When Stars Grow Old – Cultural and Media Processes of the Celebrity/Ageing Nexus: An Introduction to the Special Issue

Celebrities constitute a particularly relevant phenomenon in the media and sports contexts of contemporary society. As central figures in the cultural public sphere, they exemplify what John B. Thompson (1995) describes as mediated “quasi-interaction”, where individuals form non-reciprocal relationships with distant personalities who appear familiar through repeated media exposure. They occupy public space through the emotions they arouse in an ever-widening public. Celebrities are not only media products but also emotional and symbolic figures who evoke affective investments from audiences (Marshall, 1997; Dyer, 1979). Their visibility enables para-social interactions (Horton & Wohl, 1956) and contributes to the creation of a shared emotional experience across dispersed publics.