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“ As a competitor and an athlete, you have to believe in the people who believe in you .” The Celebrity Construction of Tim Tebow and His Para-social Fan Relationships. Adele Sullivan CMC 200 6 May 2013 Dr. Ted Gournelos. BIG 5:. Topic: Para-social relationships
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“As a competitor and an athlete, you have to believe in the people who believe in you.”The Celebrity Construction of Tim Tebow and His Para-social Fan Relationships Adele Sullivan CMC 200 6 May 2013 Dr. Ted Gournelos
BIG 5: • Topic: Para-social relationships • Focus: Fans emotional attachment to celebrities; specifically to Tim Tebow • Methods: Textual analysis and content analysis • Target: television advertisements, social media accounts, official websites, the Internet • Goals: to be able to decipher between the construction of a celebrity versus the reality; the authenticity of a celebrity
Methods/Analyses • Textual Analysis Focus on the Family Super Bowl commerical; interview of his parents about the making of the commercial and Tebow’s personal story • Content Analysis Tebow’s 4 social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube) and his 2 official websites (www.timtebow.com and www.timtebowfoundation.org)
Discussion/Findings • Para-social relationships are in fact created through technology (TV & the Internet) • Different levels of emotional attachment/connections to a celebrity by a fan exist • Special language and rhetoric is used to lure fans in and increase profits/ the desire to get to know a celebrity on a personal level • Tebow uses religion and athleticism to construct a certain identity that is then portrayed to the fans gives celebrities power
Why does this matter? • Para-social relationships are becoming more prevalent in society due to an influx in technology usage • Celebrities lives are much more publicized now more so than ever before; more personal information made public • A whole new type of fan is being constructed • It can become an unhealthy obsession; one can begin confusing a false reality with the truth
HONOR CODE: • “ On my honor I have not given, nor received, nor witnessed any unauthorized assistance on this work.” • ADELE SULLIVAN