TY  - CHAP
AB  - Purpose Postemotionalism, nostalgia for authentic emotional experiences, can be observed in every aspect of popular culture, particularly social media and reality television. Viewers are driven by the need to find the balance between individuality, expressed through “legitimate” emotions, insights and acceptance by their peer group on social media.Methodology/approach I use the program, “Catfish: The TV Show” to explore how postemotionalism operates in reality television.Findings This paper examines the new experience of dramatized emotions as they are portrayed in reality television and reflected on social media. I offer a theorization of social media users’ response to the search for authenticity on television through an analysis of a series of Twitter interactions surrounding “Catfish: The TV Show.”Originality/value The interactions on Twitter reveal that postemotionalism makes it difficult for viewers to distinguish between genuine, emotional interactions and projected, managed identities.
VL  - 11
SN  - 978-1-78560-785-1, 978-1-78560-784-4/2050-2060
DO  - 10.1108/S2050-206020160000011015
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/S2050-206020160000011015
AU  - Williams Apryl A.
PY  - 2016
Y1  - 2016/01/01
TI  - You’ve Been Catfished: An Analysis of Postemotionalism in “Reality” Television and Audience Response on Twitter
T2  - Communication and Information Technologies Annual
T3  - Studies in Media and Communications
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 89
EP  - 108
Y2  - 2024/04/20
ER  -