Warne-ing signs of celebrity desire

The combination of increasing technological advancements and the advent of social media has seen a fundamental change in thinking surrounding the concept of celebrity. This change has had widespread ramifications, owing much to the fact that through globalisation the world is now permanently connected and that people are invariably more enthusiastic than ever before about the idea of following celebrity activity. The idea of the world being connected in this way was raised and discussed by Thompson, (cited in Rantanen, 2005, p.7), who says globalisation ‘refers to the growing interconnectedness of different parts of the world, a process which gives rise to complex forms of interaction and interdependency.’

Thomson’s theories were published almost twenty years ago, and yet when considering them today, it is easy to recognise how celebrities fit into them. This belief is supported by the views of Marshall (2010, p.498), who writes that the ‘change in the market of personalities…is derived principally from the technological shifts in the way people engage with contemporary culture.’ Of particular interest to this argument given his post career activities, and somebody well worth examining in light of the assertions above, is former Australian cricket player Shane Warne.

Shane Warne’s Test career did not get off to the best start, with the chubby young Victorian taking just one wicket in his 1991 debut against the touring Indians. However it was not long before his deeds on the field, and importantly those off it, started to see him placed firmly in the media limelight. Controversy never seemed too far away right throughout Warne’s career, with allegations of match-fixing, run-ins with teammates and being banned for taking his mother’s diuretic pills just some of the incidents that plagued his time in the game. Despite these events, Warne was considered to have one of the finest cricketing brains of his time, an innovator ahead of his years. As Twentieth century actress Eva Le Gallienne once said, innovators are inevitably controversial, and clearly Warne fit this mould.

A Young Shane Warne, full-faced and ready for action (Image courtesy of The Courier Mail)


However beyond the myriad controversies is a man who has undergone a process of rigorous transformation, highlighted by a distinct alteration in physical appearance and accentuated by his self-promotion in social media circles such as Facebook and Twitter. Warne’s behavioural change is indicative of what Marshall (2010, p.498) refers to as the ‘specular economy,’ writing that society is moving into an era where ‘collectively we are becoming more conscious of how we present ourselves and how others perceive us.’ While there may be an argument to suggest that Warne was always a do-gooder at heart and that his deeds went unnoticed, it is no accident that he has carefully managed his image since retiring from international cricket in 2007, not only mindful of how he is presenting himself, but sensitive to how he is represented in media circles.

I speak of Warne being a do-gooder not through any attempt to devalue the work he has done with The Shane Warne Foundation, but to highlight what is perhaps an unknown area of his life. So busy is he working for Sky TV in the UK, playing poker around the world professionally for 888poker and flying between his Brighton mansion and his home in the UK that his charity work often goes unnoticed. But would a cynical person wonder whether the reason Warne spends as much time on Twitter as he does is to build publicity for his foundation or for himself and his online identity? It is not an unreasonable question in light of the fact the charity was formed in the months that followed his 12-month suspension from cricket, and that by highlighting his philanthropy he makes it more difficult to procure criticism.

As discussed above, Thomson has talked about globalisation giving rise to complex forms of interaction, and while Twitter now seems almost conventional, it is still a worthwhile exercise in examining Warne’s use of the medium. Murthy (2013, p.42) writes that with Twitter, the public get a ‘posed view of the backstage: we see what people want us/let us see,’ essentially a ‘sanitised backstage pass (especially in the case of celebrity tweeters).’ This view is in line with Marshall’s contention of people being very aware of how they portray themselves via social media. Given the fact that Shane Warne has the second highest number of followers on Twitter in Australia (behind former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd), it can be no coincidence then that we see the type of carefully constructed, wholesome messages emanating from his account that Murthy refers to. Again, this is not a criticism of the man, but an observation that a concerted effort has been put into re-presenting his persona.

Shane Warne looking a lot finer and almost wax-like (Image courtesy of news.com.au)


Another area of interest in Warne’s life for many celebrity followers and media entertainment writers is the status of his relationship. Formerly married to the mother of his children, he is now engaged to marry British actress Liz Hurley. While Warne had been involved in allegations of texting affairs with British women years before they started to date, a cynical view of his relationship might be that Hurley offers Warne a platform to network with even more high profile people while still maintaining an image of a settled, contented and happy individual. Moreover, these high profile people are from sometimes vastly different places than where Warne might usually meet prospective new friends and business associates. This is an example of the process of globalisation as defined by Riley (2009), who writes that globalisation has ‘significant economic, business and social implications.’ By being able to intermingle with Hurley’s acquaintances, who in turn become acquaintances of his, Warne subsequently does his own brand a service.

