As each year comes and goes, there is a natural anticipation and worry about what the year to come can hold, a natural disaster or global pandemic (or even both) could be right around the corner. We can only plan so much and then have to adapt to the circumstances. When planning how I wanted to spend my first year of proper adulthood, I never would have planned nor comprehended my first years into adulthood to be what they are now. Initially, I expected my life, following my return from Canada, to look something like this: moving out of college and into my first sharehouse, resuming my career as a customer service representative at a local car dealership, attending university classes on campus with a slight migraine from the whirlwind of fun the night before and finally being able to run on the beach along long coast lines in the beautiful summer sun; something I was not able to enjoy while I was rugged up in Canada. Even on the flight to Canada planning this ideal life to return too, I did not think I was asking too much nor being unreasonable. As abrupt as a highway patrol car on Mt Ousley, the COVID-19 pandemic began, and with it brought similar feelings to seeing a highway patrol car, initial fear, scepticism and the strange feeling that you might need to buy some toilet paper.
On the spontaneous flight home, I felt a lot of emotions, firstly sadness as my 3 month holiday was coming to an end and that I would be able to see a lot of the people I met overseas for a very long time. Secondly, I felt excited to see my family and friends. Finally, I felt anxious from the uncertainty of the pandemic, would everything be the same? Would I still have my job? And what will I panic buy first if things start looking like Wolfgang Petersen’s 1995 classic, ‘Outbreak’.
Following landing and experiencing the ‘usual’ feelings of jetlag, I began to pack up my things and move into my new shared house in Wollongong, which was conveniently close to where I worked. With the help of mum, I successfully moved in and was ready to catch up on the week of study I was already behind in and starting back at work! Initially, everything was normal, however following the increasing restrictions things I had taken for granted, like sitting on the beach and walking through shopping centres, began to close. I soon found myself unemployed, with a severely low savings and a belief that things might not get better. During the major disruption of being unemployed, I also began to notice that the feelings of exhaustion (or what I thought at the time was just jetlag) was still present and began to grow anxious.
Naturally, I tried to fill the newly empty hours with self-development, starting with energizing myself and overcoming the unusual feelings of anxiety through exercise, something that has always made me feel better. Two days into my fitness regime, I was running and started to feel incredibly dizzy, uneasy and that something wasn’t right. I tried to keep running, I felt my legs begin to buckle beneath me, my vision grew darker and this horrific anxious feeling overcame me. I fainted, when I woke I noticed that people stared at me like I was contaminated, no one offered a hand. Aside from loosing my job, this was my first experience with the new style of life post COVID-19. The following week, I was broken – completely distraught and exhausted for no apparent reason. I was certain it was subsequent to loosing my job and having too much free time, however after multiple blood tests I discovered that I had Glandular Fever, which ultimately lead to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
During the initial stages, I would be lucky to get out of bed and walk to the kitchen, or have enough energy to clean. Fortunately during this time classes had gone online and I was unemployed, so I was able to begin to recover. Believe it or not, I am still not better – I now can’t drink alcohol (for the remainder of 2020) and can’t exercise for longer than 15 minutes, but as everything in life tends do, my situation has greatly improved. I now work part-time again, live a healthier lifestyle and can finally understand how my sister felt in 2008 when she experienced Glandular Fever herself.
(Princess and the Frog, Source: Giphy)
Through out my experiences this year, I am able to reflect on my circumstances and uncover the true motive of what it means to be alive in a sense, that while life may deal you many obstacles and interruptions, all instances are ultimately just other life events.
A myriad of confronting environmental issues have been presented throughout many environmental documentaries in the late 20th century, including Sir David Attenborough’s ‘Blue Planet’ (2001) and ‘Black Fish’ (2013). However, with the presentation of these major environmental issues, it is important to critique the success of documentaries concerning igniting public discussion and creating the need for collective change.
Documentary films are powerful tools that provide in-depth research and information in a captivating way that can trigger discussion and even spark social movements. Due to the power documentaries have in creating conversation, I have decided to investigate how environmental documentaries are potentially changing social, political and cultural beliefs of their respective audiences regarding ‘Blue Planet’ and ‘Black Fish’.
