OSP: Paul Gilroy - Postcolonial theory and diasporic identity

 Paul Gilroy - blog tasks

Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet 170: Gilroy – Ethnicity and Postcolonial Theory. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets or you can access it online here using your Greenford Google login.

Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks:

1) How does Gilroy suggest racial identities are constructed?

He believes race was caused by racism and that racial identities were constructed through historical conflict. 

2) What does Gilroy suggest regarding the causes and history of racism?

He says racism wasn’t caused by human nature but rather by history/historical events such as colonialism which turned cultural differences into racial hierarchies. 

3) What is ethnic absolutism and why is Gilroy opposed to it?

The idea that humans belong to fixed groups based on their ethnicity/race and shouldn’t mix. He rejects this idea as he believes in a fluid identity that is shaped by history. 

4) How does Gilroy view diasporic identity?

He sees diasporic identity as a product of movement throughout history: ‘based on routes taken throughout history, and not through the roots of origin.’ 

5) What did Gilroy suggest was the dominant representation of black Britons in the 1980s (when the Voice newspaper was first launched)?

He believed they were ‘external and estranged from the imagined community that is the nation’. 

6) Gilroy argues diaspora challenges national ideologies. What are some of the negative effects of this?

There’s a clash of identities and ideologies which leads to cultural tension which has negative effects such as racism, cultural conflict and double consciousness. 

7) Complete the first activity on page 3: How might diasporic communities use the media to stay connected to their cultural identity? E.g. digital media - offer specific examples.

They can use the media to maintain a connection to their home country by engaging with cultural content, music and political movements. 

8) Why does Gilroy suggest slavery is important in diasporic identity?

He believes the modern world was built upon a normalised view of slavery and it has links to capitalism and black identity. 

9) How might representations in the media reinforce the idea of ‘double consciousness’ for black people in the UK or US?

In the media black people are often represented using stereotypes like rapper, criminal, gang member or athlete. This makes black people believe that this is how society views them and they see themselves through a racist pov as well as their personal pov. 

10) Finally, complete the second activity on page 3: Watch the trailer for Hidden Figures and discuss how the film attempts to challenge ‘double consciousness’ and the stereotypical representation of black American women.

The film challenges stereotypes by representing black women as intelligent, capable scientists and mathematicians who worked for NASA during segregation. The tag line says ‘Genius has no race. Strength has no gender. Courage has no limit.’ which directly challenges racist and sexist assumptions. The trailer shows the main characters struggling with the negative views that society has of them and how this limits them in their jobs and lives. Despite this, they work hard and are shown to be a big part of a significant historical moment as they help launch a rocket into space by doing maths nobody else was capable of. 

Taylor Swift: Audience and Industries blog tasks

 Audience

Background and audience wider reading

Read this Guardian feature on stan accounts and fandom. Answer the following questions:

1) What examples of fandom and celebrities are provided in the article?

Julia Fox, Matt Healy,Taylor Swift swifties, Nicki Minaj Barbs 

2) Why did Taylor Swift run into trouble with her fanbase? 

She had trouble with her fans over the ticket system failing which meant fans couldn't purchase tickets for her performance.

3) Do stan accounts reflect Clay Shirky's ideas regarding the 'end of audience'? How? 

Yes, Stan accounts do reflect Shirky's ideas as Stan accounts are an example of audiences not just consuming media but also producing it. 

Read this Conversation feature on the economics of Taylor Swift fandom. Answer the following questions: 

1) What do Taylor Swift fans spend their money on? 

Fans spend large amounts of money on concert tickets, albums and merchandise.

2) How does Swift build the connection with her fans? Give examples from the article.

She builds personal connections with randomly selected super fans who she sometimes invites to her home before concerts for 'secret sessions' and she also writes handwritten letters to fans or even sometimes sends personalised gifts.

3) What have Swifties done to try and get Taylor Swift's attention online? 

