Reality TV Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

This dissertation analyzes the postfeminist tendencies and biopolitics in contemporary media practices by considering the pop culture exemplar, the Kardashian-Jenner family. This dissertation received First Class Honors from Trinity... more

Abstract: This study explores how young women's definitions of empowerment relate to their reception of The Girls Next Door, a popular reality show that documents the life and fun times of Hugh Hefner's three sexy, live-in girlfriends.... more

Abstract: This study explores how young women's definitions of empowerment relate to their reception of The Girls Next Door, a popular reality show that documents the life and fun times of Hugh Hefner's three sexy, live-in girlfriends. Specifically, we examine whether young women's general attraction to reality television relates to their endorsement of different views of women and empowerment, how these endorsements relate to the women's own sexual permissiveness, and finally how these views relate to perceptions of The Girls Next Door. Results suggest that reality television preferences relate to greater endorsement of sexual empowerment and traditional feminine roles. However, sexual permissiveness is elevated only when sexual empowerment is endorsed, and perceptions of the show appear to be most positive only when sexual permissiveness is elevated.
Citation: Cato, M., & Dillman Carpentier, F. R. (2010). Conceptualizations of female empowerment and enjoyment of sexualized characters in reality television. Mass Communication and Society, 13, 1-19.

This project will bring together scholars from a variety of disciplines (including sociology, cultural studies, neuroscience, film and media studies) to investigate the experience of cringe as a key symptom of the contemporary cultural... more

This project will bring together scholars from a variety of disciplines (including sociology, cultural studies, neuroscience, film and media studies) to investigate the experience of cringe as a key symptom of the contemporary cultural landscape. Cringe humour and other cringeworthy experiences across the media articulate a deeply-felt discomfort, one that is linked to the inability to successfully adopt political correctness, and to changing attitudes in the cultural mainstream. The experience of cringe involves the inability to extricate yourself (or to look away) from unpleasant situations, resulting in feelings of vicarious shame (Fremdschämen), for example when watching diplomatic blunders committed by prominent statesmen, uncomfortable ‘dare you’ challenges on social media platforms, and the kind of ‘unstable jokes’ to be found in transgressive comedy formats that involve protected groups like ethnic minorities and disabled people, even though the targets of the jokes are not al-ways clear.
The symposium will approach the phenomenon of painful laughter and cringing in three thematic sections: (I) psychology and affect, (II) the mediality of cringe (where ‘reality’ aesthetics and humiliation rituals play a role), and (III) the politics of cringe (where norms and values are renegotiated to indicate discomfort on a collective level).
Each of these sections will involve junior academics (including Ph.D. candidates) as well as more experienced researchers who currently work on cringe and related phenomena like awkwardness and disparagement. The aim is not just to initiate a conversation on a level playing field between participants at different career stages, with everyone contributing both as a presenter and as a respondent, but also to spark a conversation between the German and the Anglo-American research landscape.

En 2000, Gran Hermano irrumpía en el ecosistema audiovisual español como un vendaval y abría las puertas a un nuevo formato televisivo, el reality game, que se ha convertido en un elemento habitual en las pantallas españolas durante la... more

En 2000, Gran Hermano irrumpía en el ecosistema audiovisual español como un vendaval y abría las puertas a un nuevo formato televisivo, el reality game, que se ha convertido en un elemento habitual en las pantallas españolas durante la última década. La aproximación de las cámaras a la vida cotidiana del telespectador fue un proceso lento pero continuo, que ha mostrado escasos síntomas de agotamiento a pesar de las críticas recibidas. Los debates éticos que poblaron los medios de comunicación y las conversaciones cotidianas terminaron por languidecer ante unos índices de audiencia que justifi can, según los dominantes criterios de racionalidad económica, su propagación por las cadenas televisivas (Prado, 1999; Bueno, 2002).
Este capítulo profundiza sobre la evolución del formato televisivo de los juegos de telerrealidad, perfi lando el recorrido seguido desde 2000 hasta la actualidad. Son ocho años muy intensos, presididos por una veloz transformación formal y por una constante diversifi cación temática de las propuestas, que han ido distribuyendo tanto aplastantes éxitos (Operación Triunfo, ¡Mira quién baila!) como mediocres programas que pasaron sin pena ni gloria por las parrillas televisivas.
La audiencia ha sido, una vez más, el juez implacable, obligando a los profesionales de la televisión a reinventar constantemente el formato en un entorno altamente competitivo, donde los reality games han pasado de ser la excepción a ser la norma en las programaciones, proporcionando argumentos para sostener la hipótesis
de que, quizás, la telerrealidad se esté convirtiendo en la tele-normalidad.

