Abstract
This research examines the power and influence of the media in an inaugural short directly elected mayoral (DEM) model experiment undertaken in Geelong, the second-largest city in the federated state of Victoria, Australia, which elicited two celebrity mayors and created another celebrity. The investigation is undertaken by a participant-observer-researcher who has utilised their prior occupational participation in Geelong’s government and business community to establish a type of opportunistic complete member researcher (OCMR) status drawn from a range of research work developed over the last thirty years. This unique OCMR status has created reflexive participant observation insights into an Australian local government DEM model experiment, which is melded with a longitudinal, narrative, descriptive and archival research design methodological approach to elucidate the power and influence of the media on this local government experiment. With the increased likelihood that DEM models are more susceptible than other government systems to attracting and creating celebrities, this research seeks to understand what can be learned from the Geelong experiment and informs the debate on the media’s role in both DEM models and on directly elected celebrity mayors.
Original language | English |
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Pages | 1 |
Number of pages | 1 |
Publication status | Published - 2024 |
Event | Power of Prestige: Media, Fame, and the Environment - Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom Duration: 10 Jul 2024 → 12 Jul 2024 https://powerofprestige.wordpress.com/#:~:text=Held%20annually%2C%20the%20Power%20of,Media%2C%20Fame%20and%20the%20Environment https://nordmedianetwork.org/latest/call-for-papers/cfp-power-of-prestige-media-fame-and-the-environment/ (Call for papers) |
Conference
Conference | Power of Prestige |
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Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
City | Oxford |
Period | 10/07/24 → 12/07/24 |
Other | Prestige is the status or reputation associated with renown, acclaim or glamour. It is often linked with celebrities and fame, and in contemporary mediated societies, this status is often afforded through the public visibility of legacy or digital media systems. Through the Power of Prestige conference series, we endeavour to explore the power associated with prestige as well as the power that prestige brings. While conceptually aligned with the areas of media and cultural studies, the conference series seeks explorations of the theorisation and application of prestige in different fields including sociology, criminology and political studies. The conference series also aims to explore the utility of prestige when encountering social issues such as political or environmental activism. Starting broadly in the area of media studies, the inaugural Power of Prestige conference invites scholars researching areas related to media, fame and the environment to explore the central question of how prestige (or fame) is formulated, utilised, and critiqued. |
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