Orca Trainer at Sea World San Diego
Documentaries target the pre-existing beliefs and ideals of their respective audiences while providing entertainment, through the use of two core conventions. Firstly, the human element of environmental documentaries, including camera crews, expensive technology, housing and farms are exempt from filming. This is done to create an idealistic view of the ‘natural world’, showcasing only the environment and the factors affecting that particular environment. Subsequently, by employing this convention, documentaries are only providing a highly edited, staged version of reality but are also further enhancing their ability to persuade their audiences.
Behind the scenes of ‘Blue Planet II’, illustrating the removed human factor
They can do this by showcasing the ‘untouched’ beauty of the environment and contrast that to the humanized world that is diminishing/harming the natural environment triggering a desire to change in audiences. In the 2001 documentary, ‘Blue Planet’, Sir David Attenborough heavily uses this convention to draw attention from our humanized world to focus on the environmental world and the detrimental factors currently effecting specific environments. An example of this, which I will discuss in my research project, is prevalent through the discussion of the film of the irreversible damages caused by plastic pollution across many environments however especially in our oceans.
Blue Planet Poster (2001)
Secondly, documentaries usually follow a traditional narrative structure, meaning that throughout the environmental documentary there is usually a coming of age story, a quest for a mate or the need to find food. This style is traditionally incorporating to influence audience members, as audiences can relate the experiences showcased in the documentary and connect with animals depicted on screen. In addition to this structure, directors often anthropomorphise, provide animals with human emotions and characteristics, animals that appear on the screen. Anthropomorphism is a useful tool to emote empathy in responders, as audiences can relate their past experiences of heartbreak, loss of a loved one or belonging, the feeling of isolation/ being trapped, fear and sadness. In the 2007 documentary, ‘Black Fish’, director Gabriela Cowperthwaite employs the convention of a traditional narrative structure and anthropomorphism to evoke a sympathetic response from audiences regarding the heartbreaking story of Tillikum and other Orca’s held in captivity across the world.
‘Corky’, an Orca in captivity in Sea World San Diego, anthropomorphized to be sad due to the collapsed dorsal fin.
Due to the opinion lead nature of documentaries, for example, that global warming occurs or that it does not, and the ‘fictional’ nature that is depicted in environmental documentaries, it is imperative to investigate how documentaries can change or challenge the beliefs and ideals of their respective audiences. For my research project, I will be investigating the nature of influence documentaries have in influencing public opinion with social, cultural and political beliefs. To assess the success of documentaries in challenging social views, I will critique a variety of articles specifically focusing on ‘Nature documentaries and saving nature: Reflections on Blue Planet’ (J, Jones 2019) and ‘The Black Fish Effect and Corporate Change’ (E, Parsons 2018) while subsequently evaluating the political changes that both ‘Blue Planet’ and ‘Black Fish’ achieved, for example, the Queen’s ban on single-use plastic and Sea World losing millions in revenue across all of its parks in America.
Tillikum the Orca, Sea World
As environmental documentaries have a large audience with varying age, cultural, socioeconomic and geographical determinants, I have decided to target my research to university students ages 18 – 27. As part of my secondary research, I aim to interview members of this age range who have/ have not seen both/ either of the two documentaries that I am investigating (Black Fish and Blue Planet), I will ask them a series of questions regarding their perceptions before seeing and post watching the two films, for example, I will ask ‘Following watching Black Fish, has your perception on aquatic wildlife parks/aquariums changed? With this knowledge do you think you will return to one of these parks anytime soon?’ or ‘Following watching Blue Planet, have you changed/ or thought about changing your habits as a consumer when purchasing plastic items? Would you consider using a waste-free alternative such as a keep cup, reusable drink bottle or bags?’ By asking a group of individuals specific questions, I will be able to investigate the effects of documentaries in challenging the cultural, political and social beliefs of university students aged 18 – 27. I will obtain this secondary research through interviews with peers and classmates, online questionnaires and feedback.
Sir David Attenborough, 2015
Documentaries have a significant influence over the perceptions of their respective audiences, while also having the potential to spark conversation and challenge existing political, social and cultural beliefs. Due to this factor, it is important to understand the effect that a documentary can have on a particular audience to assist social change, subsequently, it is also important for audiences to understand the influence of documentaries, so that they are more understanding of the single-sided views displayed in documentaries and have a larger ambition to investigate opposing views to understand the larger picture. Documentary films have been a large factor in my life, from watching environmental documentaries as a child, throughout my schooling experience and now as a form of self-improvement and to grow my own personal knowledge. Due to this factor and the factors previously discussed, is why I am undertaking this topic as my desired topic for my research assignment.