Talking politics online is not exclusively reserved for those spaces dedicated to politics, particularly the everyday political talk crucial to the public sphere. However, past net-based public sphere research has focused mostly on... more

Talking politics online is not exclusively reserved for those spaces dedicated to politics, particularly the everyday political talk crucial to the public sphere. However, past net-based public sphere research has focused mostly on political spaces thereby neglecting an array of other genres. The aim of this article is to move beyond politically oriented communicative spaces by investigating political talk within the British reality TV discussion forum Wife Swap. The purpose is to see whether a forum dedicated to reality TV provides the communicative space, content, and style for politics that extends the public sphere. The central question is whether it fulfils the requirements of rationality and ‘decent’ deliberation. Moreover, the analysis moved beyond a formal notion by investigating how expressives influence the more traditional elements of deliberation. The findings revealed that Wife Swap participants engaged in political talk that was often deliberative. Moreover, it was a space where the use of expressives played a key role in enhancing such talk.

The reality television programme The Bachelor (2002–present) has received a large amount of academic attention since it premiered on ABC in 2002. The majority of that literature approaches the show critically to address issues relating to... more

The reality television programme The Bachelor (2002–present) has received a large amount of academic attention since it premiered on ABC in 2002. The majority of that literature approaches the show critically to address issues relating to the representation of race, gender, consumerism, identity and relationships within the format of a competition. Other research on the show ruminates about its relationship to its ‘savvy’ viewers who know reality television is not truly real and yet paradoxically continues to be highly invested in the outcome of its shows. Yet other literature probes for the gratifications embedded in the viewing process and
the perceptions of dating that the show cultivates in its viewers. The longevity of The Bachelor can be attributed to the sense of allegiance the viewers feel to the show. To that end, this study is an inquiry into perceptions of the show by its viewers. Using the Q sort methodology, this empirical study reveals insights into its appeal by providing clearly grouped audiences and their particular uses for the show. It also addresses the interface between reality television, social media and the mediated representation of romantic relationships.

Tendo em vista um cenário em que os dispositivos de registro do real adquirem onipresença na vida cotidiana, o jornalismo se encontra em um período de readequação de suas estratégias narrativas e de seu modus operandi. A presente tese... more

Tendo em vista um cenário em que os dispositivos de registro do real adquirem onipresença na vida cotidiana, o jornalismo se encontra em um período de readequação de suas estratégias narrativas e de seu modus operandi. A presente tese procura investigar as reconfigurações no telejornalismo em razão da ubiquidade de câmeras, que capturam registros produzidos tanto pelas mídias quanto por instâncias externas a elas, e que oferecem aos veículos jornalísticos um material inesgotável e irrecusável, visto estar cercado de uma expectativa de autenticidade. Propõe-se então uma categorização às câmeras, sistematizadas como câmeras oniscientes e onipresentes, de modo a nos aproximarmos à especificidade do fenômeno. Em comum, todas as câmeras apontam à busca de uma estética realista, baseada no reconhecimento de uma baixa interferência midiática. Desse modo, o que se observa é o emprego de estratégias narrativas e estéticas para que o telejornalismo possa se apropriar destes conteúdos gerados por estas máquinas de visibilidade, que trazem às mídias algo que ficaria anteriormente restrito aos bastidores, operando também com sintoma da desfronteirização entre o público e o privado. A partir deste percurso metodológico, intenta-se por fim compreender de que forma estes dispositivos são utilizados para a concretização de novos efeitos de realismo ao jornalismo.

Contrasting and comparing with acting theories from Stanislavski’s to Michael Kirby’s, the chapter shows why Schlingensief’s ideal of seemingly unprofessional and unpredictable acting style can still be called realist. Behind... more

Contrasting and comparing with acting theories from Stanislavski’s to Michael Kirby’s, the chapter shows why Schlingensief’s ideal of seemingly unprofessional and unpredictable acting style can still be called realist. Behind Schlingensief’s work with actors lie both a critique of institutionalized practices, as well as a resistance to trade in essentialisms about human nature. The chapter then analyzes Schlingensief’s project with a large cast of people with disabilities, Freakstars 3000, a detournement of reality-TV singing competitions in the vein of American Idol. The project encompassed under the same name the stage performance at the Volksbühne, the mini TV series airing on VIVA music channel in 2002, and eventually the documentary released in 2003 under Schlingensief’s direction. By acknowledging the Freakstars 3000’s collaborators as actors, the project unfolds not just as a show lobbying for disability rights, but as a project about actor training and professionalized work standards, about acting itself, on stage and off.

