1
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
2
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.
10.30465/ismc.2026.54565.3046
Abstract
The expansion of social media has enabled the emergence of media actors who, without possessing traditional professional capital, have gained fame and social influence through capturing public attention. This study, titled “Pseudo-Celebrities and the Attention Economy: A Sociological Analysis of Legitimization Mechanisms in Iran’s Media Space,” aims to explain how such actors acquire credibility and social acceptance. The main research question asks through which pathways pseudo-celebrities gain legitimacy in Iran’s media environment. The hypothesis suggests that their legitimacy is based less on expertise or formal status and more on capturing attention, performing intimacy, displaying lifestyle, and maintaining continuous interaction with audiences. The research adopts a qualitative multi-case study approach. Data were collected through content analysis of popular social media pages, videos, stories, and discourse analysis of audience comments. Findings indicate that economic humor, moral-family performance, self-ironic presentation, luxury lifestyle display, family-centered content, and humorous criticism of everyday culture are the main patterns of legitimization. Moreover, audiences actively contribute to reproducing fame and legitimacy through sharing, support, envy, criticism, and interactive engagement.
Abbasi,M and Nasiri,S . (2027). The Attention Economy and the Legitimization Processes of Semi-Celebrities in Iran’s Media Space. (e14123). Interdisciplinary Studies in Media and Culture, 16(2), e14123 doi: 10.30465/ismc.2026.54565.3046
MLA
Abbasi,M , and Nasiri,S . "The Attention Economy and the Legitimization Processes of Semi-Celebrities in Iran’s Media Space" .e14123 , Interdisciplinary Studies in Media and Culture, 16, 2, 2027, e14123. doi: 10.30465/ismc.2026.54565.3046
HARVARD
Abbasi M, Nasiri S. (2027). 'The Attention Economy and the Legitimization Processes of Semi-Celebrities in Iran’s Media Space', Interdisciplinary Studies in Media and Culture, 16(2), e14123. doi: 10.30465/ismc.2026.54565.3046
CHICAGO
M Abbasi and S Nasiri, "The Attention Economy and the Legitimization Processes of Semi-Celebrities in Iran’s Media Space," Interdisciplinary Studies in Media and Culture, 16 2 (2027): e14123, doi: 10.30465/ismc.2026.54565.3046
VANCOUVER
Abbasi M, Nasiri S. The Attention Economy and the Legitimization Processes of Semi-Celebrities in Iran’s Media Space. Interdisciplinary Studies in Media and Culture. 2027;16(2):e14123 (In Persian). doi: 10.30465/ismc.2026.54565.3046
