Contents Page

Introduction: http://i7201503.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/introduction.html

Bourdieu's Habitus Theory and Instagram: http://i7201503.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/bordieus-habitus-theory-how-instagram.html

Bourgeoisie Ideology and Fame: http://i7201503.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/bourgeoisie-ideology.html

Participatory Culture within Kim Kardashian Hollywood: http://i7201503.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/participatory-culture-within-kim.html

Reflection: http://i7201503.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/reflection_20.html

Conclusion: http://i7201503.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/conclusion.html

Bibliography: http://i7201503.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/bibliography.html

Bibliography

Conclusion

In conclusion it has made itself evident that fame ideologies are present in Kim Kardashian Hollywood and the spaces it occupies (social media and YouTube especially). Participatory culture plays a key part in spreading those fame ideologies as do media gate keepers, which promote the game across platform. In multi platform media I feel it is impossible to avoid ideologies as they play such a key part in media and societies. It is also arguable that these ideologies have helped raise popularity of Kardashian and her game. The other major platforms Kim occupies have also accepted Kardashians’ game and ideologies for example in Keeping Up with the Kardashians the game has a large feature in the reality show. This proves my original point that participatory culture is shaped by ideologies of fans across spaces. It has been shown that through the ideologies promoted in Kim K Hollywood, Kim’s TV and social medias translated through to fans and users which they in turn present themselves. However I feel that media icons such as Kim shape participatory culture and ideology much less in recent times, as there is a decrease in distance between the consumer and producer. The rise of the consumer and rise and multi platform media has meant that users nowadays are less “in touch” with bourgeois ideologies and are more likely to become part of the “avant-garde”, who revolt against ideologies. Ideologies ultimately are very present in multi platform media and help shape popularity and users into what they are today.

Word Count: 3,303

Reflection

My engagement the Kim Kardashian Hollywood game (my screenshot)

Participatory Culture within Kim Kardashian Hollywood

As previously mentioned in the introduction, the main type of participatory culture within KKH is “affiliation”. Affiliation was defined by Henry Jenkins as “Memberships, formal and informal, in online communities centered around various forms of media, such as Friendster, Facebook, MySpace, message boards, metagaming, or game clans” (Jenkins et al p.3). Kim Kardashian Hollywood took over social media feeds when it first came out, and to this day there are tweets by the hour under the hash tag #kimkardashianhollywood.

It can be argued that the ideology surrounding fame is pushed further into our lives via the means of affiliation, “The instruments of social media are well suited to making the existing social order more efficient. They are not a natural enemy of the status quo.” (Cromwell 2010). When browsing through comments by users on Facebook and Twitter, the quest for fame is something discussed regularly. There is even cheat code websites and YouTube videos dedicated to achieving maximum popularity.

Another main feature within the game is the chances to share your rise to fame. Not only does the narrative of the game include the characters’ and fake magazines in the game’s tweets, but also you can tweet to your own account. You can also play with your friends by connecting to Facebook. By connecting to other platforms, you are rewarded by money, followers and energy in the game. It seems if you connect with your real life friends, your online friends increase in turn.

Energy, Money and Follower rewards (own gif)

Bourgeoisie Ideology & Fame

First used in the 1700’s during the French revolution, the term bourgeois has often been used to describe those of a higher economical state and power. The term was then used in “The Communist Manifesto’ by social theorists Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, in reference to this revolution. In terms of media theory, Roland Barthes proposed the term “bourgeoisie myth” in the book “Mythologies”. Barthes stated “Bourgeois ideology can… spread over everything and in so doing lose its name without risk” (Barthes 1972, p. 138). In stating this Barthes proposes that bourgeois ideology can go undetected in society, explaining why consumers are likely to believe these myths.

In terms of Kim Kardashian Hollywood, the same aspect is applied here. You play along with the fame game, and no questions are aroused as to why you attracted to this. The ultimate goal is superiority and fame, similar to real life when the public look up to celebrities. In the screenshot from where I played the game, you can see my character is currently on the “E List”, In order to work my way up into the more respected clan of celebrities, the character would have to take part in photo-shoots, appearance and other events. These events are then rewarded by followers, energy and money. The less followers, money and clothes you have the less you are rewarded. If the ultimate goal is fame and money, is Kim promoting this ideology of fame to the unsuspecting fans?

A character on the E List with 4k followers (own screenshot)

Bourdieu’s Habitus Theory and Instagram

One of the main selling points in Kim Kardashian Hollywood is the option to make your character like yourself, to uniquely customise a character to be as much or as little like you as you wish. With many items of clothing, hairstyles and make up to select you can style your idol to represent whatever you like. As a result, this makes the game more personal to the user.

But nevertheless there is a catch in this, all of the clothes in the game are a digital reworking of clothes Kim or her sisters have already worn. This arises the question, does the game allow us to be individual or are we just taking influence from Kim and her well-documented style?

Introduction