The concept of "reality" in reality shows is explored. The paper investigates insider information that reveals the essence of the reality show. The mechanisms of creating and working with participants in the reality show are revealed.... more

The concept of "reality" in reality shows is explored. The paper investigates insider information that reveals the essence of the reality show. The mechanisms of creating and working with participants in the reality show are revealed.
Key words: reality show; TV; journalism; script.
Досліджується поняття «реальності» у реаліті шоу. Опрацьовано інсайдерську інформацію, яка розкриває сутність реаліті шоу. Виявлено механізми створення та роботи з учасниками реаліті шоу.
Ключові слова: реаліті шоу; телебачення; журналістика; сценарій.

A decade ago, in 2007, it was an important year in the realm of celebrity studies, Britney Spears had a meltdown and shaved her head, Lindsey Lohan checked into rehab and in February, Ray J “leaked” a sex tape exposing little-known Kim... more

A decade ago, in 2007, it was an important year in the realm of celebrity studies, Britney Spears had a meltdown and shaved her head, Lindsey Lohan checked into rehab and in February, Ray J “leaked” a sex tape exposing little-known Kim Kardashian. Kim Kardashian West is a fascinating case of celebrity because she helped build a media empire and a powerful brand at a crucial time, when reality TV was at its prime and when social media brought the idea of celebrity further into the mainstream of everyday culture. Kim’s celebrity persona is, therefore, an important artifact into understanding the matrix of celebrification (Grindstaff) and the fame cycle (Deller). The following essay will then consist of a handful of components charged with situating Kim Kardashian West within the field of popular and everyday culture. Kim Kardashian West’s Selfish is the most compelling artifact in understanding the new celebrity fame cycle and the social construction of the celebrity persona. To support this claim, I will briefly overview the state of celebrity studies and the fame cycle in hopes of showcasing the dynamics that are currently at play (Choi). The discussion will then lead to a substantive framing of the Reality TV genre as the catapult to Kim’s celebrity persona (Lueck). Subsequently, a discussion on the photographic image (Jerslev) will then be undertaken to explain its importance within the essence, creation, and propagation of the celebrity persona (Heinich). Only when all moving components of this essay are anchored together can we examine Selfish as an important contribution to the understanding of celebrity, the fame cycle and the personal brand through the analysis of the selfie. To understand the fame cycle vis-à-vis Kim Kardashian West’s cultivated celebrity persona, I will be looking at the 2006, 2011 and 2015 chapters of the second edition of Selfish. The specificity in the analysis of this academic essay will provide the field with an additional useful roadmap on alternative, yet analytical ways of contributing to celebrity studies by advancing ethnographic studies on one of Hollywood’s most dynamic personas, Kim Kardashian West.

As Susan Murray argues in “I Think We Need a New Name for It,” documentary is often celebrated for exploring social issues, while reality TV is dismissed as mindless entertainment. However, despite the popular and critical success of... more

As Susan Murray argues in “I Think We Need a New Name for It,” documentary is often celebrated for exploring social issues, while reality TV is dismissed as mindless entertainment. However, despite the popular and critical success of Jennie Livingston’s 1990 film Paris Is Burning, many academics, notably bell hooks, claim that the film exploits and spectacularizes its subjects. Moreover, even though RuPaul’s Drag Race clearly fits within the formal and production models of reality TV, it also explores contemporary social issues. This paper begins by showing the ways in which RuPaul’s Drag Race has been influenced by Paris is Burning by pointing out allusions to the documentary in the show. Next, it compares the way in which the two works address important social issues such as the construction of identity, alternative kinship formations and social injustice. Finally, it confronts the implications of Paris is Burning’s ethnographic mode of address, questioning whether the film is as celebratory of hegemonic whiteness or as uncritically self-reflexive as writers such as hooks suggest, and it explores how RuPaul’s Drag Race might also be accused of exoticizing difference. The ambivalence of both Paris Is Burning and RuPaul’s Drag Race suggests that rather than judging works based on the cultural hierarchy of their generic classification alone it is important to consider their unique content.

