Phenomenology of Frivolity: The Kardashian Case as a Lens on the Contemporary

Abstract

This article aims to offer a descriptive survey of the Kardashian
phenomenon through the lens of Bildwissenschaft. The analysis defines
the family’s image as an active Bildakt, operating through the centrality
of the body as medium and reinforced by mechanisms of embodied
simulation. The study then examines the role of celebrity culture and
its transformation toward the apparent proximity of reality–show divas,
culminating in a form of hyper–celebrity based on the construction
of intimacy through the exhibition and commodification of the self.
The article further investigates the media environment in which this
image operates, namely dark media, where processes of remediation
and the condition of onlife dissolve the boundaries between public
and private spheres. Finally, the contribution addresses the impact of
the phenomenon within digital neo–capitalism, showing how “fame
without talent” and the Age of Average foster aesthetic homogenization
and the commodification of existence.