Diversity in popular culture has allowed for greater connections to be established within groups of individuals. Aided through ideas, stories, individuals and artefacts, popular culture and fandom hold a significant place in one’s identity, as it inspires a shared conversation between individuals. ‘What we consider to be popular says something powerful about whowe are’. (Professor Do Pop, 2016) From the first instance of modern fandom, involving Sherlock Holmes in 1893 to the more recent fandoms surrounding popular science fictions including Star Wars, Star Trek and cartoon comedy Rick and Morty, fandom has shaped many individuals perceptions, while subsequently redefining it’s own roots from being characterized as ‘taboo’, ‘crazy’ and ‘fanatic’ towards a ‘passionate’ and ‘creative’ guise (Jenkins, H ). With popular culture and more specifically fandom, holding a significant relationship between people and the media, it is important to investigate the ways audiences behave within particular fandoms especially in relation to controversial topics displayed in the media, such as feminism. Throughout my ethnography, I will critique the reactions of fandoms through the utilisation of digital technologies to assess how the particular fandoms respond to controversial issues projected in the media. I will focus on the Rick and Morty fandom and their response to sexism and the feminist movement.
Fan culture, however, more fondly regarded as fandom, can be defined as various communities built around a shared delight of popular culture, including movies, books, sports teams, etc. Henry Jenkins asserts this integrated culture of fandom as an example participatory culture, of which involves individual fans becoming more than consumers, and subsequently acting as producers, creators of creative media (e.g. fan fiction, fan art and the creation of images/ memes). Participating in fandom can be a beautiful thing, as described, ‘fandom can enable the growth of friendships and relationships, inspire works of art and promote independent or non-traditional learning’, he later reports that participating in fandom provides an inclusive and is crucial to cultural and political discussion. Fandom plays a significant role in popular culture, from this; I believe studying the behaviours of fans within various cultures is important in further understanding how the theory of fandom has changed over time. This ethnographic report will analyse the nature of fandom following the introduction of the digital revolution while critiquing how members of specific fandoms react to controversial issues presented in society.
The digital revolution’s impact on fandom has allowed for greater discussion of controversial topics between fandom members and individuals outside the fandom. The nature of fandom has significantly altered following the profound impact of the digital revolution due to the increased levels of connectivity, empowerment, disempowerment, the blurring of relationships between producers and consumer and allowing the spontaneous birth of new forms of cultural production. Digital technologies have enabled fans to engage in a variety of new opportunities presented by digital technologies, for example, discuss controversial themes presented in the medium. Charo Lacalle and Nuria Simelio confirm the significance of the digital revolution in the connection of fandoms, ‘e-fan writing can dramatically alter the relationship between fans and their objects of adulation by allowing audiences to be considered as producers rather than merely passive recipients of cultural message’. (C, Lacalle, N, Simelio 2017) Lacelle and Simelio’s research into the influence of digital technologies on the behaviours has been imperative to my ethnographic research into the behaviours of Rick and Morty audiences, specifically the displayed behaviours in response to controversial issues reflected in the TV Series.
Two Rick and Morty Fans at Comic-Con 2017
My interest with the Rick and Morty fandom has been not only sparked to the release of season 4 (in one day) but subsequently due to the fan group becoming somewhat infamous among many online communities due to their presence and strong (often controversial) opinions regarding the show. The following airing in 2014 on Adult Swim, Rick and Morty have become a hit TV series and a leading name in animation comedy. The show often delights in esoteric pop culture references, though has gained notoriety not for the shows controversial content but subsequently the supporters of the series. Across a variety of digital platforms, including Twitter, 4Chan, Reddit and Facebook, Rick and Morty fans have become somewhat infamous due to their presence and strong opinions regarding the show, which subsequently correlated with a strong opinion about controversial issues.
Hitting media headlines and being described as ‘toxic’, Rick and Morty gained infamy in 2017 for housing the internets most poisonous fandom following two events in which ignited controversial discussions across twitter, Facebook and other media feed. Firstly, the ‘Szechuan Sauce Fiasco’, “highlighted the collective culture of the fandom and its toxic nature to outside community members. In episode 1 of Rick and Morty season 3, the fiasco began when Rick Sanchez (the protagonist of the TV show) made a verbal mention of the ‘delicious’ McDonald’s chicken nugget dipping sauce (a Szechuan sauce from its promotion of Disney movie Mulan in 1998). The video below depicts a segment from the episode where Rick mentions his love for the McDonald’s Szechwan sauce in a manic rant following a twist reveal in the opening of the show.