This chapter addresses the contemporary docusoap and its articulation of a post-feminist, neoliberal social field in which relations of class and gender are being renegotiated and re-fashioned. It explores the ways in which individuals... more

This chapter addresses the contemporary docusoap and its articulation of a post-feminist, neoliberal social field in which relations of class and gender are being renegotiated and re-fashioned. It explores the ways in which individuals are encouraged to participate in consumer culture and makeover practices as the route to social success and how this is conveyed in the successful British series The Only Way Is Essex

Given the lineup across much of our current television landscape, we could be forgiven for thinking that the medium is utterly obsessed with class struggle. One of the most popular TV genres to exploit class difference for dramatic... more

Given the lineup across much of our current television landscape, we could be forgiven for thinking that the medium is utterly obsessed with class struggle. One of the most popular TV genres to exploit class difference for dramatic purpose is the reality show. This essay examines Polish adaptations of three foreign reality show formats that rely on “clash of two worlds”-type tropes to drive their narratives. The shows in question are: Projekt Lady (prod. TVN, first aired in 2016), Damy i wieśniaczki (prod. TTV, first aired in 2016), and Rolnik szuka żony (prod. TVP, first aired in 2014). Drawing on sociological concepts of class as the embodiment of a specific collection of attributes and habits (Pierre Bourdieu), the author treats the shows in question as a particular sub-type of image designed to impart lessons in class. Calling on scholarship interpreting reality show programming as a neoliberal formula that gives weight to the middle-class habitus (Beverley Skeggs, Helen Wood), this analysis considers the specific nature of the Polish social structure, and interprets the relationship between class and gender in the analyzed programs. The inquiry elucidates what could be called the Polish strain of upward mobility, which compels reality show contestants to blend attributes associated with both the lower (“peasants”) and middle classes (“ladies”).

In this blog, I discuss the representation of TV audiences in GOGGLEBOX (Channel 4, 2013) and Charlie Brooker's WEEKLY WIPE (BBC Two, 2013), and ask why it is that we struggle to recognise the value and significance of talking about... more

In this blog, I discuss the representation of TV audiences in GOGGLEBOX (Channel 4, 2013) and Charlie Brooker's WEEKLY WIPE (BBC Two, 2013), and ask why it is that we struggle to recognise the value and significance of talking about television.

The problem that the concept of ‘class’ describes is inequality. The transition from industrial to financial capitalism (neoliberalism) in Europe has effected ‘deepening inequalities of income, health and life chances within and between... more

The problem that the concept of ‘class’ describes is inequality. The transition from industrial to financial capitalism (neoliberalism) in Europe has effected ‘deepening
inequalities of income, health and life chances within and between countries, on a scale not seen since before the second world War’ (Hall et al., 2014: 9). In this context, class is an essential point of orientation for sociology if it is to grasp the
problem of inequality today. Tracing a route through Pierre Bourdieu’s relational understanding of class, Beverley Skeggs’ understanding of class as struggles (over value), and Wendy Brown’s argument that neoliberalism is characterized by the
culturalization of political struggles, this article animates forms of class-analysis, with whichwe might better apprehend the forms of class exploitation that distinguish postindustrial
societies. Taking a cue from Jacques Ranciere, the central argument is that the sociology of class should be grounded not in the assumption and valorization of class identities but in an understanding of class as struggles against classification.
In this way, sociology can contribute to the development of alternative social and political imaginaries to the biopolitics of disposability symptomatic of neoliberal governmentality.

Has the way single women are represented in western popular culture really changed over the past few decades? What might the single women we find in chick lit novels, on reality television shows, and in self-help manuals reveal about... more

Has the way single women are represented in western popular culture really changed over the past few decades? What might the single women we find in chick lit novels, on reality television shows, and in self-help manuals reveal about postfeminism and its politics? From Bridget Jones to Carrie Bradshaw, the single woman has become more visible than ever before, prompting some commentators to suggest that she is now celebrated where once she was denigrated. However, in this book Anthea Taylor compellingly demonstrates how the single woman – despite appearing at times to be glamorized – continues to be a deeply problematic figure in popular culture. Drawing upon a wide range of media forms, she finds that singleness is commonly represented as a state that women must actively work to overcome, while coupledom is vigorously promoted as a postfeminist 'choice'. In this thought-provoking book, Taylor foregrounds how postfeminism operates in tandem with neoliberalism to limit the stories being told about single women. Characteristic of the book's nuanced approach, she also examines sites where women are attempting to refigure and validate singleness, including the blogosphere. Making an important contribution to scholarship on both singleness and postfeminism, Single Women in Popular Culture is a timely and politically engaged account of how modern single women are represented – and why it matters.

