Slides for my talk at ITU Copenhagne March 2012. Research done with Helen Keegan at the University of Salford.

1. LOCAL CELEBRITY IN
THE INTERNET: MAKING
THE MARKET STREET
MINCER
Ben Light @doggyb
University of Salford, UK

6. LOCAL CELEBRITY IN
THE INTERNET: MAKING
THE MARKET STREET
MINCER
Ben Light @doggyb
University of Salford, UK

7. DEFINING CELEBRITY
• Celebrity = impact on public consciousness (Rojek 2001)
• Rojek identifies 3 types of celebrity (2001:17)
• Ascribed’ by lineage/ bloodline
• ‘Achieved’, which is acquired through the perceived
accomplishments and individual achieves in open competition
• ‘Attributed’, which is akin to achieved celebrity but largely a
consequence of concentrated representation as exceptional/
note-worthy by ‘cultural intermediaries’ like agents and
publicists.
• Celebrities are vessels for the creation of social meanings and
wither directly or indirectly serve to convey (typically dominant)
social values as well as definitions of sexual/gendered identity;
thus they play a significant role in organising our perceptions of
the world (Evans, 2005:2)

8. CELEBRITY AND
CONTINUITY
• Conceptsof class, status and
party (Weber, 1966)
• Personal
charisma as a source of
power (Weber, 1968)
• Role models (Lines 2001;
Kellner 2001; Fraser and
Brown 2002)
• Figureheads in movements
for social change (Meyer and
Gamson 1995)

9. MOTIVATIONS
•Afocus on meaning, and on indigenous practices of meaning-
making around the topic of celebrity, is needed (Ferris 2007).
• Insteadof assuming or insinuating the worst through choice of
topic or construction of hypotheses, research on celebrity
should assume and insinuate as little as possible (Ferris 2007).
• Jenkins(1992) argues that we should emphasise the active
positive benefits when fans create social networks around
favourite celebrities.

10. POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS -
FERRIS (2007)
• Confined to one particular celebrity system
• Speak of celebrity as a general system in which all types of celebrities are
included.
• Much social scientific writing on celebrity is partially or entirely theoretical,
attempting to conceptualize the phenomenon by relying on abstractions rather
than empirical data. These theoretical writings are useful in that they problematize
fame and celebrity as concepts. However, the authors often use personal
impressions and observations to support their theoretical claims, and these
observations are likely to be selective and unsystematic. Such selectivity may
facilitate the pathologizing of celebrity in theoretical works.
•

11. THE MAKING OF
CELEBRITY
• Relationships with
celebrity
• Recognition
and
response work
• Dynamics of celebrity/
fan sites
• The roles of ‘technology’
• Definitions of celebrity

12. METHODOLOGY
• Homage to the MSM on Facebook
• Content analysis of 384 comments
• Analysis of discussion threads
• Review of MSM associated materials

13. RELATIONSHIPS WITH
CELEBRITY Ok, here is my story about the one of
the many times I was lucky enough to
witness Robocop Dude (a.k.a M.S
• Celebrities often fulfil an important, personal Mincer) pacing market street. I passed
role with respect to their audience’s sense of Robocop one day coming out of Music
identity (Ndaliania, 2001; Caughey 2004) zone on market street. I started to walk
at a brisk pace towards piccadilly bus
station (Robocop was gliding his way in
• A celebrities need for adoration fuels the opposite direction - towards Boots
celebrity worship (Fuller, 1996) etc). I thought that that was the last
sighting of the day for me, but to my
• Non-reciprocal intimacy at a amazement as I passed Nero Coffee/
distance’ (Thompson, 1995) Abby to turn the corner he nearly
bumped into me coming in the
opposite direction.... amazing!
Thanks for brightening up my day and
thank you for giving us somewhere to
remember him ;)

14. CELEBRITY IN FAN
MEMORY EVOCATION
• He one day in about 2003 as I came
home to my hall in the first year and he
exited the building I lived at in New
Medlock Halls. I was so shocked to see
him face to face in the same build I lived
in but it was him. I don't remember
seeing him since. Hope he's ok.
• God i remeber him well from when i
was at the good old manchester met uni
back in the day!! I wonder what
happened to him?? was he english?? did
he have a real name?? ah how he used
to brighten my day!!
• Oh my god, what a blast from the past! I
used to live in Manchester and
remember this guy so well, not thought
about him (in any way) for ages. That guy
was a legend, me and my friends would
point him out every time we saw him.
Thanks for brightening up my day and
thank you for giving us somewhere to
remember him ;) Does anyone know
where he was moving to?

16. RELATIONSHIPS
WITH CELEBRITY
• Celebrity often achieves ‘role
model’ status for their audiences
(Gauntlett, 2002).
• Fans imbue celebrities with god-like
powers, regard the celebrity as
“everything,” and seek to serve and/
or suffer for their celebrity. They
treat celebrity-related objects as
sacred (O’Guinn 2002).
• Exposure to celebrities often
contributes to life-long preferences
in fashion styles and personal
appearance (Schindler and
Holbrook 1993) and shapes the
basis of sexual attraction to the
opposite sex (Holbrook and
Schindler 1994).
One time he stood on the back of my shoe and then looked really annoyed about it! Wish I'd
kept that shoe...