Fans of the hit animation began to investigate the Mcdonald’s promotional teriyaki flavoured dipping sauce, began discussing over Reddit plans to create a petition to ‘Bring Back Schezuan Sauce’ (See here). The petitions had over 38,000 supporters and ultimately lead to McDonalds’ decision to re-release the Szechuan sauce for a limited time of approx. 24 hours (to read an exact timeline of events regarding the fiasco click here). The gesture proved to be disastrous, fans began harassing McDonald employees, fights broke out, riots erupted and police were called to multiple locations to quell the uproar.” Similarly, fans began creating images and memes to encourage McDonald’s to release the sauce and shared them on a variety of social media platforms. The events fuelled by the shows writer/ creator Justin Roiland’s deep love for the sauce, further illustrates how digital technologies have influenced how fans communicate and discuss controversial issues. Through my observation of conversations between Rick and Morty fans on Reddit regarding the fiasco serves as confirmation that digital fandom creates an ample opportunity for fandoms to communicate, create and orchestrate events to further connect with other members of fandoms. In these circumstances, fans of the show isolate themselves significantly from the outside world, this is viewed through many memes describing the fandom as a ‘highly intelligent fandom’.
Cops are at Wellington McDonalds where tons of angry people lined up for hrs for Rick and Morty Szechuan sauce only to learn they had none pic.twitter.com/3T272osid4
Through the use of social media, audiences are able to critique, analyse and discuss themes and topics presented in television. This influence of digital technologies has resulted in the development of anonymous user sites such as Reddit and 4Chan. On these websites, audiences are in a sense encouraged to express their opinions with little regard for censorship and ramifications. Due to this factor, topics discussed are usually of a highly controversial nature, Rick and Morty’s fans certainly don’t refrain from vocalising their opinions, especially on anonymous sites.
An event that highlights the reliance on anonymity and how the digital revolution has acted as a catalyst for connectivity and conversation regarding controversial topics which have been described” as, “The Deplorable Doxxing” by “Sebastian Murriel. Following Season 3 of the show, fans that were unsatisfied with the subjective ‘quality’ of the show took to Twitter to vocalise their dissatisfaction and ultimately blame the two newly hired female staff members (who were recently hired following two seasons of an all-male writing cast).
Frustrated fans began publishing the personal information, including home addresses, phone numbers and the names of family members (Doxxing) of the new female writing staff on 4Chan and Reddit in an attempt to scare them out of their jobs. Some fans even went as far as to send vicious death threats, visit their home addresses and taught the women. Mediators were forced to step in to assist with the situation, and conversation regarding women’s rights and equality was subsequently brought into the forefront of community discussion.
In this circumstance, Rick and Morty fans created a catastrophic environment filled with hate and aggression. Creators of the show, Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon took to Twitter and addressed the actions of frustrated fans as “just disguising” and requested that the horrific actions against the newly employed women stop. Henry Jenkins discusses the high levels of emotion experienced by members of fandom, this high level of emotion can lead to bursts of creativity, excitement and immense passion. In this situation, it is expressed that the fans of Rick and Morty are immensely driven and devoted to the entire show and have become more than avid consumers. Rick and Morty fans are incredibly driven and passionate, however, appear to struggle with changing environments and adequate discussion of controversial issues. Due to the anonymous feature on websites such as Reddit, fans of the Rick and Morty series feel comfortably vocalising their opinions regardless of the pain it may inflict on an individual.
Creators of the show, Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland have not only created a popular sci-fi animated comedy, however, have provided a protagonist for internet trolls to justify their crude online and public behaviour. The development of Rick Sanches as a narcissistic scientist, who pursues self-interest, nihilistically disregards all social expectations and frequently boasts of his intelligence has a significant influence over audiences over the show, as they are likely to accept this behaviour as a ‘monkey see, monkey do’ philosophy. Through the observation of social media sites, such as Reddit and Twitter, I have analysed the behaviours of Rick and Morty fans when responding to issues that have significant in society. Characters in the show (For example Rick Sanchez) have encouraged fans to behave toxically and project opinions of elitism and misogyny. Popular culture can alter the lives of audiences, in this situation specifically, fan practices can potentially set a precedent for unkindly behaviours (such as the Deplorable Doxxing and Szechuan Sauce Fiasco).
