Mediating orientation and self-expression in the world of consumption: Australian and German lifestyle journalists’ professional views

Abstract

Despite having experienced rapid popularity over the past two decades, lifestyle journalism is still somewhat neglected by academic researchers. So far mostly explored as either part of wider lifestyle programming, particularly on television, or in terms of individual sub-fields, such as travel, fashion or food journalism, lifestyle journalism is in need of scholarly analysis particularly in the area of production, based on the increasing importance which the field has in influencing audiences' ways of life. This study explores the professional views of 89 Australian and German lifestyle journalists through indepth interviews in order to explore the ways in which they engage in processes of influencing audiences' self-expression, identities and consumption behaviors. The article argues that through its work, lifestyle journalism is a significant shaper of identities in today's consumer societies.

Comparing Journalistic Cultures Across Nations

“…When it comes to studying journalistic actors and their professional views, recent literature provides evidence of numerous comparative studies examining small numbers of countries (e.g., Donsbach and Patterson 2004;van Dalen, de Vreese, and Albaek 2012;Hanusch and Hanitzsch 2013;Pintak 2014), as well as three large-scale projects notable for their global approach (Weaver 1998a;Hanitzsch et al 2011;Weaver and Willnat 2012). The rationale for a strong focus on journalists' professional views has long been that what journalists reflect on about their work, is also a reflection of the work they actually do, even though this notion has been put in doubt in recent years (Tandoc, Hellmueller, and Vos 2013).…”

Journalistic Roles and Everyday Life

“…Increasingly, however, scholars are becoming more aware and accepting of the need to enquire into journalism's role beyond politics, not least due to important economic, cultural and social changes in many Western democracies. Societal shifts towards individualization, de-traditionalization and value change particularly in prosperous economies have resulted in many people increasingly relying on the media to provide guidance and advice on how to live their lives (Hanusch and Hanitzsch 2013). Through its popularity among audiences, lifestyle journalism has become an important and profitable area of journalism (Bell and Hollows 2005), giving it enormous economic and cultural significance.…”

“…While a small number of studies have explored lifestyle journalists' role conceptions (e.g. Hanusch 2012a; Hanusch and Hanitzsch 2013), these are few and far between and much research on journalistic roles continues to focus predominantly on traditional notions of journalism's relationship with political life. The result has been that roles addressing everyday life remain under-articulated (Hanitzsch and Vos 2016).…”

“…Newsrooms are evolving and Reuters is evolving with our clients. (cited in Brook 2006) The growth in demand for lifestyle journalism can be attributed to three key developments, which have occurred predominantly in economically advanced Western societies over the past few decades (Hanusch and Hanitzsch 2013). First, processes of individualization have led to a decline in the role of traditional social institutions and the need for individuals to articulate their own identities, in line with what Giddens (1991) refers to as "detraditionalization".…”

“…One recent proposal for defining lifestyle journalism was made by Hanusch and Hanitzsch (2013), who noted that lifestyle itself is a contested term in different fields. They draw on Featherstone's (1987) argument that lifestyle needs to be understood particularly in relation to consumption, connoting individuality, self-expression and stylistic self-consciousness.…”