While the use of the word brand may seem out of place when talking about a sports icon, it cannot be denied that through his actions Warne has indeed constructed, or rather reconstructed, himself into this very thing. A quick look at the types of posts on his twitter page suggests that this is a guy who knows about public relations, spin and the media, and is intent on delivering a message that portrays the Shane Warne brand in a good light. On top of this, his Facebook posts regularly ask that people ‘like’ his links, photos and statuses, and to share with other people the messages he is communicating. After all, if the message depicts Warne in a good light, then why not have more people see it? The most curious thing to monitor, however, is when Warne is not in control of the message being delivered, such as when he was seen at Royal Ascot with Hurley performing tricks with a beer glass. These images were published around the world and received mixed responses, but does it go to show, as an observer pointed out, that the boy can be taken out of Australia but Australia can never be taken out of the boy?

The comment left by a reader of the page above – Legend! – perhaps leaves the biggest impression amongst all those from critics and reporters both here and overseas. That is that despite everything he has done in the past, and in all likelihood any future controversies, blokes just love “Warnie”. One wonders then why such effort has been made to reconstruct his image, when regular Joes will love him all the same. It is evident that vanity is an issue Warne has faced for a long time and continues to face, based on his story of the diuretic pills he took from his mother to lose weight, his use and questionable promotion of Advanced Hair, and his continually changing appearance over the last few years. Are these all attempts to transform himself from “Warnie” to Mr Shane Warne in order to be liked and well received by the social elite and high profile celebrities? And if so, is there any real need when actions taken like those at Ascot, much the same as his actions on the Trent Bridge balcony, simply show him thumbing his nose in the face of those whose adoration he craves?

The best and worst of Shane Warne and "Warnie" (Image courtesy of the Herald Sun)


Put simply, Warne is an extremely complex individual seemingly still searching for a perfect personality. He wants so desperately to be approved of by this new circle of people with whom he associates, and yet every so often reminds them that he really doesn’t care what they think, following his own path and doing as he pleases. The good deeds and charitable work mentioned earlier do not come from Shane Warne, but from “Warnie,” the down-to-earth Aussie guy who Aussie guys adore. The great Scottish poet Rabbie Burns famously wrote in his 1786 poem To a louse ‘O wad some Power the giftie gie us, To see oursels as ithers see us!’ which loosely translates to what a gift it would be for the Lord to allow us to see ourselves the way others do. This strikes to the heart of Marshall’s argument regarding the specular economy, and of the issue of Warne’s identity. Surely if he knew just how much adulation he receives for simply being who he is, and not who he would rather become, the attempts to lose so much weight, the plastic surgery, the hair transplants would cease. Surely, if he could see himself as others saw him now, and how they saw him before all of these changes took place, he would go back to being “Warnie.”

Reference List

Bradnam, J 2013, Australia’s top ten Twitter users, Content Group, retrieved 6 October 2013, ‹http://contentgroup.com.au/australias-top-10-twitter-users-how-and-why›

Burns, R 1786, To a Louse, Robert Burns, The Complete Works of, retrieved 9 October 2013, ‹http://www.robertburns.org/works/97.shtml›

Chettiar, R 2012, Why Australia is still in search of a quality replacement for Shane Warne, Cricket Country, retrieved 4October 2013, ‹http://m.cricketcountry.com/cricket-articles/full-article/Why-Australia-is-still-in-search-of-a-quality-replacement-for-Shane-Warne/17660›

Krotoski, A 2011, ‘Online identity: Can we really be whoever we want to be?’, The Guardian, 18 June, retrieved 10 October 2013, ‹http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/jun/19/aleks-krotoski-online-identity-turkle›

Le Gallienne, E 2013, ‘Quonation’, retrieved 5 October 2013, ‹http://quonation.com/quote/8934›