Rick and Morty Fan Art
Engagement with fandom is a beneficial experience, and fundamental part of the human experience, Henry Jenkins affirms this notion through the description of fans as passionate and creative. Audiences have various reactions to often confronting and controversial issues, my ethnographic report strived to explain the behaviours associated with controversy displayed by fans of Rick and Morty. In particular, focusing on two real-life events where fans, driven by passion and high levels of emotion, took the opportunity to vocalise their opinions which subsequently resulted in serious ramifications. The digital revolution significantly impacted the behaviour of Rick and Morty fans, in particular becoming a catalyst for toxicity during controversial events like the Doxxing of female staff members. Fandom allows individuals from varying social, geographical and economic backgrounds to connect and share opinions regarding a mutually adores aspect of popular culture, however, it is the way fans behave within these closely-knit communities that orchestrate how perceptions of fandoms are viewed from outside the community.
From a young age until more recently, the typical image of a television audience, being a family viewing at home, sitting together and viewing in front of the screen could adequately describe my personal experiences of the television. As a child, I felt as if television was more than convenient leisure and I subsequently felt more than just a consumer of what was projected to me through colourful cartoons and advertising campaigns. Nick Couldry, in his ethnographic article ‘Theorising media, as practise’ (2004), outlines these experiences as key qualities of children’s television watching.
As a child with a technology-loving father, I was granted a satisfying diet of screen time, which was greatly cherished, as I was able to connect with characters and escape from the turmoil of the terrible twos. Television was an adventure, having unforeseen twists and turns however always having a happy ending.
Couldry’s discusses the diminishing parental mediation of their children’s television; he asserts that parents would decreasingly regulate the length of their child’s TV screen time. In relation to my viewing experiences as a child, fortunately, my parents were relaxed in this sense, which enabled me to experiment with my viewing habits and find content that I personally enjoyed (of course this was dependent on my sister being absent or not having the power of the remote).
Secondly, Couldry outlines that parents would not evaluate what their child is viewing with strict guidelines. Similarly, this belief reigned true for my experiences as a child, as from a young age I found myself watching everything from Jurassic Park to sport while also enjoying the kid’s channel.
From these vivid memories of curling up on the couch and watching Jurassic Park, some of my fondest memories involve arriving home after school, kicking my school shoes off and switching on the TV to Nickelodeon and not leaving the screen until dinner was ready.
My relationship with the television was mesmerising, and as I grew older my relationship did change. From a young age, I had a large amount of faith and trust in media outlets, I believed what I saw on TV was a reality. However, with the rapid increase of ‘Fake News’ in traditional media, I became a spectacle of my once loved TV.
Instead of watching for entertainment, I began to speculate and question what I was watching on television. I remember the first instance where my relationship with the television began to change, it was during a VICE documentary where the topic of false news and misconception was discussed throughout traditional media outlets, in particularly focusing on prime time news in the United States.
From watching this, I wished that my family would sit through and talk to me about what I had just observed, and give me some closure/ hope that all television is not a lie. I didn’t like what I saw and had lost positive expectation, from that point in time I chose to select my media consumption to come from a controllable place, my computer.
95 million photos and videos are uploaded to Instagram every day. With the vast majority of these photographs being obtained in the public space, there is a liable reason to speculate how smartphones have attributed to public surveillance and how many strangers photos you feature in yourself.
Being an avid Instagram and social media user, I have become very experienced with the common desire to document and share our most ordinary moments with glamorous filters and effects. However, with these small details of our individual lives entangled in zones of networks and smartphones, how exactly are our devices being used in our lives? Are they an integral part of society?
To address the involvement of screen’s in our society, we must first observe the works of philosopher Michel Foucault, in particular, his adapted metaphor of Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon. The Panopticon was a metaphor that allowed Foucault to explore the relationship between:
Systems of social control ad people in a disciplinary situation
The power is the knowledge concept, in his view, which comes from observing others. (Mason, M 2016)
In his observations of these two factors, he discusses the possibility of oppression when only certain groups of people control knowledge, with asserting the importance of understanding who is recording out actions to then decide who has the power and who does not. With everything from heart-rate monitors in our smartwatches to GPS footwear, our every movement are being recorded by companies across the globe, allowing us to be seen from the gaze of the Panopticon’s central tower (Turnball, S 2019).
