Watching “bad” television: Ironic consumption, camp, and guilty pleasures

Cultural Capital in China? Television tastes and cultural distinction among college students in Beijing

“…Later researchers have furthered the idea that privileged groups establish and maintain distinction not only through gravitating toward certain cultural products but also through consuming those products in particular ways (e.g., Friedman 2011;Holt 1997;Kuipers 2006;McCoy & Scarborough 2014). In his original work, Bourdieu observes that the appreciation of legitimate culture, in particular European highbrow culture, requires a "disinterested aesthetic disposition"-a certain way of appreciating art in which one puts aside any emotional or moral interest in an art work and instead focuses on its formal characteristics (Bourdieu 1984: 28-42).…”

“…Similar to the intellectualization of film in the US over the twentieth century (Baumann 2007), a combination of technological, industrial, and cultural changes has allowed television to begin garnering the kind of respect paid to such acclaimed cultural objects as the fine arts, books, and movies (Lotz 2014;Bianculli 2016). The proliferation and diversification of television makes TV consumption a fertile field in which to study the relations between viewers' cultural tastes and their social positions (Kuipers 2006;Lizardo & Skiles 2009;McCoy & Scarborough 2014;Warde et al 2009).…”

Ironic Consumption

“…Ironic consumption also includes adopting a "kitch" or "camp" sensibility, which refers to using or appreciating cultural products that seem entertaining, fascinating, or humorous because they are bad (Binkley 2000;Sontag 1964). For example, the literature notes that consumers sometimes enjoy the poor production, ridiculous script, or general lack of substance in TV shows (e.g., "Jersey Shore"), movies (e.g., "The Room"), music (e.g., the Monkeys), clothing (e.g., double-knit polyester), and theme parks (e.g., Disneyland; Klein 2000;McCoy and Scarborough 2014;Thompson 2000). Finally, ironic consumption includes a range of practices that consumers perform in attempt to resist or reappropriate the meaning of a product, such as when consumers voluntarily embrace a stigmatized product (e.g., veiling by urban Turkish women) or engage in a behavior that challenges a prescribed identity (e.g., women competing in a rough and aggressive sport like roller derby; Arsel and Thompson 2011;Holt 2002;Sandikci and Ger 2010;Thompson and Ustuner 2015).…”

“…Another potential benefit of ironic consumption is that it gives consumers a way to hedge against disapproval or criticism that might otherwise come from using a product with an undesirable meaning. Consumers sometimes enjoy using products that carry a stigmatized or socially undesirable meanings (Arsel and Thompson 2011;McCoy and Scarborough 2014;Sandikci and Ger 2010). Sincerely listening to music (e.g., Nickelback) or television (e.g., Jersey Shore) that people consider trashy risks making you seem unsophisticated or shallow.…”

“…Finally, consumers attempt to re-appropriate products that have undesirable meanings for amusement or fun. They wear "ugly Christmas sweaters" in December, emulate infamous cultural figures (e.g., Bill Cosby, Cecil the dead lion) on Halloween, and watch reality shows (e.g., "The Jersey Shore," "The Bachelor;") and movies (e.g., "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," "The Room," "Showgirls") that they consider "trashy" or "bad" (Klein 2000;McCoy and Scarborough 2014).…”