Celebrification of Politics: The Behavior Study of the Political Elite in West Sulawesi

Abstract

This study aims at exploring and analyzing the forms of celebrification conducted by the elite politicians in Polewali Mandar. This research was qualitative research with a constructivist approach. The political behavior of eight pairs of Regent candidates in Polman on the local election in 2013 was the object of study. The researchers acted as the main instrument because it was a qualitative research. The collected data include various types, forms, and model of political advertising used by the elite politicians when the election took place. The results showed that the political advertisements used by politicians are in the form of conventional media (billboards, banners, and calendars), online media (Facebook), VCD, Youtube, printed media, television media, and face to face model. Celebrity culture that emphasizes self-image seem to be very clear in the form of the tagline of politicians names so that it sounds cool. Also, those who have the image as a pious, intelligent, religious, and visionary people will be easily offered to the voting public. Another form is that the politicians act as a celebrity in the true sense.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n6p275