Marshall, P 2010, ‘The Specular Economy’, Society, vol. 47, no. 6, pp. 498-502

Millman, D 2011, Brand Thinking, Debbie Millman, retrieved 7 October 2013, ‹http://debbiemillman.com/brandthinking/definition-of-brand.php›

Murthy, D 2013, Twitter: Social Communication in the Twitter Age, Polity Press, Cambridge

Rantanen, T 2005, ‘Theorizing media and globalization’, Media and globalization 2005, Sage Publications, London, pp. 1-18

Riley, J 2009, Q&A- What is globalisation?, Tutor2u, retrieved 7 October 2013, ‹http://www.tutor2u.net/blog/index.php/business-studies/comments/qa-what-is-globalisation›

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Shears, R 2007, ‘Serial love rat Shane Warne texts lover - but sends it to his wife by mistake’, Daily Mail, 24 September, retrieved 7 October 2013, ‹http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-483649/Serial-love-rat-Shane-Warne-texts-lover--sends-wife-mistake.html›

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Warne, S 2013, ‘Official Shane Warne Facebook page’, retrieved 5 October 2013, ‹https://www.facebook.com/officialshanewarne›

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Warne, S 2013, ‘Shane Warne’, retrieved 4 October 2013, ‹http://www.shanewarne.com/›

Hollywood takes flight

Of all the major Americanisms to spread their wings and leave US shores, it is fair to say Hollywood, or more specifically the Hollywood culture, has been the one to have the greatest global impact. And yet, it would not be unreasonable to suggest that film cultures from across the world have indeed had a profound impact on American society and Hollywood filmmaking.
This to-and-fro effect is an example of hybridity, whereby cultures influence others until the point of forming a new and unique culture.
In recent times we have seen more and more international actors winning the big awards such as a Golden Globe for Marion Cotillard or an Academy award for Jean Dujardin. However, actors, like people in all professions, are prone to travel, and what is really worth examining is the degree to which the spread of cinematic cultures outside of the United States has influenced Hollywood and American filmmakers.
I have previously discussed the works of Quentin Tarantino in this blog, and his filmmaking influences are well documented elsewhere. But outside of Tarantino, Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen are just two directors who have been inspired by foreign cinematic methods. On top of this, the influence that Italian culture in particular has had over Scorsese is often revealed in his films.
While not always a direct result of hybridity, the recent increase in success that Hollywood has seen globally owes much to transnationalisation and the ever increasing stream of American films being distributed overseas. Randolph Bourne (1916) wrote as far back as the first World War that America is ‘coming to be, not a nationality, but a transnationality, a weaving back and forth, with other lands, of many threads of all sizes and colours,’ and nearly a century on, this is still ringing true.
But just as equally, many countries apart from the United States are becoming more transnationalised, and, as discussed, just as foreign film cultures have captured the imagination of Hollywood, so too has the Hollywoodisation of those countries’ film industries seen a transnational effect take place there as well.

References
Bourne, R 1916, Trans-National America, Swarthmore College, retrieved 25 September 2013, ‹http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/rbannis1/AIH19th/Bourne.html›

Mirror, mirror

The ever increasing presence of online social media profiles amongst both younger and older generations has had a profound impact on the building and maintenance of individuals’ own public identities. It is no longer enough to simply have a collective group of friends that may number between 10 and 20 in the real world, but seemingly it is rather a necessity to count as your friend every person you have ever come into contact with.
The growth of Facebook and Instagram in particular has seen individuals begin to create a space where they are able to portray themselves in whichever light they choose, via the use of varying forms of information. Indeed, Marshall (2010) writes that ‘through new media forms, greater portions of the populace are now constructing online public personas,’ validating this assertion.
The varying types of material provided on these pages form what Marshall (2010) declares as an ‘entire new industry – an economy of circulating images, information, text, conversation and interpersonal exchanges – (which) has been built to service the now more pervasive and oddly democratic construction of public identities.’
An example of this construction of self is the profile picture a person chooses on Facebook. Often these are not a photo of them at all, but instead an image of someone they may idolise, a place they’ve been, a team they support, or a political party they follow. In selecting one of these an individual is able to express themselves in a way they otherwise might not have been able to if meeting a friend for a coffee for example.
Marshall (2010) gives strength to this claim, stating that as we move into the ‘specular economy’, collectively we ‘are becoming more conscious of how we present ourselves and how others perceive us.’ In turn, this mirror approach to how individuals observe and portray themselves only fuels the already heightened awareness they have of their own and others’ activities.

