The capitalist porn of the Kardashians and why you can't stop talking about Kylie Jenner being pregnant

I did my first class dissertation on the Kardashians, and I've noticed over the last year that their brand has gone downhill. Now everybody has reacted to Kylie's reported news with ridicule and voyeurism rather than envy. This is the beginning of the end

In the greatest plot twist since Bake Off moved to Channel 4, reports emerged this weekend claiming that Kylie Jenner – the youngest of the Kardashian clan – is expecting a baby with her boyfriend of five months, Travis Scott.

While the news remains unconfirmed, the internet has already lost its collective mind. The vast quantity of tweets, headlines and memes that have been produced in reaction to the news appears to be proof that we are all still very much Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

Last year I wrote my dissertation about the Kardashians and their coveted position as the royal family of post-feminist culture. This news travelled faster than Kim’s nude selfies, and soon my work was, inexplicably, being discussed across international media.

In my research and then in interviews, I stated that the family have the capacity to influence people, especially women, on an unprecedented scale, with both positive and negative effects. They have hundreds of millions of people in the palms of their hands. Collectively, they are the most followed family in the world. So, whether you approve of them or not, they must be taken seriously.

And yet, one year later, ratings for KUWTK are falling – even the recent episode in which Kim described her Paris robbery only garnered 1.5 million viewers, in comparison with the 10.5 million who tuned in to watch Kim marry Kris Humphries in 2011. Something has changed in the way they are written and spoken about. Is the age of the Kardashian coming to an end?

The keys to the Kardashian appeal have always been fantasy and fascination. We are captivated by their opulent and outrageous lives, which are so distant from our own. It is like porn for capitalists – we all know it gives us unrealistic expectations, but we can’t stop watching it anyway.

Even their most shocking moments are made palatable by their ongoing commitment to family values, hard work and all-American, wholesome charm. We watch the show, or follow them on Instagram, because they allow us to feel a connection to, and believe in the possibility of, a lifestyle we will never experience.

And yet this year has been hard on the Kardashian image. For the first time, we have seen them face problems they are unable to commercialise, or glamourise. Problems that transcend style and class and Kris Jenner’s magic touch. They have become human, much to the dismay of their audience.

The problem is that it doesn't matter how beautiful you look, or how nice your house is: no one wants to have Kim’s fertility problems. No one wants to see the world to see the father of their children partying with 19-year-old models, as Kourtney has. You can’t package heartbreak, or divorce, or robbery at gunpoint, or an ex-husband found in a coma at a brothel.

In the year since I finished my research, the events and stories that have surrounded the family may have irreparably fractured their brand and therefore their capacity to influence and inspire. They have shared and sold every inch of their lives for a decade, and now for the first time, they are offering things we don't want to buy.

When Rob Kardashian recently posted nude photos of his ex-fiancée Blac Chyna on Instagram, the world was outraged. Rather than the fact that a woman’s privacy had been violated, the biggest shock to many was that it was such an un-Kardashian thing to do. Loss of control? Emotional instability? Something so raw, unedited, un-PC? That’s not very on-brand. That’s not what the audience signed up for.

Kylie’s reported baby news, if it proves to be true, is just the most recent incident – alongside the public feud with Caitlyn Jenner, Kendall’s Pepsi advert scandal, and countless others – that has caused a disconnect with their previously adoring public. This has been clear in the online reaction, which has been undeniably voyeuristic. As huge as the response has been, no one is congratulating or idolising Jenner anymore. It feels more like morbid fascination, with a splash of ridicule for good measure. Everybody wants to see how badly she has messed up, and the drama it may cause. In the long run, this is not as enduring as envy.

We watch KUWTK to see the houses, and the clothes, and the bums. All these actual, genuine, human emotions are unwelcome distractions from the luxury, shattering the fantasy of a flawless life we’ve come to believe in – and, in many cases, paid to emulate.

The Kardashians’ magic has been letting us in on life of fun, glam squads, and frolicking in tropical locations; and allowing us to believe that that could be us if we were only beautiful or rich enough. But people want a fairytale with a perpetual happy ending. If the Kardashians can no longer provide that, their time at the top may be drawing to a close. We’ll always be keeping up with the Joneses, but in another 10 years, will we be Keeping Up With The Kardashians? I doubt it.