Digital Media: Media and Audiences

Aiming Media at Audiences

Dyers Star Theory

Explain “Dyer’s Star Theory” and discuss the Construction, Commodity and Ideology of a star. Give examples to
demonstrate each.
[12 marks]
Dyer’s star theory is about the three requirements a star in the public eye should follow if they want to be
recognised but also relatable to their audience. The construction is about the outward appearance of a star,
they are perceived in a specific way based on the persona they have created. In the film industry, actors
such as Adam Driver have to act as a specific character; in this case, Driver plays the villain Kylo Ren in the
Star Wars franchise. In real life, Adam Driver is not an evil person; he just has to act like this to fit the
characters brief. The Commodity is the brand that a star creates to promote themselves and make a profit
off merchandise that the audience buys. People will often buy a person or groups brand because they want
to replicate their style, they may also buy it because it’s trendy or because they purely like the look of the
brand. An example of a star that has a successful brand is Kylie Jenner, who is known for her make up
brand. She often promotes her products using social media and her fans take an interest because they think
the products are worth the buy. The final part of the theory is ideology, this is when a star will say or do
something that appeals to a certain group of people. Often they will say something controversial as it
causes an uproar in the media. Katie Hopkins is an example of quite an entitled person who has quite strong
opinions that many people are outraged by. She makes comments that she knows will cause journalists and
news presenters to contact her and ask why she said what she said, this has allowed for her to become well-
known in Britain and quite a few people (mainly very close-minded people) agree with what she has to say.

The Paradox of the Star

Discuss the “Paradox of the Star” and explain the two factors that help to make a person famous. Provide
examples that demonstrate how this has been used effectively in media.
[6 marks]
The paradox of the star states that a celebrity must be extraordinary and ordinary, present and absent. A
person has to have something special about them that they offer to the media industry whilst also being
normal enough to relate to a large audience. An example of someone that this applies to is the singer Billie
Eilish as people admire her vocal talent and are interested by her fashion choices. She is one of the most
famous and successful young people in the world, yet she started out making songs in her bedroom with
her brother and is humble when around fans, making her seem ordinary. The celebrity must also be present
in the media industry and constantly promoting their work but they are absent in the sense that the public
typically don’t have personal interactions with them, unless if they meet them at an organised event or talk
though social media. An example of a celebrity who is both well-known but out of touch with the audience
is Ariana Grande, who sells her own merchandise and music yet she doesn’t interact with all of the millions
of fans she has.