The Publicization of Privacy in the Confessional Society or the Loss of Meaning of Privacy in the Liquid Modern World

One of the most important sociologists of the 20th and 21st centuries, Zygmunt Bauman, discusses various forms of society specific to the liquid modern age. He argues that mass media does not change reality but represents the opposite. According to him, situations related to private areas such as privacy, secrecy, and confidentiality have been trivialized in the liquid modern world, and the disclosure of these situations has been presented as a form of freedom. This study aims to uncover how television, one of the most significant mass media platforms, portrays the confessional society, a societal form conceptualized by Bauman for the liquid modern age. First, this study reveals Bauman's thoughts specific to the confessional society by referencing primary sources during the literature review. Then, it endeavors to make Bauman's specific discourses on the confessional society concrete and understandable using content analysis technique. In this context, daytime television programs broadcasted in T & uuml;rkiye were examined, and the program "Esra Erol'da" was selected as a case study. The reason for choosing this program is that it offers content that goes beyond the moral values and social value dimensions of the confessional society discourse. In the program analyzed within the framework of the confessional society, it was found that topics people might hesitate to share even with their close circles in their daily lives were made public over an 11-day period, leading to the normalization of the language contributing to such publicity.

Dergi

TURKIYE ILETISIM ARASTIRMALARI DERGISI-TURKISH REVIEW OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES

Yıl

2024

Sayı

45

Sayfa

29-51

eISSN

2630-6220

DOI

10.17829/turcom.1373166

WoS UID

WOS:001267407800002