Swifts post and show off their devotion to her music online by posting images of themselves with merch/at concerts as this is recognised by Taylors 'Taylor Nation' twitter account which reposts these posts (getting her attention).

4) Why is fandom described as a 'hierarchy'? 

They're described as a hierarchy as there's different levels of fandom with those who spend more, attend more concerts or have better seats being considered higher level.

5) What does the article suggest is Swift's 'business model'? 

Her business model relies on fans desire to meet her as she gets people who buy more tickets and merch to gain her attention in hopes of meeting her as she has met other big fans who spend a lot.

Taylor Swift: audience questions and theories

Work through the following questions to apply media debates and theories to the Taylor Swift CSP. You may want to go back to your previous blogpost or your A3 annotated booklet for examples. 

1) Is Taylor Swift's website and social media constructed to appeal to a particular gender or audience?

2) What opportunities are there for audience interaction in Taylor Swift's online presence and how controlled are these? 

3) How does Taylor Swift's online presence reflect Clay Shirky’s ‘End of Audience’ theories? 

4) What effects might Taylor Swift's online presence have on audiences? Is it designed to influence the audience’s views on social or political issues or is this largely a vehicle to promote Swift's work? 

5) Applying Hall’s Reception theory, what might be a preferred and oppositional reading of Taylor Swift's online presence? 

Industries

How social media companies make money

Read this analysis of how social media companies make money and answer the following questions:

1) How many users do the major social media sites boast?

Q4 2022

Meta - 2.96 billion monthly active users 

LinkedIn - 900m

2019 (stopped reporting)

Twitter - 330m 

2) What is the main way social media sites make money? 

Advertisement

3) What does ARPU stand for and why is it important for social media companies? 

Average revenue per user and it’s important as it tells the company how much income each user generates.  

4) Why has Meta spent huge money acquiring other brands like Instagram and WhatsApp? 

They’ve purchased these companies to increase their total monthly users so they can target more people with advertisement. 

5) What other methods do social media sites have to generate income e.g. Twitter Blue? 

Sites make extra money by charging subscriptions for premium services which give extra benefits such as the X blue check mark. 

Regulation of social media

Read this BBC News article on a report recommending social media regulation. Answer the following questions:

1) What suggestions does the report make? Pick out three you think are particularly interesting. 

Adding ‘friction’ to online sharing to slow down the spread of misinformation

‘circuit breakers’ where viral content is briefly stopped from spreading while it’s fact checked.

Display a correction to everyone who was exposed to misinformation. 

2) Who is Christopher Wylie? 

He exposed how Cambridge Analytica used millions of people’s facebook data for targeted campaigns. 

3) What does Wylie say about the debate between media regulation and free speech? 

Wylie says that regulating platforms wouldn’t limit free speech and that people aren’t entitled to having their free speech amplified by technology. 

4) What is ‘disinformation’ and do you agree that there are things that are objectively true or false? 

Disinformation is false information that is spread to mislead people. I somewhat agree, some things are objectively true or false as they can be proved (positive statements) but people’s opinions (e.g. pizza is the best tasting food) can’t be proved or disproved and therefore can’t be true or false (normative statements). 

5) Why does Wylie compare Facebook to an oil company? 

He compares the spread of misinformation to pollution being spread by oil companies. He does this by saying that oil companies would claim they don’t profit from pollution the same way facebook claim not to benefit from hate. Even though this may be true, it’s still the harmful byproduct of their product. 

6) What does it suggest a consequence of regulating the big social networks might be? 

It could result in people moving to smaller social network platforms which advertise the ability to have “free speech” which will attract those who want to spread hate speech. 

7) What has Instagram been criticised for?

Harming mental health by promoting ‘perfect’ images which are highly edited and unrealistic. 

8) Can we apply any of these criticisms or suggestions to Taylor Swift? For example, should Taylor Swift have to explicitly make clear when she is being paid to promote a company or cause? 

