There aren’t many people in today’s society that do not know who the Kardashian’s are. Over the last ten years, the Kardashian’s and Kim especially have been making names for themselves by broadcasting their lives on television through a reality show ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’.
The whole family rose to fame quickly, and Kim became a worldwide sensation and is known for being mostly a TV personality but also a model, and for marrying the famous rapper Kanye West. In 2014, Kim released a game available on smartphones called Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. This game is an excellent example of audience participation because reviews and comments are used to improve the game and make changes to it. The game also offers ‘in-app purchases’ which the users spend their own money to make specific factors in the game happen. Kim Kardashian had reportedly made $74 million from the game in 2015.
The popularity of the game and audience participation could be because of people wanting to get a taste of the ‘A-List’ life that the game offers. It also has some realistic updates which include the ability to get married in the game and even have children.
With the huge popularity of Kim’s game, it’s no surprise that the youngest of the Kardashian-Jenner family would want to get on board. In February 2016, Kendall and Kylie released their own version of the game, and of course, it is also a huge success. Which is unfortunate for Kim.
Network Society and the Media 
I think you make a great point identifying the importance of audience participation in the ever-growing Kardashian empire. The Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game is an odd example of how audience participation shapes content as although users control their character’s actions/appearance, the concept of the game is to experience her celebrity lifestyle and surroundings. Also, without their large following on social media would they be as successful?
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This is a clear example of how celebrities can use their high profile to create even more money. Kim Kardashian now gives her ‘fans’ the opportunity to participate in her lifestyle via a virtual format which is incredibly clever as she already has a following on television with her lifestyle therefore she has noticed a market for the experience of this lifestyle.
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