What We Mean when We Say… Celebrity Activism in the Time of the Economy of Attention: the Case of Serbia
Author(s) Filip Balunović Publisher Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade Published 2022 ISBN 978-86-82324-03-4 Pages 13 Edition Square
In post-industrial societies, attention has become a more valuable currency than the one we store in our bank accounts. Therefore, this text deals with the way in which this phenomenon affects social and political activism, which must compete for attention with, on the one hand, commercial actors, and large, financially powerful political organizations on the other. One of the most common activist strategies in that competition is the engagement of celebrities who bring great visibility with them and attract wider public attention. This text investigates this phenomenon, which we call “celebrity activism,” on the case of Serbia. First, it addresses the question of how the economy of attention has influenced activism in Serbia, and then what is the role of “celebrities” in the struggle that social movements are waging against the “windmills” of the economy of attention in that country. In this research, the focus is on three activist groups: “Against dictatorship,” “One in 5 million” and the environmental movement. Finally, taking into account the analysis, the text proposes a strategy for kinds of activist engagement of public figures that are effective and kinds that are counter-productive.