I believe they could apply to Taylor Swift as she had a big influence on a large fan base so if she was to promote a product without stating it, it would make her fans think she use the product personally and make them more likely to use it themselves. 

Taylor Swift: Language and Representations blog tasks

Narrative

Go to our Media Magazine archive (issue MM79) and read the feature All Too Well on Taylor Swift and how she controls her own narrative. Answer the following questions: 

1) Why is Taylor Swift re-recording her earlier albums? 

She’s re recording her earlier albums to regain control of her music after her old record label sold the rights to it. 

2) Why did Taylor Swift choose to make the short film 'All Too Well'? 

She wanted to tell her story in her own words so she can take control of her personal narrative.

3) What other examples are provided in the article of Taylor Swift using media to construct her own image? 

Some of the examples provided include: shake it off (telling her haters she doesn’t care about their opinions), bad blood and in 2017 when she altered her image using darker clothing and black eye shadow to make herself seem more mature. 

Taylor Swift textual analysis

Work through the following tasks to complete your textual analysis of Taylor Swift's website and social media. 

1) Go to Taylor Swift's website. What do you notice about the media language choices - text, font, images, page design, links?

Use of modern sans serif font 

Very little text, short sentences rather than big chunks of writing 

Focus on imagery, taylor swift album cover 

First thing on the website and on the menu is her Shop/Store - capitalism 

Calls to action (shop now + sign up)

Tries to get users to sign up so they provide their emails and other info which can be used by companies taylor works with 

2) Now visit her Eras tour microsite. What do you notice about the construction of this site in terms of images and website conventions? 

Large central image of taylor from different eras - shows diversity of her music/career 

Mainly images, very little text other than captions

Links to social media accounts with screenshots from instagram and has links to her socials at the bottom of the website (cross media convergence)

3) Visit Taylor Swift's Twitter feed. Analyse her use of tweets/posts - are they promoting her music, her tour, or something else? Can you find any that are socially or politically oriented? 

A post from 2020: After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? ‘When the looting starts the shooting starts’??? We will vote you out in November.

@realdonaldtrump

This post is highly political as it comments on her political views and she’s trying to influence her fanbases political ideas by telling them what she thinks about trump. 

Her most recent post is promoting her newest album which shows that she mixes promotion and business with her personal beliefs on her social media. 

4) Look at Taylor Swift's Instagram account. What do you notice about the selection and construction of images, reels and posts?  

Her posts have a consistent warm colour palette

Posts cinematic shots rather than casual photos 

Mix of promotion and personal content 

Follows 0 people - not a casual instagram user 

5) Research Taylor Swift across any other social media accounts - e.g. Facebook. Do you notice any differences in how she represents herself on different platforms? Comment on text, images or tone/content.  

The content she posts remains very similar across all her platforms, she posts the same promotional content across all her social media but she used X to discuss more serious topics that she’s passionate about and to interact with her fans. Whereas she uses instagram,tiktok and facebook to post promotional content and participate in trends. 

Influencers and celebrity culture

1) Media Magazine reading

Media Magazine 72 has a feature linking YouTube influencers to A Level media theories. Go to our Media Magazine archive, click on MM72 and scroll to page 60 to read the article ‘The theory of everything - using YouTubers to understand media theory’. Answer the following questions:

1) How has YouTube "democratised media creativity"?

Content is posted first and then filtered later by consumers who judge the video with a like/dislike or a comment. Content is therefore judged by the number of views and the number of likes.

2) How does YouTube and social media culture act as a form of cultural imperialism or 'Americanisation'? 

Social media is dominated by US content creators which causes the spread of US cultural references, language and attitudes.

3) How do influencers reinforce capitalist ideologies? 

Once influencers gain a significant following they often receive sponsorships which require them to promote a product through their social media channels using strategic product placement and doing reviews. This reinforces capitalist ideologies as they encourage viewers to buy products to gain material improvement.

