A visual and linguistic approach to the representation of celebrity news on Instagram as observed on the accounts of E!News, Entertainment Tonight, and Page Six

Abstract

This study investigates the visual and linguistic portrayal of celebrity cheating scandals on Instagram, exploring the interplay between news circulation on social media and the reporting techniques of entertainment journalism. As a result of the digitalisation of news production and circulation, celebrity journalism has adapted its business strategies and reporting techniques to the new platforms emerging in the media landscape. By conducting a mixed quantitative and qualitative content analysis of 23 celebrity news posts, the present paper determines the means through which cheating scandals are visually and linguistically depicted on the Instagram accounts of three entertainment news platforms: E!News, Entertainment Tonight, and Page Six. Employing academic research on images’ role in the news and on journalistic reporting styles as a springboard, this study identifies a range of visual and linguistic tools employed in the cheating scandal posts. Taking into account the sensational nature of celebrity journalism, as well as the business strategies and application-specific features of Instagram, this paper determines that the use of visual and linguistic tools in the posts contributes to the creation of sensationalism by functioning as attention-grabbing devices. This dissertation delves into a variety of interrelated aspects concerning the digitalisation of news circulation, the ad revenue system of social media platforms, and the sensational reporting style of entertainment journalism. The content analysis of celebrity cheating scandal posts on Instagram, has served as an important method to foreground some of the issues and lacunae in the contemporary news media, such as the lack of transparency and the unfair advertising revenue systems on social media. This dissertation highlights the importance of spreading more awareness among consumers with regard to news production and dissemination across the ever-expanding media landscape.