Политически „звезди” във фейсбук: характерни черти на българския контекст
Political “Stars” on Facebook: the Bulgarian Context’s Typical Features

Summary/Abstract: In recent years, Bulgarian media has been constructing the image of political figures through the prisms of entertainment and lifestyle. In this way, politicians have frequently been transformed into lifestyle icons and models of identification for the audience—a role that until recently was played mainly by celebrities and popular culture personalities. These processes are linked to the current media trend of presenting news and facts not through analysis and commentary, but through details from private life. In this way, serious issues are getting transformed into a type of reality show, whose participants become the political personalities themselves. The shifting focus on privacy and entertainment has not only changed the concept of politics, but the way that political figures are represented as well. In the Bulgarian context, the process of turning politicians into celebrities was started by media outlets characterized by their active lifestyle rhetoric and preference for reporting on private topics and personal stories rather than on political ideas and arguments. Until recently, this trend was observed solely in the functioning of traditional media, such as newspapers and television. Nowadays, however, politicians also get the opportunity to construct their own celebrity image through new media, such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. One of the consequences of this process is that the politicians themsleves are transforming into a type of media and get the opportunity to shape their own public image—consisting of a collection of looks, slogans, and promises—and to monitor the comments under their posts.

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