References
Marshall, P 2010, ‘The Specular Economy’, Society, vol. 47, no. 6, pp. 498-502

Game, game, go away

The dominant effect that gaming has had on society in recent years is due largely to the speed at which technological advances have been made around the world. Men and women, and boys and girls, are now joining forces with fellow gamers in different time zones to compete with one another for lengthy periods of time. This, combined with the increase and proliferation of fast food chains across so many countries, has seen sports participation amongst teenagers decrease and weight levels reach all-time highs.
There are many positive aspects of globalisation, but clearly this is an area that is alarming given the associated health ramifications of such trends. Appadurai (2001, p.1) writes that globalisation is ‘certainly a source of anxiety in the U.S. academic world,’ and while he continues to discuss the impact it has on the economy, it cannot be disputed that these health issues would also concern academics.
Another troubling matter concerning gaming is the often undiscussed nature of marketing conducted by game producers. Given the large number of hours that players spend playing games right across the planet, one must surely wonder whether these tactics show any sign of being based around a foundation of strong ethics. While it is reasonable to suggest that players know the dangers of spending significant amounts of time in playing mode, their level of awareness surely also diminishes as each hour passes, decreasing their levels of judgment in the process.
Rushkoff (1999, p.3) observes that ‘it’s not always easy to determine when we have surrendered our judgment to someone else. The better and more sophisticated the manipulation, the less aware of it we are,’ perhaps providing an insight into why marketers’ methods are not questioned as rigorously as they otherwise ought to be.
While there is no doubt that games can have a positive impact on those who play them, their addictive nature, which has led to a considerable number of deaths as a direct result of people playing games for absurd amounts of time, points to the conclusion that gaming is not necessarily the healthiest pastime one can enjoy. And at a time when childhood obesity, in fact obesity in general, is more common place than ever, that is a point well worth consuming.

Reference List
Appadurai, A 2001, ‘Grassroots Globalization and the Research Imagination’, in A Appadurai, Globalization, Duke University Press, London, pp. 1 – 21
Rushkoff, D 1999, Coercion: Why we listen to what ‘they’ say, Riverhead Books, New York

The pros and cons (umption) of it all

I recall an evening as a young boy when my family and I went out to a restaurant that had recently been opened not too far from where we lived. Having not experienced this kind of thing all that often, I began to ask my parents a few questions about what I should expect when we were out.
They told me that there would be waiters – people who came to our table and asked what we wanted, and then would bring it to us when it was ready – and that it was important to remember to use my manners as I would normally. So it was admittedly quite surprising when, upon arrival at this new American diner trading as Sizzler, I could not see any such people inside the restaurant.
This would be my first taste of life as a prosumer, a term conceived by Alvin Toffler, who defined prosumers as ‘people who produce some of the goods and services entering their own consumption’ (Kotler, 1986). Not only were there no waiters, the tables had no plates, no cutlery, no glasses and no napkins. All of the food was in the middle of the restaurant, and I had to work out for myself how much of each item I wanted, for how long I would leave my meat on the grill, at what point to stop filling my cup, and just how much ice-cream I would be able to fit in my bowl without being told off!
While this is not necessarily what my parents had in mind, as Ritzer and Jugenson (2010) observe, ‘the fact is that many people seem to prefer and to enjoy prosuming, even in the cases in which they are forced into this position.’ It is true that the concept of prosumption was at first challenging, but there is now evidence of such activities occurring all over the world within many industries. I will now gladly opt to avoid long queues at Coles and go through the self-checkout, an alternative means of paying for goods without the aid of a store employee.
Prosumption was once considered the way of the future, and despite the misgivings of some major retailers abroad, it is now clearly the method of the present.

Reference List
Kotler, P 1986, ‘The Prosumer Movement: a New Challenge for Marketers’, Advances in Consumer Research, vol.13, pp. 510 – 513.
Ritzer, G & Jurgenson, N 2010, ‘Production, Consumption, Prosumption: The nature of capitalism in the age of the digital prosumer’’, Journal of Consumer Culture, vol.10, no.1, pp. 13 – 36.

