A Qualitative Analysis of Facebook Micro-Celebrity: The Case of Qandeel Baloch

This thesis looks at how Facebook (FB) facilitates the transformation of micro-celebrities such as Pakistani social media micro-celebrity Qandeel Baloch, into embodiments of notoriety, and examines the mechanism through which the newly acquired fame destroys them. Predicated on the shifts and changes in celebrity culture in general, the microcelebrity model constructed in this thesis, reveals how online self-presentation, facilitated by FB, has evolved into a set of behaviors, or celebrity performative practices, driven by self-importance and narcissism, resulting in the rapid proliferation of fame to non-exceptional people on FB. In addition to speculative techniques like intimacy, emotionalization, dramatization and self-sexualization, the thesis also examines the role of FB audiences in exacerbating the situation, particularly in cases of open sexual portrayals of toxic micro-celebrities, thus causing FB backlashing and resulting in dire real-life consequences. And lastly, in addition to using the constructed micro-celebrity model, this thesis looks at the attempts of FB management to control the damage specifically in the case of Qandeel Baloch. For this research, I examined 45 Baloch videos and over 1400 comments, posted on FB between 2014 and 2016. The data are analyzed based on a Qualitative approach. The principal findings of the study demonstrate that Baloch’s case could be seen as a textbook illustration of an infamous micro-celebrity who performed her desired identity as a controversial drama queen and became an embodiment of toxicity by posting notorious video content on FB. Baloch’s case also demonstrates the significant role played by FB audiences in creating and sustaining her role as a notorious and toxic micro-celebrity. Audiences have consumed her content for entertainment, belittled her for fun, provoked her to post more sexual content, made her a top trending micro-celebrity, and have simultaneously marginalized her, and eventually petitioned FB to ban her for posting shallow and obscene content. The thesis concludes that FB bias played a significant role in causing Baloch’s untimely demise. While she followed the FB terms and conditions regarding her posted content, FB failed to uphold its end of the contract by not censoring the massive harassment against her, including a serious death threat

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Level thesis:degree_level

Master's

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Media Studies

Grantor dc:publisher

Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• Hussnain, Shahrukh

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Stojanova, Christina
• Petty, Sheila

Committee member dc:contributor.committeemember

• Mather, Philippe

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

https://doi.org/10.82465/3993

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:uregina.scholaris.ca:10294/9221