John Berger, Paris Hilton, and The Rich Kids of Instagram: The Social and Economic Inequality of Image Sharing and Production of Power Through Self-Promotion

Author

Meghan M. Gallagher, Scripps CollegeFollow

Graduation Year

2015

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Media Studies

Reader 1

Jennifer Friedlander

Reader 2

Nancy Macko

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2014 Meghan M. Gallagher

Abstract

This thesis updates John Berger's work of critical visual theory, Ways of Seeing, to accommodate emerging web 2.0 technologies and new social media platforms. It analyzes the symbols of wealth and status encoded in both 15th century oil paintings and contemporary Instagram posts and attempts to dissect how American celebrity culture complicates methods of self-promotion and upscale emulation.

Recommended Citation

Gallagher, Meghan M., "John Berger, Paris Hilton, and The Rich Kids of Instagram: The Social and Economic Inequality of Image Sharing and Production of Power Through Self-Promotion" (2015). Scripps Senior Theses. 545.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/545