As Foucault states the importance of observation as power, I decided to explore across my own university campus to truly uncover how surveillance technology and screens have been used across UOW.
My objective was to capture images of individuals in very public spaces across campus, for example, the library, duck pond, out front lecture halls and in the public cafes located on campus. By doing this, I was striving to replicate what community surveillance systems observe, whilst also encapsulating the effects of Foucault’s metaphorical Panopticon.
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In my first image, there are two very interesting findings. Firstly, there are examples of how dependent we have become dependent on technology, specifically, the smartphone. The students in the image appear to be using their screens as a means of entertainment while they sit comfortably alone amongst the bustling campus. While in the second, third and fourth photo, it is evident that students are using their computer screens as a method for studying; this is supported by the location of the images (the silent floor of the library). From this initial factor, we are enabled to analyze how the smartphone screen is being used across UOW, as a means of entertainment, comfort whilst alone and for educational purposes. Secondly, as all the patrons in the image have little knowledge the photo has bee captured, we are able to understand how Foucault’s Panopticon can greatly relate to surveillance, as we can observe all patrons at one single moment.
From conducting this ethnographic observation of the use of screens on the University campus, it is evident that the modern screen has many purposes, including entertainment and education.
Do you think technology has become too apparent in our society? Let me know what you think!
The cinema, instantly uplifting and hypnotizing experience for many audience members and have always resonated with me as a deeply emotive, transformative experience.
Whether it is the encapsulating fragrance of caramelized candy, the rumbling motion pictures from behind closed theatre doors or the galvanizing spectating experience for audience members, all observing the same magical moments – the cinema is truly an impactful medium for creating memorable emotional moments.
Tom Linay, Head of Film at Digital Cinema Media UK, outlines his personal value of the cinema in an article published by Motivate Val Morgan, he says “Cinema is great at creating cultural moments… creating moments that move people, making them laugh, cry, recoil in horror or give spectators a warm fuzzy feeling.” (Tom Linay, 2017).
However, with the increasing popularity of online video streaming websites, illegal downloading and improvements in home entertainment technology, what is to come to the cinema industry? Has the cinema industry simply become a ‘second-best’ to watching the latest films at home? After all, it does seem that movie watching, to quote Netflix’s popular marketing campaign, ‘Only on NETFLIX’.
In order to truly understand the currently trending appeal of online streaming services and spectating at home, we can apply the works of Torsten Hagerstrad, in particular focusing on the conceptual framework of time and space from the late 1960s. In his work, three constraints that limit individuals in their daily activities are discussed as:
Capability Constraints
Capability constraints are restrictions on human movement due to physical or biological factors, for example, the requirement for sleep, food, access to mobility tools and financial resources for participating in activities. (Hagerstrand 1970, cited in Schonfelder & Azhausen 2010, p.38).
Coupling Constraints
Coupling Constraints are restrictions on the allocation of time due to the need to coordinate with schedules, given locations, interactions or meetings with others (Hagerstrand 1970, cited in Schonfelder & Azhausen 2010, p.38)
Authority Constraints
Authority constraints are limits on whether or not activities can take place, imposed by external parties. For Example, mandatory closing hours are a constraint to individual behaviour. (Hagerstrand 1970, cited in Schonfelder & Azhausen 2010, p.39)
These constraints can be applied to my most recent experience at the cinema. On Monday of last week, my boyfriend and I decided to watch the latest movie in the Annabelle saga, ‘Annabelle Comes Home’. Being the third movie in the Annabel franchise and the sequel to the 2014 ‘Annabelle’, we were prepared to be terrified for the 1 hour and 46 minutes of screen time.
As we both enjoy the large, reclining seats of the Warrawong’s Hoyts cinema, and that the cinema is only a 15-minute drive from our location, the capacity constraints of transport were erased, as I was able to drive – ensuring a relatively easy and safe journey to the theatre.
We decided to watch this movie as we had limited options, as we both don’t finish class until later that evening and with all the showings of ‘Toy Story 4’ finished, the 9:55PM ‘Annabelle: Comes Home’ was (unfortunately) the ample movie to watch. This coupling constraint, of not being able to book a later time of ‘Toy Story 4’, caused restrictions on our experience.
