Dr. Claire Sisco King recently discussed celebrity and meme culture in a news interview with Yahoo Entertainment. In this interview, Professor King focuses on the multitude of factors that contribute to the virality of popular ‘sad Affleck’ memes that center on paparazzi images of the Oscar-winning actor, Ben Affleck.<\/p>\n
Professor King is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies and Chair of the Vanderbilt Cinema and Media Arts program. Her scholarship focuses on media and visual culture, with a particular emphasis on the study of gender and sexuality.<\/p>\n
Yahoo Entertainment reports:<\/p>\n
“The ‘sad Affleck’ memes have a couple of different registers that contribute to their shareability,”\u00a0Claire Sisco King<\/a>, an associate professor of communication studies and chair of cinema and media arts at Vanderbilt University, explains to Yahoo Entertainment.<\/p>\n “In some cases there is a bit of schadenfreude involved, in which audiences seem to take pleasure in the apparent hardships of a person who is otherwise imagined as privileged and powerful,” King continues, noting how people who don’t have access to A-list level “wealth and luxury” sometimes want “to take shots at people who do.” But she cautions: “I don’t think all of the memes or their shareability suggest a sadistic attitude. ‘Sad Affleck’ has also become a point of identification for a lot of people who can relate to feeling overwhelmed, exhausted or even despondent.”<\/p>\n