The image of street performers in media

The aim of the paper was to examine and analyze the context of activity of street performers, presented by the mass media in Poland. The research question was: How the image of street performer in media looks like? Who creates this image? The intention was to describe the way the street performers are being shown by: the media representatives, their own customers and also by themselves. Moreover, the paper highlights the aspect of social role of presenting this kind of human activity in media discourse. This text is a result of ethnography conducted among the street performers in the biggest Polish cities from 2012 to 2016. The ethnography was broadened with the analysis of various examples from media discourse: internet, television, radio, press, film and literature. The analysis includes three different meanings of media discourse: (1) as a communication occurrence, (2) as a compilation of values and (3) as an interaction. The results of the article show the media influence on contemporary meaning and shape of street performances. Moreover, the paper reveals a present social knowledge concerning the street shows.