4) How can YouTube and social media celebrity content be read as postmodern, an example of hyperreality? 

Social media can be seen as postmodern as we see the breaking down of high and low culture. This is because, in the past celebrities were only those with talent and lavish lifestyles but due to the rise of social media there are now micro celebrities which can be ordinary people with large followings. 

5) What are the arguments for and against regulating online content such as YouTube?

Some may argue for the regulation of online content as sites such as YouTube could be used to spread hateful content and misinformation which can be consumed by vulnerable audiences such as younger more impressionable children. However, some argue against regulation as they believe censorship prevents free speech and people should have the right to choose what they consume.

6) How can Hesmondhalgh and Curran & Seaton's ideas be linked to online media debates? 

Their ideas link as social media is seen as a space where content is diversified and people have access to information and ideas from around the world but in reality this is less true as social media algorithms will only promote what is trending and therefore people are less likely to see a wide range of content. 

7) How can Gauntlett's ideas around identity and audience be applied to YouTube and influencer content?

Audiences use content to pick and mix different aspects of identities found online to form their own unique identity.

8) What is YOUR opinion on celebrity influencers? Are they a positive, democratic addition to the contemporary media landscape or a highly constructed product promoting hegemonic capitalist ideologies?   

I believe celebrity influencers can be both positive and negative depending on the content they post and the ideas they promote. This is because many celebrity influencers are known for being humble and spreading positivity by posting authentic content whereas some creators chose to post highly unrealistic, edited and negative content which has a negative impact on their viewers.

2) How to build a social media brand: case study

Read this excellent case study on how to build a celebrity social media brand and answer the following questions: 

1) What are the different ways celebrities manage their social media accounts? Give examples. 

Some celebrities have social media managers who post promotional content such as harry styles' manager who posts information about tickets for his concert and some chose to post their own content and use their social media to build a connection with their fanbase. 

2) Why is 'voice' important in celebrity social media content and what examples are provided? 

Voice is the tone and personality portrayed through a celebrities posts/content on social media. This is important as different celebrities have different audiences and different goals as to what they want their online presence to achieve. An example of this being provided is Mark Ruffalo's instagram where he posts about his political activism which could be him trying to gain support from his viewers.

3) What different goals may celebrities have for their social media accounts? 

Celebrities might use their social media accounts to: maintain/control their image, promote upcoming projects, engage with fans, another stream of income or to influence their viewers socially/politically.

4) What types of content can be found from celebrity social media posts? 

Types of content include behind the scenes, news, updates, hype posts, inspirational/heartwarming content and iconic celebrity snapshots. 

5) How does social media allow influencers to interact with fans? Give examples.  

They interact with fans through comments, likes, reposts and asking questions for their fans to answer. 

3) Guardian article: Social media harming young people

Finally, read this Guardian article reporting that social media and celebrity culture is harming young people. Answer the following questions:

1) What did the YMCA's report suggest about social media content and celebrity culture?  

Their report suggests that social media content has a negative impact on young people as celebrity posts are highly edited and create unrealistic expectations.

2) What examples are provided of how this can have a damaging effect on young people? 

These edited pictures are making young people compare themselves to pictures which aren't real which creates an unrealistic beauty standard and can lead to many insecurities or even bullying of those who don't meet the standard for conventional beauty. 

3) What is YOUR opinion on this topic? Do you feel social media is dangerous to young people? Should age restrictions be enforced? Explain your answer. 

Clay Shirky: End of audience blog tasks

Media Magazine reading

Media Magazine 55 has an overview of technology journalist Bill Thompson’s conference presentation on ‘What has the internet ever done for me?’ It’s an excellent summary of the internet’s brief history and its impact on society. Go to our Media Magazine archive, click on MM55 and scroll to page 13 to read the article ‘What has the internet ever done for me?’ Answer the following questions:

1) Looking over the article as a whole, what are some of the positive developments due to the internet highlighted by Bill Thompson?

