1. Structural Functionalism 

What is the function (or functions) of celebrity gossip for society? What purpose(s) does it serve, and how does it help society maintain stability and order? Discuss how notions of sacred and profane are characterized. Are there manifest and latent functions of it? Are there any dysfunctions in it?

2. Conflict Theory

What forms of inequality are revealed in celebrity gossip? In particular, what does it have to say about class, race, gender, sexuality, or other inequalities? Whose interests are being served and who gets exploited? Who suffers and who benefits from it?

3. Symbolic Interactionism

What does celebrity gossip mean to society as a whole? What does it mean to individual members of society? Can gossip have different meanings for different individuals or groups of individuals? How do those meanings get constructed in interaction? And how does celebrity gossip influence our everyday lives?

ASSIGNMENT: Select the material you will analyze, and answer each of the three sets of questions in a 3-PAGE ESSAY. Discuss the main principles of the three theoretical perspectives and explain how each can be applied. You will want to include specific examples from your chosen stories to illustrate your points. Did the theories overlap at all, or did they contradict each other? Was there any one theory you felt did a better or worse job of explaining celebrity gossip? Attach printouts of the stories to the paper.

Solution

Introduction

The assignment will be highlighting the celebrity gossip of Justin Bieber. The heading of the gossip is titled “Justin Bieber Spills ALL, Opens up about Heavy Drug Use” (Hollywood Gossip, 2019). The news focused on a confession posted by Justin himself on his Instagram about his life and the tribulations that he faced. I will be selecting the following theories for my reflection.

Symbolic Interactionist Theory

This theory is of the view that facts are determined by symbols and the meanings of these symbols. The meaning is derived through a mutual interactional process occurring between the individuals and the social environment. However, I will be answering the following questions that encompass this theory (Ferris & Stein, 2018)

1. What do celebrity gossip blogs mean to society as a whole?

After reviewing the comments, I believe that the celebrity gossip blog is a source of entertainment for society as a whole. For some, it becomes a debatable topic. Some people in the comments were just focusing on the clothes, so for some people following celebrity gossip means observing trends. 

2. What do they mean to individual members of society?

Celebrity gossip can affect differently to different members of society. It often allows people to shape their thought and construct or destruct their sense-making of the world. Gossip can either change the facts individuals hold about specific celebrities or strengthen them. Individuals at personal levels do relate to some aspects. Getting some symbols and important news from someone inspirational can affect individuals significantly.

3. Can they have different meanings for different individuals or groups of individuals?

The gossips surely affect different individuals differently. For example, relating to the example of the gossip, some reviews showed that “Justin Bieber” has just confessed to gain votes as he was previously involved in drug abuse and multiple affairs. Similarly, some individuals sympathized with him and opened up about their own issues relating to him. Personal choices, perceptions, pre-interpretations, and favoritism do affect the sense-making processes of individuals.

4. How do those meanings get constructed in interaction?

Meaning is perceived as a concept that develops after an interactional process. The meanings get constructed as a result of an interactional process of individuals with society. Celebrity gossips are a means of interaction between groups. Perceptions get strengthened or if the individual is struck or amazed by an opponent’s point about something specific (celebrity gossip in this case), he might evolve and become a follower of the theory he didn’t follow previously.

5. And how do celebrity gossip blogs shape and influence our everyday lives?

Celebrity figures are influential in many terms and we often associate our feelings with them. The more influential a celebrity is, the more we tend to shape our behaviors and get affected by their stories and everyday lives. Celebrities sometimes tend to motivate us as they hold a status that is very much significant in shaping and altering our beliefs. Individuals often indulge in featuring meanings within themselves and they are very much likely to engage in an evaluation process of themselves and the “objects” around them. The strong the object is, the more they tend to involve in an evaluation process. For example, some people in the reviews were really inspired by Justin Bieber and they were really motivated to drop substance use.

Structural Functionalist Theory

Functionalism theory sees society as a whole. It proposes that while analyzing a society its functions should be considered, i.e., cultures, traditions, and norms (Davis, 1959).

1. What is the function (or functions) of celebrity gossip blogs for society?

Celebrity gossips serve a function of a source that people use to make fun of, spread, and a point of discussion.

2. What purpose(s) do they serve, and how do they help society maintain stability and order?

Celebrity gossip serves both negative and positive purposes. Some celebrity gossips tend to serve the purpose of spreading rumors. Celebrity gossip does help in maintaining stability and order to some extent. For example, there always exists a comment or forum on the sites. Some rules are maintained. When individuals interact with each other or debate about certain topics, they often follow rules and try to maintain stability. In some cases, the debates become so heated that they tend to disturb the stability and order. Society often learns what should be done and what should not be done.

3. Are there manifest and latent functions of celebrity gossip blogs?

Manifest functions of celebrity gossip are intentional. In the current example, the blog is serving a manifest function. Justin Bieber has himself shared a story that is being discussed showing a manifest element to it. Latent functions refer to the repercussions that are often unintended (Holmwood, 2005). In this example, there is some sort of latent function that is being fulfilled. He is being criticized as well and it appears that he didn’t confess to getting criticized. In general, celebrity gossips have both manifest and latent functions. Sometimes, the gossips are intentional and are in the form of rumors to intentionally assassinate some celebrity’s character and devastate the career. Latent functions are generally attained in the aspect that sometimes, celebrities gain popularity, although the purpose in actuality was not to get popularity.

4. And are there any dysfunctions built into such publications?

Society often tends to seek negativity as compared to positivity. There is often some sort of exaggeration that is being conceived in publications that hold the status of dysfunction. This dysfunction tends to affect the mental well-being of celebrities as well as affect society negatively.

References

Davis, K (1959). “The Myth of Functional Analysis as a Special Method in Sociology and Anthropology“. American Sociological Review, 24(6), 757-772.

Ferris, K., & Stein, J. (2018. The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology (6th ed ).  New York: W. W. Norton & Company

Hollywood Gossip. (September, 3).  Justin Bieber spills all opens up about heavy drug use. Retrieved from https://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2019/09/justin-bieber-spills-all-opens-up-about-heavy-drug-use/ on Sep 3, 2019

Holmwood, J., (2005). Functionalism and its Critics. Oxford University Press, Oxford.