‘These cameras are here for a reason’ – media coming out, symbolic power and the value of ‘participation’: behind the scenes of the Dutch reality programme Uit de Kast

Abstract

This article addresses the increasing popularity of coming out as mediatized practice, by focusing on the example of the internationally successful Dutch television programme Uit de Kast ('Out of the Closet'). While the choice of coming out in front of the cameras is often received controversially both by the public and the protagonists' immediate environment, youngsters keep applying to participate in the programme. To understand the continuous appeal of this form of self-disclosure, in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 participants from different seasons about their motivations, experiences and evaluations of taking part in the show. By following their journey into the world of media production, this article highlights the implications of media participation for the process of coming out, as related to questions of empowerment, visibility and agency, and ultimately, to the perceived symbolic value of (participating in) broadcast media in the new media age.

Dating the Media: Participation, Voice, and Ritual Logic in the Disability Dating Show The Undateables

“…How does the production become the regulator of social action and how do the participants conform to, adjust to, or contest the above ritual logic? Our previous work on mediated self-disclosure showed that the perception of television productions as formal, authoritative, and extraordinary settings can facilitate the participants' "will to act" (Bell 1992, 83) and their commitment to perform according to scripts dictated by the crew, as long as these scripts involve both a clear promise of transformation and a "transcendent" societal message articulated through the performances (Boross and Reijnders 2017). But what happens to this generic process when the "societal message" is ambivalent, the transformative benefit of participation is not taken for granted, or the participants have different takes on the "natural" authority of the production to arrange and portray their lives?…”

“…In particular, we intend to explore how and to what extent the transformative power of television participation, as reinforced by the ritualization of the media text (cf. Boross and Reijnders 2015), is translated into the ordering logic of the production process and reflected in the attitudes and actions of the participants involved (Boross and Reijnders 2017; Couldry 2003).…”

An overview of coming out research: Introducing a three‐lens typology

“…Due to technological developments, (social) media have become another sub‐area within coming out research. For example, research explored and critically reflected on LGBTQ+ individuals' coming out negotiation to family, friends, work colleagues, and strangers via Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, blogs, and online dating platforms (e.g., Chester et al., 2016; Duguay, 2016; Etengoff & Daiute, 2015; George, 2011; Onanuga, 2021; Owens, 2017; Phua, 2020; Steinfeld, 2020; Thompson & Figueroa, 2020; Waggoner, 2022) or on reality TV shows (e.g., Bannink & Wentink, 2015; Boross & Reijnders, 2015, 2017). The analysis of celebrities' coming out and related press coverage has been also of interest (e.g., Benozzo, 2013; Motschenbacher, 2019; Schallhorn & Hempel, 2017; Tinker, 2021).…”

‘Someone should have looked after us’: the boundary work of mental health disclosure on TV

“…Existing studies of the broader family of reality TV and confessional talk shows have reached divergent conclusions with regard to the consequences of participation for lay participants (e.g. Aslama, 2009; Boross and Reijnders, 2017, 2019; Grindstaff, 2008; Priest and Dominick, 1994; Shufeldt and Gale, 2007; Syvertsen, 2001). One tradition emphasizes how self-disclosure has enabled participants to redefine the public representation of stigmatized groups, providing personal empowerment and emancipation (Boross and Reijnders, 2017; Gamson, 1998; Priest and Dominick, 1994).…”

“…Aslama, 2009; Boross and Reijnders, 2017, 2019; Grindstaff, 2008; Priest and Dominick, 1994; Shufeldt and Gale, 2007; Syvertsen, 2001). One tradition emphasizes how self-disclosure has enabled participants to redefine the public representation of stigmatized groups, providing personal empowerment and emancipation (Boross and Reijnders, 2017; Gamson, 1998; Priest and Dominick, 1994). Other studies have found that participants expose information under circumstances that favour the media industry and producers’ interests over participants’ well-being (Grindstaff, 2008; Shattuc, 2014; White, 1992).…”