Individual to societal figures: construction of celebrity identity in Turkish media

Abstract

Celebrated individuals are everywhere in the consumerist societies in which technology is developing rapidly, and their impact as social phenomenona on the societies, media, and consuming habits is significant. Although celebrities as individuals and celebrity culture have been the topic of media and cultural studies since the late 90s and there is a rich and growing body of literature in the field, there is almost no previous study tackling the issue in Turkey. This thesis investigates the notion of celebrity in Turkey and how the celebrity system functions, by examining three strong cases: Seda Sayan, Cem Yılmaz, and Acun Ilıcalı, and their individual identity construction processes. By adopting foundational theories with respect to the cultural specificities and differences, and examining the recurring patterns in three different cases, it aims to reveal how Turkish media situates celebrities within the broader framework of culture.