Introduction

Functional interlopers: Lifestyle journalists' discursive construction of boundaries against digital lifestyle influencers

“…It is difficult to precisely elucidate what lifestyle journalism is, partly because there simply has not been as much research done on it (Kristensen & From, 2012; Vodanovic, 2020). Some scholars have defined lifestyle journalism as a service-oriented type of journalism that strives to provide readers with practical ‘news-you-can-use,’ typically in an entertaining and engaging fashion (Hanusch, 2012; Hanusch and Hanitzsch, 2013).…”

“…More recent scholarship on lifestyle journalism suggests that it exists in a liminal space, constantly toeing the line between inhabiting traditional roles and conceptualisations of journalism, and embodying characteristics that can be deemed as conflicting with traditional journalistic values (From and Kristensen, 2020; Vodanovic, 2020). Lifestyle journalism’s close ties with consumption, for instance, has been derided by critics who argue that this trait conflicts with journalistic values like autonomy and independence (Hanusch, 2012; Vodanovic, 2020). Indeed, looking at the boundary work concept, Sjøvaag (2015) points out it could be used to illustrate the hard news/soft news division, where the latter – where lifestyle journalism is thought to reside – has been regarded by some as a lower journalistic genre.…”