This project looks at the influence of the reality television series, ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ on the Lifestyle of University of Lagos Undergraduates. Four research questions guided the study – How often do respondents watch... more

This project looks at the influence of the reality television series, ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ on the Lifestyle of University of Lagos Undergraduates. Four research questions guided the study – How often do respondents watch ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’? What are the factors that influence viewership? To what extent does ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ influence youth perception of reality? Does ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ influence the lifestyle of respondents? Appropriate literature for study was stated to help understand the topic along with relevant theories, Social Categories and Cultivation theory. Using the survey method with questionnaire as the research instrument, 100 respondents were selected using random sampling method. All 100 questionnaires were returned. The response provided by the respondents were subsequently analyzed and interpreted from which conclusion and recommendations were drawn. This study found out that there is a high level of viewership among of the reality television series amongst the respondents but they seldom watch. Friends and social media are the major factors that influence their viewership and reality television show slightly influences their perception of reality as most think it is ‘not real’. In terms of the influence on their lifestyle respondents were found to have a role model from the series as a result of personality, dressing and attitude. Based on these findings, the researcher recommends the following: The need for local producers to get creative, and produced contents that appeal to the youths and also promotes the societal cultural and moral ideals. This is will serve as a substitute for foreign programmes that promote foreign ideals and the detriment of ours.

AJAS (ISSN 0705-7311) is the official journal of the Australian and New Zealand American Studies Association (ANZASA).

En las últimas décadas, la prácticamente recién nacida telerrealidad ha conseguido inundar las televisiones de numerosos países de todo el mundo. En España, se ha consagrado como producto/género estrella dentro de las parrillas de cadenas... more

En las últimas décadas, la prácticamente recién nacida telerrealidad ha conseguido inundar las televisiones de numerosos países de todo el mundo. En España, se ha consagrado como producto/género estrella dentro de las parrillas de cadenas locales, nacionales, públicas o privadas, llegando incluso a superar el centenar de espacios emitidos en tan solo unos años. El fenómeno va in crecendo, y ya es calificado de (hiper) género ¿Qué nos deparará el futuro? Entretanto, y a pesar de su ferviente éxito, la telerrealidad está continuamente envuelta en polémica, debido no solo a la forma, sino al fondo.

"Reality Television" has little to do with reality and everything to do with television form and content. "Reality TV" takes the reality television phenomenon to be a significant movement within documentary and factual programming. This... more

"Reality Television" has little to do with reality and everything to do with television form and content. "Reality TV" takes the reality television phenomenon to be a significant movement within documentary and factual programming. This book analyses new and hybrid genres including observational documentaries, talk shows, game shows, docu-soaps, dramatic reconstructions, law and order programming and twenty-four/seven formats such as "Big Brother" and "Survivor," These programs, both popular with audiences and heavily debated in the media; are at the center of heated debates. These discussions focus on tabloidization, media ethics, voyeurism and the representation of the real. Through detailed case studies, this book breaks new ground by linking two major themes together: the production of realism and its relationship to revelation. It addresses 'truth' telling, confession and the production of knowledge about the self and its place in the world within forms that produce new configurations of social and media space.

Táto diplomová práca popisuje mechanizmy, prostredníctvom ktorých talentová show Zem spieva (2017) vysielaná slovenskou verejnoprávnou televíziou vytvá- ra koncept predvádzania folklóru ako spôsobu budovania a vyjadrenia národnej... more

Táto diplomová práca popisuje mechanizmy, prostredníctvom ktorých talentová show Zem spieva (2017) vysielaná slovenskou verejnoprávnou televíziou vytvá- ra koncept predvádzania folklóru ako spôsobu budovania a vyjadrenia národnej identity. Zároveň popisuje aj mechanizmy, ktorými show tvorí platformu pre vy- jednávanie kritérií kvalitného folklórneho predstavenia, ktoré má byť dôslednou rekonštrukciou tradície. Tieto dva účinky show Zem spieva sú v tejto práci sledo- vané ako epistemologicky konfliktné: na jednej strane stoja esencialistické pred- stavy o genetickej predurčenosti príslušníkov slovenského národa pre folklór, na strane druhej doktríny sústredené na rekonštrukciu tradície na folklórnom pódiu. Tie nasleduje odborná porota, ktorá je zostavená z výrazných osobností folklórnej komunity. Táto práca prináša argument, že poňatie predvádzania folklóru na pódiu ako intelektuálneho problému rekonštrukcie tradície je v show subverzívne a preto je v priebehu epizód postupne nahradené citovo a vlastenecky definovaným merad- lom, ktoré zachová kultúrnu súdržnosť z hľadiska uspokojenia potrieb masového diváctva. Po osi konfliktu racionálnej analýzy predvádzaných folklorizmov a emo- cionálneho vnímania folklóru vzbudzujúceho národnú hrdosť táto práca mapuje, ako show Zem spieva vytvára nový slovenský národný príbeh a národnobuditeľské momentum, akými spôsobmi legitimizuje vlastný televízny formát ako národopis, aké reprezentácie poskytuje národnostným menšinám a aké formálne nástroje za- pája, aby zaujala mládež, novinársku obec, širokú verejnosť aj politických predsta- viteľov, ktorí formát Zem spieva prijímajú ako vhodný pre verejnoprávnu televíziu a teda súladný s cieľmi štátnej kultúrnej politiky.