Fourth Estate takes a holiday from Australia

Impartiality of the news media is imperative to the functioning of a democratic society. And while it is true that we are fortunate enough to live in a country such as Australia that allows freedom of speech, this should not mean that news is distorted or framed in such a way that particular agendas are favoured.
The blatant bias shown by News Corp during the current election campaign is an example of a news media organisation taking an editorial decision to support one side of politics over another, instead of providing an objective and balanced coverage for their audience. The consequence of this decision, given that News Corp Australia titles account for 59% of the sales of all daily newspapers, is that articles covering the election have the intention of persuading the reader rather than informing them and allowing them to come to their own decision based on facts. When the lines between opinion, comment and reporting become blurred, the nation suffers as a result, and this format of news production goes against the essence of the fourth estate’s mandate.
Jones (2011, p.64) tells us that ‘the sense of social responsibility that has long existed at traditional news organisations is in retreat,’ and that in the United States, traditional news companies often have profit as their main objective. It would be hoped that Australia never sees anything as scandalous as the phone hacking affairs in the UK, yet as globalisation has allowed media moguls to expand their empires across borders, one needs to ponder the possibility that such an event could easily occur here.
Newspapers should also serve as a forum through which Habermas’ idea of the public sphere, whereby people from all social demographics can come together to discuss events in a free manner, should prosper. It is clear, however, that News Corp editors, at least for now, have rid themselves of this duty in order to better serve the interests of their boss.
Reference List
Jones, A 2011, ‘Losing the News: The Future of the News That Feeds Democracy,’ in Graber, D, Media Power in Politics, 6th edn, CQ Press, Washington, pp. 57 – 66

The Daily Telegraph's front page on August 5 gained worldwide attention

IP theft: Are we all up to no good?

Imitation, as the saying goes, is the sincerest form of flattery. In artistic circles, however, direct imitation may just as readily be seen as theft of intellectual property. One could easily formulate an argument that this is not true in all cases, and might even suggest that the imitated piece of work itself is actually ‘borrowed’ from elsewhere.
The notion that there are no longer any original ideas, and that this has been the case for a very long time, was raised via an online video our class watched throughout the week. In linking globalisation to this idea that we are all borrowing from at least one source when creating a piece of work ourselves, my mind journeyed to one of my top ten favourite films, The Departed. This film, which won Martin Scorsese his first Academy Award for Best Director, is of course a remake of a Hong Kong film called Infernal Affairs.
Filmmaking quite often lends itself to this concept of borrowing or sourcing ideas, and films invariably contain instances of intertextuality, described by Brown (2012, p.33) as being ‘the inherently interrelated or interconnected nature of all texts and conventions.’ This is certainly true of a film such as Pulp Fiction, and director Quentin Tarantino has previously stated his admiration of the work French director Jean-Pierre Melville did with his characters’ costumes. This adds weight to the argument that the cinematic art form can transcend international barriers and influence mainstream culture.
In terms of music, mashups are now a common element of a DJs arsenal, and the concept of artists sampling other artists’ work is certainly not new. Examples of this range from Destiny’s Child’s sampling of Fleetwood Mac’s Edge of Seventeen in their song Bootylicious, to the controversial use of The Rolling Stones’ The Last Time by The Verve in Bittersweet Symphony, which resulted in the latter having to relinquish their rights to the credits to the former.
Globalisation has allowed the work of international acts to prosper as they gain inspiration from sources that they previously might not have been able to, however it is no surprise that issues of copyright have arisen as a consequence of this. After all, who ever said imitation got you anywhere?
Reference List
Brown, A 2012, Narrative, Communication Tools and Making Meaning: ‘Tell Me a Story!’, in T Chalkley, Communication, New Media and Everyday Life, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, pp. 32 – 40

Is imitation in a globalised world a positive thing?