The internet allows people freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of press in just one connection. The internet also has political, educational and economic advantages.

2) What are the negatives or dangers linked to the development of the internet?

It's hard to filter and control which allows for the spread of hate and illegal content such as child abuse which can be accessed via the 'dark web'. Another danger to consider is the online abuse and bullying which many people face through social media and chat rooms. 

3) What does ‘open technology’ refer to? Do you agree with the idea of ‘open technology’?

Open technology can be interpreted in different ways, it could mean: computers being able to run any program without the need for it to be checked, end to end encryption or the ability to access or change software without payment or permission. I believe openness is good but only to a certain extent as there are challenges with illegal and immoral use of technology when not being monitored. 

4) Bill Thompson outlines some of the challenges and questions for the future of the internet. What are they?

Bill Thompson says that the future of the internet could have challenges relating to safety and rule/law enforcement as in order to get the full experience and benefit from it, it has to be as open as possible.

5) Where do you stand on the use and regulation of the internet? Should there be more control or more openness? Why?

I believe the internet should be controlled more as people are using it to do illegal things anonymously which could lead to real life harm and it makes it harder for the police to track criminals who are protected by encrypted chats. 

Clay Shirky: Here Comes Everybody

Clay Shirky’s book Here Comes Everybody charts the way social media and connectivity is changing the world. Read Chapter 3 of his book, ‘Everyone is a media outlet’, and answer the following questions:

1) How does Shirky define a ‘profession’ and why does it apply to the traditional newspaper industry?

A profession is when specialisation is used to solve a difficult problem regarding managing a scarce resource. This links to the newspaper industry as when resources are scarce journalists must decide what news is worthy of being printed and published.

2) What is the question facing the newspaper industry now the internet has created a “new ecosystem”?

What happens when publishing is no longer unique, this is because the internet has made it so that everyone is capable of publishing whatever they want which means there is no longer any scarcity. 

3) Why did Trent Lott’s speech in 2002 become news?

Traditional media chose to ignore the story but online bloggers decided to post criticising it which made it gain popularity and forced the news to discuss it. 

4) What is ‘mass amateurisation’?

Mass amateurisation refers to the rise of the internet giving people access to the tools they need to publish whereas in the past only professionals had access to these tools. 

5) Shirky suggests that: “The same idea, published in dozens or hundreds of places, can have an amplifying effect that outweighs the verdict from the smaller number of professional outlets.” How can this be linked to the current media landscape and particularly ‘fake news’?

This idea links to the current media landscape as fake news being spread online and going viral is more likely to gain attention and be believed by people than news from traditional outlets. 

6) What does Shirky suggest about the social effects of technological change? Does this mean we are currently in the midst of the internet “revolution” or “chaos” Shirky mentions?

Shirky discusses how technology has changed the way people consume and share information and how people are now able to access multiple sources from around the world. This means we’re currently experience revolution. 

7) Shirky says that “anyone can be a publisher… [and] anyone can be a journalist”. What does this mean and why is it important?

Everyone who has access to technology and the internet is now able to publish whatever they want onto the internet, this is important because the media we consume is no longer being controlled by a small group.

8) What does Shirky suggest regarding the hundred years following the printing press revolution? Is there any evidence of this “intellectual and political chaos” in recent global events following the internet revolution? 

The internet revolution has lead to the spread of fake news and misinformation, clear examples of this can be seen when looking at global events such as COVID where people were spreading misinformation and conspiracies.  

9) Why is photography a good example of ‘mass amateurisation’?

In the past only a photographer could take a photo as it required expensive equipment which wasn’t easily found but the introduction of smartphones meant everyone had a device in their pocket with the ability to take a photo whenever they wanted with no experience whatsoever. 