The article investigates the history of the development of reality shows in Ukraine as an independent TV phenomenon, as well as in the context of the world retrospective. The classification of stages of development of reality shows in... more

The article investigates the history of the development of reality shows in Ukraine as an independent TV phenomenon, as well as in the context of the world retrospective. The classification of stages of development of reality shows in Ukraine is created. The main characteristics of the Ukrainian reality shows are determined.
У статті досліджується історія розвитку реаліті шоу в Україні як самостійного телевізійного явища, так і у контексті світової ретроспективи. Створена класифікація етапів розвитку реаліті шоу в Україні. Визначаються головні характеристики українських реаліті шоу.

Praca skupia się na polskiej edycji show 'Rolnik szuka żony' (trzy pierwsze edycje) oraz jaki wizerunek wsi i jej mieszkańców prezentuje program. Autorka zastanawia się nad ogromną popularnością programu w kontekście znaczenia wsi dla... more

Praca skupia się na polskiej edycji show 'Rolnik szuka żony' (trzy pierwsze edycje) oraz jaki wizerunek wsi i jej mieszkańców prezentuje program. Autorka zastanawia się nad ogromną popularnością programu w kontekście znaczenia wsi dla kultury polskiej.

This article provides a feminist analysis of Chinese reality TV, using the recent makeover show – You Are So Beautiful (你怎么这么好看) as a case study. I argue that the notion of gender essentialism is highlighted in the production of You Are... more

This article provides a feminist analysis of Chinese reality TV, using the recent makeover show – You Are So Beautiful (你怎么这么好看) as a case study. I argue that the notion of gender essentialism is highlighted in the production of You Are So Beautiful, which distances the Chinese show from its original American format– Queer Eye. This phenomenon is indicative of how existing gender power relations influence the production of popular cultural texts in post-reform China, where capitalism and authoritarianism weave a tangled web. The outcomes of the research articulate the interplay between post-socialist gender politics and reality TV production in the Chinese context.

Salvo Montalbano è il commissario di polizia di Vigata, dal carattere burbero ma responsabile e serio sul lavoro, molte volte anche aperto e gentile con persone di cui sa di potersi fidare. Montalbano si trova a dover indagare sui più... more

Salvo Montalbano è il commissario di polizia di Vigata, dal carattere burbero ma responsabile e serio sul lavoro, molte volte anche aperto e gentile con persone di cui sa di potersi fidare. Montalbano si trova a dover indagare sui più vari fatti criminali della sua terra, dei quali, grazie al suo grande ingegno e all'aiuto di numerosi collaboratori, anche al di fuori del commissariato, riesce sempre a ricostruire gli esatti avvenimenti e a trovare la soluzione. Fra i colleghi di lavoro ci sono il suo vice Mimì Augello, l'ispettore Giuseppe Fazio, il goffo agente Agatino Catarella e altri agenti del commissariato. Invece tra i suoi collaboratori esterni ci sono l'amica Ingrid Sjostrom, il giornalista Niccolò Zito e più raramente la sua cuoca Adelina. Nella sua sfera privata, Salvo porta avanti una relazione a distanza con Livia Burlando, con la quale ha un rapporto talvolta burrascoso ma nel quale prevale sempre l'amore.

In the last few months, US president Donald J. Trump has repeatedly scandalized observers by applying the presentational modes of home shopping television to his public pronouncements on the pandemic. This contribution argues that Trump’s... more

In the last few months, US president Donald J. Trump has repeatedly scandalized observers by applying the presentational modes of home shopping television to his public pronouncements on the pandemic. This contribution argues that Trump’s home shopping mode of address is not another in a long series of tasteless aberrations and breaches of protocol. Rather, it is an intrinsic element of his television personality, a source of his political leverage and a key to understanding his mode of governance.