The bagpipes in my life

The class discussion this week about linking globalisation to an art movement that has influenced our lives had me thinking strongly about my Scottish heritage, and that instrument that people either love or hate, the bagpipes.
When my grandfather left Inverness with his family to come to Australia as a ten-year old boy, thus contributing to the vast diaspora of the Scottish people, physically he brought with him little more than a suitcase with a handful of clothes in it. Spiritually, however, and emotionally, he brought so much more. He was terribly proud of his background, and he instilled this into my father, to whom he taught the bagpipes from when he was a young boy. My grandfather was considered one of the best bagpipe players in the state, performing at various events and winning several awards. But he did not play for this; he played as it brought him joy, and because it allowed him to travel back to his homeland through the splendour of his music.
Thompson (cited in Rantanen, 2005) writes that globalisation refers to ‘the growing interconnectedness of different parts of the world, a process which gives rise to complex forms of interaction and interdependency.’ There is no doubt that music of many varying forms has helped connect different parts of the world, and the bagpipes are no exception. Similarly, just as music has the capacity to break through language barriers, musical instruments can increasingly help our interaction with different cultures.
My father encouraged me to take up the bagpipes just as his father had done with him, and while this brought me closer to my roots, an argument could be made that this connection was always there and simply needed a push to come to the surface. But if you think of bands like AC/DC and Dropkick Murphys, and the influence they have had in helping popularise the bagpipes, it is easy to see Thompson’s point. These bands travel all over the world plying their trade, and in doing so help people from countries throughout Asia and South America, for example, to relate closely with their music. This in turn has encouraged people from a range of different social backgrounds to travel to Scotland, increasing the global flow, and many international bands now perform annually at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
All of this gives strength to Rantanen’s (2005) argument that globalisation is ‘a process in which worldwide economic, political, cultural and social relations have become increasingly mediated across time and space.’ Learning to play the bagpipes has certainly influenced my life in a positive manner, but then again, even for those who don’t play, you could almost argue the same point.
Reference List
Rantanen, T 2005, ‘Theorizing media and globalization’, Media and globalization 2005, Sage Publications, London, pp. 1-18.

The Dropkick Murphys continue to influence worldwide audiences with their music

Sport in Melbourne

To me the concept of globalisation has always been about the sharing and amalgamation of cultures, ideas, physical space and goods. While watching the Liverpool v Melbourne Victory match on TV Wednesday night I could not help but consider the impact globalisation has had, and continues to have, on the Melbourne sporting psyche. While the number of definitions of globalisation does not quite correspond with the 95,446 people who attended the aforementioned contest at the MCG, there are nonetheless too many to consider here.
One definition given by Giddens (cited in Rantanen, 2005), however, states that globalisation is ‘the intensification of world-wide social relations, which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa.’ With regards to the Liverpool v Melbourne Victory match, one needed only to listen to the vocal performance of the masses in singing You’ll never walk alone, Liverpool’s famous anthem, to gain an appreciation of this intensification of social relations.
Supporters from the UK had travelled to Australia to watch their team, and supporters still in the UK, and many other countries, were watching via various media outlets such as Liverpool FC TV and online streaming sites, linking these events from Melbourne to places right across the globe. The travelling supporters are of course an example of the physical flow of globalisation, whereby individuals and or groups move beyond their borders.
As Strivastava et al. (2013) write, ‘not all movements are for the purposes of permanent resettlement,’ and it is in this sense that the sporting psyche of Melbourne is continually shaped by globalisation. You just have to think of some of the major sporting events such as the Formula One races, the Australian Open tennis, the Melbourne Cup and the Boxing Day test match, to name a few, and you begin to realise that when athletes and fans come here, they bring with them part of their culture and their own ideas on life and sport. As well as this, they share space with locals and foreigners alike, and while their presence may not be permanent, the imprint they leave on us as a city and a community certainly can be.
Reference List
Rantanen, T 2005, ‘Theorizing media and globalization’, Media and globalization 2005, Sage Publications, London, pp. 1-18
Strivastava, S, Warren, B & Moore, C 2013, Topic 2: Global flows and scapes: The flows and scapes of globalisation, retrieved 25 July 2013, ‹https://d2l.deakin.edu.au/d2l/le/content/143750/viewContent/1880460/View›.

The MCG plays host to many major worldwide sporting events

Introduction

Hi, my name is Lachie Young and I am a second year Media and Communication student majoring in journalism and public relations at Deakin University. This blog has been created for the ALC215 Globalisation and the Media unit, and it will be here on a weekly basis that I will upload posts in relation to the course content for this unit.