing set of new media platforms trending toward direct routes for monetizin... more Cameo is part of a growing set of new media platforms trending toward direct routes for monetizing fame. Cameo allows fans to book personalized shout-out videos and provides celebrities-celetoids and reality stars in particular-access to new modes of income, which became increasingly important amid the pandemic. This research explores how the direct monetization of the fan-celebrity relationship is reshaping the power dynamic of these parasocial relationships. Using digital ventriloquism as an analytical lens to study reality stars (e.g. Real Housewives) on Cameo, this study introduces the concept of paid puppeteering on digital platforms, defined as a form of digital ventriloquism in which a celebrity's public persona is manipulated and incentivized through financial means on a paid digital platform for the illusion of close parasocial connections with fans. Paid puppeteering reinforces celebrities as gig workers as Cameo mitigates fan access to celebrities-for a fee.
New Media & Society, 2020
Despite popular interest in reality television, social media, and self-branding, much scholarship... more Despite popular interest in reality television, social media, and self-branding, much scholarship focuses on a single platform and places the burden of self-branding on the individual alone. Drawing on 6 years of research into the Real Housewives (RH) franchise and interviews with “Housewives,” I focus on the women’s performances of identity and self-branding across platforms. This article demonstrates that the women of RH become experts at working the system that exploits them via a form of labor I conceptualize as “emotional camping.” Successfully branded “Housewives” tend to be (1) dedicated to Bravo, (2) inclined to present as walking GIFs on Instagram, and (3) seemingly authentic. I argue this self-branding strategy affords these women a semblance of privacy in their highly public careers. These findings are a critique of and feminist mediation into the legitimate labor reality stars do for networks and themselves across platforms.
From a Western Phenomenon to a Global Phenomenon: A Comparative Cultural Analysis of Reality TV in the USA and China , Jun 6, 2017
This article examines the globalization of reality television by comparing popular reality shows ... more This article examines the globalization of reality television by comparing popular reality shows in the United States and China. This research attempts to transcend common debates concerning globalization (i.e., cultural homogenization and glocalization) by emphasizing what exists on the margins of these arguments. The author instead focuses attention on the micro-level consequences of the globalization of popular culture—the potential anxieties and insecurities facing Chinese and American citizens. The author reviews foundational studies of globalization that pinpoint these anxieties to the increasing disconnect between what people want and state power. Using Schudson’s theory of popular culture the author proposes that the reality television content that is popular in these two locales indicate viewer’s primary sources of anxiety but also works to remedy these anxieties in accordance with the values and goals of the nation state. The findings of this article are based on a theoretical explanation of what is culturally resonant in each nation and even politically necessary. The author calls for future research to critically engage with both the production of reality television and audience research on the genre as a means to more clearly understand its presence in the political sphere. Overall, this article adds to the literature by exploring the transaction between reality television, politics, and globalization.
Popular Media by Evanthe Psarras, Ph.D.
New Criticals, The New School Blog, http://www.newcriticals.com/ordinary-fame , 2015
Papers by Evanthe Psarras, Ph.D.
Feminist Media Studies
Despite vast research on reality television (RTV) and The Bachelor (2002) franchise specifically,... more Despite vast research on reality television (RTV) and The Bachelor (2002) franchise specifically, most scholarship focuses on its appeal or negative impact on viewers. The inclusion of social media analysis is under-used in research on the series or any of its offshoots. Our work, however, analyzes how the women of The Bachelorette make the transition to influencer status on Instagram. Through critical visual analysis, we build on the theoretical concept of postfeminist nirvana, and show how this idealized, gendered state manifests across platforms. Our findings indicate that postfeminist nirvana has evolved in its aesthetic output and the women's digital labor practices. This research demonstrates how postfeminist ideas are perpetuated across media platforms and intersects with studies of RTV, social media influencers, and postfeminist media texts.
This is a textual discourse analysis of celebrity news blog posts and subsequent comment forums f... more This is a textual discourse analysis of celebrity news blog posts and subsequent comment forums from a popular celebrity gossip blog in the U.S., D-Listed. This study explores Smith’s (2013) theorization of schadenfreude, where this social emotion is thought to serve an adaptive function that allows people to reconcile their place in the social order. This research depicts an interpretive narrative structure of the celebrity news stories posted on D-Listed. Utilizing a social linguistic approach to discourse analysis, the commentary was categorized into clusters of meaning, i.e., 1) hypocrisy, 2) appearance, 3) negative characterizations, 4) metaphorical names, and 5) status distinctions, which exemplify the mechanisms employed by the blogger to degrade celebrities. Reader comments on the blog were coded into three categories, 1) emotional exclamations, 2) shade, and 3) rebukes. The preliminary findings of this study bridge a gap between celebrity gossip, schadenfreude, and cultural practices and add to recent research on the uses and evolution of celebrity gossip and the impact of bloggers in the media industry.
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Publications by Evanthe Psarras, Ph.D.
Popular Media by Evanthe Psarras, Ph.D.
Papers by Evanthe Psarras, Ph.D.