10) What do you think of Shirky’s ideas on the ‘End of audience’? Is this era of ‘mass amateurisation’ a positive thing? Or are we in a period of “intellectual and political chaos” where things are more broken than fixed? 

In my opinion mass amateurisation has had both positive and negative impacts. It means that people have more freedom due to having access to free information on the internet and it has improved the lives of many but it also comes with the risk of spreading of misinformation as people post first and filter later. People are being fed large amounts of information which makes it harder for them to look into and verify which can lead to people not believing things they see online or even believing things that they shouldn’t. This can also have impacts on politics which is similar to the chaos seen after the printing press revolution. 

Magazines: final index

 

1) Magazines: Front cover practical task

2) Magazines: GQ - Language and Representation

3) Magazines: GQ - Audience & Industry

4) Magazines: Front cover practical task LR

5) Magazines: The Gentlewoman - Language and Representations

6) Magazines: The Gentlewoman - Audience and Industries

7) Magazines: Industries - the appeal of print and independent magazines

Magazines: Industries - the appeal of print and independent magazines

 1) Writer's Edit journal article

Read this excellent Writer's Edit academic journal article on the independent magazine industry and answer the following questions:

1) What is the definition of an independent print magazine?

An independent print magazine is one that is published without the financial support of a large corporation. 

2) What does Hamilton (2013) suggest about independent magazines in the digital age?

They suggest that despite the decline of print, independent magazines have been quietly thriving due to their niche market.

3) Why does the article suggest that independent magazines might be succeeding while global magazine publishers such as Bauer are struggling?

The article suggests that the reason independent magazines have been successful is because they have a strong online presence and have taken advantage of developments in technology.

4) What does the article suggest about how independent publishers use digital media to target their niche audiences?

They use tools such as social media to target audiences based on their interests and form an online community of people with shared interests while simultaneously recruiting new readers. 

5) Why is it significant that independent magazines are owned and created by the same people? How does this change the creative process and direction of the magazine?

It means they’re free from commercial pressure as they don’t have to listen to advertisers/larger corporation owners that fund mainstream magazines. This allows them to create more genuine and niche content. 

6) What does the article suggest regarding the benefits of a 'do-it-yourself' approach to creating independent magazines?

It gives publishers creative freedom and encourages collaboration. 

7) The article discusses the audience appeal of print. Why might audiences love the printed form in the digital age?

Having a print copy of a magazine has become increasingly appealing to a niche audience due to reasons such as nostalgia, the experience of holding an actual magazine infront of you rather than your device and some may use these as a form of decoration to show people who visit their homes their personality. 

8) What are the challenges in terms of funding and distributing an independent magazine?

They rely on crowdfunding and high cover prices which makes it hard for them to compete with mainstream magazines who can afford to pay professional rates while keeping costs low for the end user. 


2) Irish Times feature on independent magazines

Now read this short feature in the Irish Times on the growth of independent magazines and answer the following questions:

1) Why are independent magazines so popular?

They’re popular due to the rise of social media allowing publishers to reach audiences worldwide and the appeal of newspapers being collectibles also adds to their popularity. 

2) Why is the magazine publishing industry set up to favour the big global conglomerates?

Big global conglomerates have the upper hand as they’re economies of scale and rely on advertising revenue rather than cover costs which means they can charge a much lower price. 

3) What does the article suggest regarding finding an audience for an independent magazine?

If the target audience is too broad they’ll get lost but if it’s too narrow then there won’t be as many buyers. This means they have to be specific but not too niche in order to survive. 

4) What are the challenges for magazine distributors?

They need to find an audience before publishing as the cost of shipping magazines and returning unsold magazines is a huge risk for publishers.

5) The article suggests that many independent magazines only make money by diversifying into other products. What examples do they give?

They make money by creating additional revenue streams through things such as merchandise and events. The examples given  for the League of Ireland fan culture magazine being that you can “host events, sell graphic prints, T-shirts and maybe set up a Patreon account where you can host football podcasts.”