ELLIS CASHMORE
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elliscashmore.bsky.social
ELLIS CASHMORE
@elliscashmore.bsky.social
330 followers 170 following 380 posts
Author of "The Destruction and Creation of Michael Jackson" (above), "Elizabeth Taylor" (both published by Bloomsbury) and "Celebrity Culture" (Routledge, now in its 3rd edition). Regular contributor to Fair Observer magazine.
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elliscashmore.bsky.social
Twelve days until Australia’s idiotic social-media ban kicks in. We should thank the Aussies for volunteering as the canaries in the coal pit — with similar fates.
fairobserver.com/business/tec...

#AusPol #SocialMediaBan #DigitalRights #Australia #Meta #TeensOnline

via @myfairobserver.bsky.social
Australia’s Idiotic Social Media Ban
Australia’s social media ban for children under 16 is set to take effect on December 10 — becoming the world’s first prohibition...
fairobserver.com
November 28, 2025 at 12:52 PM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
Australia’s Idiotic Social Media Ban ... why it's doomed to fail.
fairobserver.com/business/tec...
@handle.invalid mau.bsky.social
@theheraldo.bsky.social dsun.bsky.social
@australia.theguardian.com
@skynewsrss.bsky.social sky.social
@brisbanetimes.bsky.social
@canberratimes.bsky.social
Australia’s Idiotic Social Media Ban
Australia’s social media ban for children under 16 is set to take effect on December 10 — becoming the world’s first prohibition...
fairobserver.com
November 22, 2025 at 4:49 PM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
Australia’s Idiotic Social Media Ban @elliscashmore
fairobserver.com/business/tec...
@abcnews4.com
@smhn.bsky.social
@theageaustralia.bsky.social
@7newsaustralia.bsky.social
@9newsaus.bsky.social
@abc7.bsky.social
Australia’s Idiotic Social Media Ban
Australia’s social media ban for children under 16 is set to take effect on December 10 — becoming the world’s first prohibition...
fairobserver.com
November 22, 2025 at 4:47 PM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
A Century of Royal Scandal 👑🔥
From the 1936 abdication to the Andrew–Epstein debacle, I chart a 100 years of Windsor controversies in @fairobserver.bsky.social

An interactive timeline: fairobserver.com/timeline/a-c...
#RoyalFamily #Windsor #Monarchy #UKPolitics #Scandal #PrinceAndrew #Epstein
fairobserver.com
November 20, 2025 at 8:47 AM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
🚨 IS TAYLOR SWIFT REALLY AS GREAT AS SHAKESPEARE? 🎤🎨🎼
Her albums break records, her tours make history 🏟️—but can she match the artistic giants she now stands alongside?
READ NOW IN #FairObserver 👉 www.fairobserver.com/culture/is-t...
#TaylorSwift #PopCulture #Swifties #ArtisticGreatness #MusicCanon
Is Taylor Swift Really as Great as Shakespeare?*
Taylor Swift dominates global culture as her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, breaks sales records and cements her influence across media.
www.fairobserver.com
November 8, 2025 at 4:19 PM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
IS TAYLOR SWIFT REALLY AS GREAT AS SHAKESPEARE?🔥
Her albums break records, her tours make history 🏟️—she’s already a legend. But can she exceed the artistic giants she now stands alongside?
COMING SOON IN #FairObserver
#TaylorSwift #ErasTour #PopCulture #Swifties #ArtisticGreatness
November 7, 2025 at 5:42 PM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
Stabbing considered to be an isolated incident, says defence secretary. How about: Manchester synagogue attack (Oct 2025), Uxbridge (Oct 2025), Nottingham (June 2023), Reading (June 2020)? #TrainAttack #Security #PublicSafety @btsofficialtweets.bsky.social
@metpolice.bsky.social
November 2, 2025 at 10:45 AM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
📘 1st published (privately): 1928, Florence
🚫 Banned: 1928–1960 in UK
✅ First legal UK edition: November 1, 1960
📚 Nov 1, 1960, @penguinbooksusa.bsky.social
published Lady Chatterley’s Lover after winning a landmark obscenity trial
#DHLawrence #LadyChatterleysLover #OnThisDay #Censorship
October 29, 2025 at 2:39 PM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
Taylor Swift & JK Rowling: icons whose work defines eras and embodies female empowerment. Now, both are under fire like never before. I explore the fallout here: fairobserver.com/culture/when... www.fairobserver.com/culture/when...
When the Spell Breaks for Taylor Swift and J.K. Rowling
Taylor Swift and J.K. Rowling — arguably two of the world’s most influential women — face renewed public criticism as their art..
www.fairobserver.com
October 16, 2025 at 11:42 AM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
⚽️ A quarter-century ago, @politybooks.bsky.social
asked me to write a book on a rising footballer who later became a global celebrity.
Why does the world still find David Beckham 🕶️fascinating?
Answer 🔗
www.fairobserver.com/region/europ... @politybooks.bsky.social
Why Do the Beckhams Still Fascinate Us?
Where most celebrities rise, saturate the media and fade, former football star David Beckham remains in the limelight.
www.fairobserver.com
October 10, 2025 at 4:20 PM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
She studied fame like others study design — and built a brand that never fades.
In the new Netflix doc, Victoria Beckham says, “It’s not about him, it’s about me.”
I’d say she’s right. My analysis in @myfairobserver:
🔗 www.fairobserver.com/region/europ...
Why Do the Beckhams Still Fascinate Us?
Where most celebrities rise, saturate the media and fade, former football star David Beckham remains in the limelight.
www.fairobserver.com
October 9, 2025 at 5:20 PM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
🎤 Ellis Cashmore will be speaking at the Sociology in Action event on 5 December about the evolution of celebrity culture. First event sold out, but tickets for this one are still available: educationinaction.org.uk/speaker/elli... #CelebrityCulture #Timeline #FairObserver
October 3, 2025 at 4:40 PM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
COMING SOON in #FairObserver: Why Do the Beckhams Still Fascinate Us? ⭐️Most celebrities fade after their peak but David & Victoria remain a global brand—bridging generations, reinventing themselves and still captivating audiences. Why?
#Beckham #VictoriaBeckham #DavidBeckham
October 3, 2025 at 4:38 PM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
COMING SOON in #FairObserver: Why Do the Beckhams Still Fascinate Us? ⭐️
Most celebrities fade after their peak but David & Victoria remain a global brand—bridging generations, reinventing themselves and still captivating audiences. Why?
#Beckham #VictoriaBeckham #DavidBeckham
September 30, 2025 at 4:38 PM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
Today marks 70 years since the UK’s first ever TV ad aired: Gibbs SR toothpaste (22 Sept 1955). Even then, advertising was already seeping into every corner of social life. Now, it's inescapable.
Watch it here: youtube.com/watch?v=Eeu3... @ITV
#OTD #TVHistory #Advertising #Marketing
The UK's first TV advert: Gibbs SR toothpaste | Unilever
YouTube video by Unilever
youtube.com
September 22, 2025 at 7:57 AM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
Tokyo 2025 is Britain’s worst performance in global athletics in 20 years. 🇬🇧🥈🥈🥈🥉🥉 Just 5 medals (0 golds). The last time GB did worse was Helsinki 2005, with only 3 medals.

