An Analysis of the Phenomenon of "Collapsing Persona" of Chinese Celebrities through Goffman's Dramaturgical Theory

Abstract

In the current context of the rapid development of China's entertainment industry, the creation of a popular celebrity "persona" has become a shortcut for celebrities and their agencies to gain benefits, and celebrities can quickly gain attention and a large number of fans by constructing a "persona". However, with the rapid development of the Internet, the real face behind the celebrity's "persona" is gradually exposed to the public, and the collapse of the celebrity's "persona" is a common occurrence. The phenomenon of the collapse of celebrity "persona" has serious implications at the personal, interactive and social levels, and the communication and sociological logic and issues behind it are worth exploring and reflecting on. Therefore, this paper analyses the causes of the phenomenon and its negative effects from the perspective of Goffman's mimesis theory and makes suggestions and reflections on how to avoid the negative effects brought about by the collapse of celebrities' "personas". The study found that the collapse of celebrities' "persona" was caused by capital guidance from agencies, the uneven quality of the celebrities themselves, the rapid development of the Internet, the alienation of symbolic consumption, and the addition of fan groups to the drama class. The collapse of a celebrity's "persona" will in turn have a negative impact on these factors, not only affecting the circulation and reproduction of capital, but also deeply affecting the role perception and cultural identity of fans and society at large, fostering a negative social climate and hindering social progress and development. Therefore, in order to eliminate this phenomenon, the entire drama class needs to work together, with stars, agencies, the media, the public, especially fans and the government, and other rights holders sharing their respective social responsibilities to build a good entertainment culture and a healthy popular culture.