17. RECOGNITION AND • Moral order of the street (Ferris
RESPONSE WORK 2007)
• Moral order of the street • Followed him down to the Royal
(Ferris 2007) Exchange once, but he caught wind
of me and I had to duck in to a
shop! He was later seen walking
back up Markey Street towards
Picadilly Gardens, not one bag in his
hand!
• Blimey, now I do feel old! It only
seems like the other day when we
were all posting about him on the
Essential message boards, tracking
his every movement and whatnot!! I
wonder if he thought it was us lot
who were the weirdos for following
“We made a hell of a noise trampling him? hehe! Bring Back The Market
on pebbles of his driveway, the Street Mincer!!
gardener asked us to leave.”

18. Used to see this dude all the time - more and more I look at this photo I think
always laughed about him with it must be him. Wow, what a claim to
friends - but ... OMG just how well fame! Knew he was a strange soul but did
known is he?!!! lol I had no idea. not realise he had such an audience!

19. ON FANS IN THEIR SITES
“As the ‘‘professor’’ of knowledge about the celebrity, the fansite
designer is given special privilege and influence. As one fansite
designer said, ‘‘I’m more than just an anonymous ‘ordinary’ fan.
People go out of their way to contact me, and ask questions like
I’m an authority.’ ’ In these cases, the identification is intensified—
the fan emerges as an unofficial ‘‘representative’’ of the specific
celebrity…..
Perhaps, in a digital environment, status lies not merely in
compiling information and knowledge but also in the control over
the celebrity’s representation.”
(Soukup 2006)

20. SITE DYNAMICS 3% 2%
4% 15%
7%
• In these cases, the
‘‘audience’’ for the fansite is
the casual web browser who 7%
may have a moderate 13%
interest in Alanis Morissette
or Natalie Merchant but is 8%
not yet a full-fledged fan. In
effect, the fansite serves as a
‘‘proselytizer’’ to the uncon-
9%
verted, people who may not 13%
recognize the unique
qualities of the celebrity. 9%
10%
(Soukup 2006)
Comment made regarding the Mincer’s name
• Fan sites, of course, have no
such obligation to present
Comment on connection with the life of the comment poster
Expression of fondness/concern regarding the Mincer
Reporting sighting
Making a reference to the Mincer as a celebrity/famous
the trade- marked and Attempt at interaction
sexualized images of Providing information regarding location of sighting
Comment or question about who the Mincer was and where he went
celebrities, but in many ways, Mention of other ‘eccentric’ person
they still do. (Lambaise 2003) Comment on the Mincer’s activity
Comment made regarding the Mincer’s appearance
Speculation as to why the Mincer minced

21. Site dynamics
“Much like other forms of virtual
communities, these social ties can be loose 300
or tight—ranging from fleeting encounters
while ‘‘surfing’’ the web to enduring
relationships in which participants
consistently return to the same Web site.
Regardless of the strength (or weakness) of
225
these bonds, the connection is built upon a
mutual identification with the
celebrity.” (Soukup 2006)
150
75
6 Posts
5 Posts
4 Posts
0 3 Posts
2 Posts
>1 Post 27% 1 Post
(overall)
One Post Made
Multiple Posts Made on Same Day
Multiple Posts Made on Separate Days
>1 Post 19%
(on same day)

22. NUMBER OF COMMENTS OVER TIME
February 2007
August 2011

23. The Market Street Mincer is by far the shiniest jewel in the characters of Manchester crown. Clad
from head to toe in skin-tight demin, the ‘MSM’ can be found strutting up and down the main
shopping street with a steely determination. Rumoured to be both banned from the swimming
baths and an undercover policeman. He is known by more names and courts more controversy
than any of Manchester’s finest.

26. THE ROLES OF If only video phones were more widely available back in
‘TECHNOLOGY’ 2001....
It only seems like the other day when we were all posting
about him on the Essential message boards
“In a digital environment, fans
he even had a profile on gaydar called marketstreetmincer
have even more influence created by people who had taken photos of him!!!
over the meanings and They once did a phone in on Key 103 radio " have you seen
the Market Street Mincer?"
interpretations of the media I had photos of him on n old mobile I had...long gone now
texts with which they (and though :(
others) identify...
...fans can screen, can
reconfigure and can
rearrange media texts based
upon their own desires and
interests”
(Soukup 2006)

27. DEFINITIONS OF Galaxy had a feature called cock of the north which was a title that
went to someone each morning and he may have had it one day. He
CELEBRITY certainly got mentioned a lot on Nicksy in the morning. I often
wondered if he knew of his celebrity status. Looking at the picture he
could have been very anyone but after seeing him in action you
would appreciate he was something special. God bless him and all
• The Mincer is not a Micro-Celebrity (Senft 2008)
who quite clearly sailed in him (if that walk was anything to go by).
nor a Quasar (Monaco 1978)
• Rojek (2001) argues for celebrity as commodity – I love that he is so famous! He's like an urban legend!
in his analysis, celebrities are the perfect products of
capitalist markets, as well as contemporary I heard the reason he used to 'mince' up and down Market St was
replacements for both god and monarch. due to him hearing someone got talent spotted for a modelling
agency walking up Market St and the MSM wanted that same fate.
• Our analysis of the practices of famous people on
Twitter reveals how social media can be used to
maintain celebrity status. Entertainers, public figures
and technologists actively contribute to the
construction of their persona through public
interaction with fans. This type of active labor is
strikingly similar to that practiced by bloggers,
online glamour models, social media gurus, and
other people practicing micro-celebrity (Markwick
and boyd 2011).
• Twitter also disrupts the expectation of
parasociality between the famous person and the
fan (Markwick and boyd 2011).
• Twitter demonstrates the transformation of
‘celebrity’ from a personal quality linked to fame to
a set of practices that circulate through modern
social media (Markwick and boyd 2011).