the last laugh: folk humor, celebrity culture, and mass-mediated disasters in the digital age
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This article was downloaded by: [Columbia University]On: 08 December 2014, At: 02:24Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registeredoffice: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK
Information, Communication & SocietyPublication details, including instructions for authors andsubscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rics20
The last laugh: Folk Humor, celebrityculture, and mass-mediated disasters inthe digital ageRuth Penfold-Mouncea
a University of York, Heslington, York, UKPublished online: 27 Nov 2013.
To cite this article: Ruth Penfold-Mounce (2014) The last laugh: Folk Humor, celebrity culture, andmass-mediated disasters in the digital age, Information, Communication & Society, 17:7, 915-916,DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2013.863379
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2013.863379
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Notes on contributorSamuel Burgum is a doctoral researcher in Sociology and Politics at the University of York, UK. He is cur-rently conducting ESRC funded research into the foreclosure of political agency in a post-political society, inparticular looking at contemporary social movements (such as Occupy). You can follow Sam on Twitter(@sjburgum) as well as on his blog: esjaybe.wordpress.com. [email:[email protected]]
The last laugh: Folk Humor, celebrity culture, and mass-mediated disasters in the digitalage, by Trevor J Blank, Madison, WI, The University of Wisconsin Press, 2013, 156 pp.,$24.95 (pbk), ISBN 978-0-299-29204-1
On receiving this book to review, I was initially uninspired by the title – The Last Laugh. Never-theless on reading the subtitle I was rapidly intrigued at the promise of an exploration into therelationship between humour, celebrity, death and the mass media in a digital age. It mightappear that these are a somewhat eclectic range of topics but this is an arena ripe for criticalengagement because of a lack of previous consideration. In the earliest stages of his work,Blank admits his research has an Americanist bias and that the analysis is derived and directedby American culture and his own background in folklore and American Studies. This is onlytoo evident in the book however Blanks sheer honesty about his approach enables the work tobe accepted for what it is – a focus on a particular set of issues from a particular point of view.Surprisingly this does not hugely detract from the worth of the book as his observations andideas are easily applicable to elsewhere. During the process of reading, it is easy to make connec-tions to case studies which are less Americanist and apply the essence of his argument to a widercontext.
At its heart Blanks book is a call for the recognition of discourse by technology users (such asblogs, forums, chat rooms, etc.) as a crucial and authentic form of data. For him, technology hasfundamentally altered how people express themselves and how people negotiate the presentationof identity in contemporary society. Subsequently Blanks purpose is to demonstrate that the newways in which people interact with internet technologies is both accurate and representative ofemergent trends in vernacular experience despite often not being ‘classy or politically correct’(p. xxvi). To support his argument Blank discusses mass-mediated disasters, the human needfor connectivity and discourse facilitated by mass media in response to tragedy. Using examplesranging from the Three Mile Island accident and NASA’s Challenger space shuttle disaster to 9/11and celebrity scandal he illustrates the relevance and insight of mass-mediated public (or ‘Folk’)discourse as data.
Perhaps, the most important chapters within the book relate to celebrity. First, golfer TigerWoods and the scandal surrounding his extra-marital affairs are used to illustrate not onlyhow Woods became a major source of entertainment but also how far and how fast he hadfallen. Woods, as a role model embodied the successful youthful professional, with moral creden-tials but encapsulates the shift from hero to villain. Woods is used to illustrate the internet-fuelledbacklash experienced by celebrities when their behaviour crosses social lines and shatters thenotion that ‘Celebrities are expected to embody the best standards of society’ (p. 68). Second,Blank tackles Michael Jackson and succeeds in providing a new angle on this often writtenabout celebrity figure by considering how the internet plays a crucial role in mediating and alle-viating people’s anxiety about death. Blank highlights that symbolic values attached to Jackson inlife are then used to posthumously shape his legacy.
Overall, The Last Laugh is an unassuming gem of a book. Blank’s largely informal and openwriting style make it an absorbing and accessible read whilst also providing a range of captivatinginsights and pertinent case studies. He is eloquent in demonstrating the role of digital media in
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everyday life and how ‘folk’ connect with each other through humour in the midst of tragedy andanxiety. The relevance of Blanks work easily stretches beyond folklore studies and will interestanyone interested in the multiple roles of digital media.
Notes on contributorDr Ruth Penfold-Mounce is a lecturer in Criminology, University of York, UK. Her research interests are incelebrity and crime, as well as morbidity and culture
Ruth Penfold-MounceUniversity of York, Heslington, York, UK
[email protected]© 2013, Ruth Penfold-Mounce
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