Women, Television and New Media – Engagement in the Makeover Culture

Abstract

Among the most popular programs broadcasted by women’s channels at present there are numerous makeover shows. Many researchers address them and analyze selected programs in the categories of reflexivity, governmentality (Sender 2012) or the culture of transparency, among others (Lisowska-Magdziarz 2012). However, at present television is not only the lineup but also the new media that accompany it and allow the viewers to comment on it. The aim of this article is to present to what extent the users of social media are engaged in the television narration taking place on the fanpage of a given channel as well as in what categories they speak of the programs, among which makeover shows are very popular. The basis of the research is the qualitative and quantitative analysis of posts and comments published on the official fanpage of the Polish women’s television channel TVN Style. The research shows that in spite of the fact that, according to statistics, women are the most active users of social media, their transmedia engagement is relatively small. However, there are exceptions, which are extremely popular and whose interpretation reveals information on the internet users’ worldview, the perception of television as an institution as well as the need to share one’s own experiences.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n2s2p19