#WorldAthletics #Tokyo2025 #TeamGB #Athletics #TrackandField #GoldStandardFunding
September 21, 2025 at 12:54 PM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
📢 #ALevel #Sociology students + teachers! Sociology in Action is back: 10 Nov, London 📷 #SociologyInAction #EducationInAction #SixthForm #CollegeLife #Students #SocialJustice educationinaction.org.uk/study-day/so...
@bjse.bsky.social u_in_action
September 17, 2025 at 5:47 PM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
The Mushroom Murders: inexplicable, illogical, and terrifying. But what if the key lies not in psychology, but in sociology? @routledgehistory.bsky.social author @elliscashmore.bsky.social investigates:
fairobserver.com/culture/anat...
#StudySociology
#SociologyStudents
#SociologyDegree
#Sociology
Anatomy of the Mushroom Murders
Australia’s “mushroom murders” have gripped the world. Erin Patterson is found guilty of poisoning her in-laws and a relative of her husband,
fairobserver.com
September 16, 2025 at 4:43 PM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
Armani wasn’t just about clothes. His designs embodied Bourdieu’s distinction and Bauman’s liquid modernity: style as social capital, identity as performance. In the 1980s, fashion became a way of being.

More in @FairObserver ⬇️
www.fairobserver.com/region/europ...
In Memoriam: Giorgio Armani and the Rise of Designer Culture
Italian designer Giorgio Armani has passed away at the age of 91, marking the end of an era in fashion. His work represents a cultural shift...
www.fairobserver.com
September 6, 2025 at 2:29 PM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
28 years ago this Sunday, the world lost Diana, Princess of Wales—a woman who redefined the monarchy and captivated the globe. I reflected on her life and legacy on the 20th anniversary: www.fairobserver.com/region/europ...
20 Years After Diana, Princess of Wales
Even the most sober account of her life and death seems like a fairytale that got out of hand.
www.fairobserver.com
August 29, 2025 at 4:01 PM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
THE HISTORY OF NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL 🎭🎶
Carnival begins today but its story stretches back over 60 years — from the 1958 race riots to Rastafari and reggae, from “sus” laws to knife crime. A 6-part thread on joy, struggle and the Met Police ⬇️
#NottingHillCarnival #London #CarnivalHistory #MetPolice
August 23, 2025 at 1:17 PM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
1 of 6. THE NOEL CLARKE CASE:
In the post-#MeToo era, Noel Clarke was the rare accused man who fought back ferociously. He sued The Guardian for £70m, claiming cancellation. He lost. A judge ruled the allegations “substantially true.” Due process didn’t save him—it finished him. #MeToo
August 22, 2025 at 4:51 PM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
30,000+ asylum seekers in the UK. Some councils plan action against hotels housing them. Today’s Britain is more diverse & anti-racist than ever—but this could become the most divisive issues of this century. #AsylumSeekers #Immigration #UKPolitics #Diversity #SocialCohesion
August 20, 2025 at 5:45 PM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
Union Jacks in Birmingham. Palestinian flags nationwide. Clashes over asylum in Epping. Britain is more diverse and inclusive than ever—so why do the symbols feel like battle lines?
bbc.co.uk/news/article...

#UK #Diversity #Identity #Immigration #CultureWars #UnionJack #Asylum
Birmingham roundabouts graffitied to look like St George's flags
At least six roundabouts have the red crosses, with opinion on them dividing Birmingham residents.
bbc.co.uk
August 20, 2025 at 12:19 PM
elliscashmore.bsky.social
From @emeraldpublishing.bsky.social author Ellis Cashmore: Can we truly appreciate art without considering the artist’s worldview?
👉 www.fairobserver.com/region/europ...
#KenLoach #film #politics #auteur
Ken Loach: Auteur as Agent Provocateur
Ken Loach, a veteran British filmmaker known for political drama and social realism in his films, objected to labor practices at the Turin Film Festival’s parent institution.
www.fairobserver.com
August 20, 2025 at 8:09 AM