As we went on a Monday evening, the discount student price of tickets was irrelevant to us, requiring us to encounter the financial capability and pay $35 for two full-priced tickets. We then decided, as it was late in the evening and we had not eaten before we left home, that we would purchase a large ‘bucket’ of popcorn and two large drinks to satisfy our capacity constraints. Unfortunately, satisfying our human urges to eat resulted in having to pay $25 – causing another unfortunate encounter with financial capability constraints.
Once seated in cinema 6, we began to watch the opening real of advertisements as the lights slowly faded to darkness, our fear and anticipation were becoming increasingly apparent as other spectators took their seats. Wanting to be glued to the comforting light of my phone, I was reminded of the informal rules and authority constraints associated with the movie-going experience. For example, rules such as no talking and turning off mobile phones to not impede other spectators experience.
With the wide seats, cool air blowing down from the air vents above the bellowing sound system, the subtle whispers from others around us, we were fully immersed into the cinematic experience. It is safe to say, I was terrified for the full duration of the film. However, with the Hagerstrand’s three constraints in mind, are they the potential reason for the decline in cinema attendance?
Video streaming websites provide an undeniable convenience and ease of access, of which completely remove the constraints practised throughout the conditions of movie-going. Netflix, Stan and Hulu all provide an ‘anywhere and anytime’ business model that remove the constraints of planning, travelling, parking and also allow spectators to pause, rewind and review moments that are confusing are that were missed.
While the benefits of viewing on a streaming platform, like Netflix, may seem to out the way the cinema experience, however, the collective social experience of viewing with complete strangers is truly spectacular. During the release of ‘Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones’, Paramount Pictures decided to film audiences reactions while watching the spectacle, I have attached the video link below.
From the video, the collective experience of squealing, squeezing the hands of those near you, spilling popcorn and jumping out of pure fear is integral to the cinema-going experience and provides a memorable and transformative experience for spectators. This is the very difference that separated the cinema-going experience to that of the personal online spectating experience.
Watching a horror movie, like ‘Annabelle: Comes Home’ with complete strangers can heighten your experience, leave you on the edge of your seat, from the collective silence and eerie sound of movement from around you.
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Thank you for reading! Please check out the photos from my ethnographic research at Warrawong Hoyts Cinema. What do you prefer, watching movies at the cinema or at home?
Schonfelder, S & Axhausen KW 2010, ‘Time, Space and Travel Analysis: An Overview’, in S Schonfelder & KW Axhausen (eds), Urban Rhythms and Travel Behaviour: Spatial and Temporal Phenomena of Daily Travel, Ashgate Publishing Company, Surrey, p.29-48. Accessed 7/8/2019.
Over the past 13 weeks, I have investigated the experience of University students, specifically focusing on the nature of the student experience in relation to full-time employment. While doing so, I conducted two primary research methodologies and researched extensive amounts of background research.
Upon starting BCM212, and subsequently initiating my research project, I was fearful of what would be required of me and frustrated with the task at hand. I found I was stuck on a question like, “Why did I need to understand ethical considerations?” and “How can a good research plan help my research?” Fortunately, after completing the initially daunting research project and answering my halting questions, I am confident and have thoroughly valued learning and engaging with the various processes relating to the research project. I now understand the value and importance of the research project and am thankful for this.
When conducting my primary research, I found the focus group to be both a challenge and a rather large learning step. The physical task of listening to my participants, focusing on their opinions, beliefs and thoughts, was extremely beneficial to my research project. Another factor of which held great significance to my research was not only the opinions my participants, however, the way in which I represented the information I had been told. This was one component of the research project I really enjoyed, considering the ethical and moral implications of how I represented my participants, specifically ensuring that I maintained a high level of care when using their responses.
An aspect of the research project and subject that I found extremely valuable was that the research project was about the student university experience. Unlike other subjects, I have experienced where the core focus is on topics I have little personal experience with or that are based somewhere else in the world. I found it to be rewarding to investigate the student experience as I could broaden my own understanding while participating in the primary research of my peers. Using Twitter, as a means of communicating with BCM212 students, was extremely beneficial for obtaining primary research for the research project. I found that posting, for example, your survey link, you were enabled to gain a larger consensus of primary research.
Overall, I have learnt a remarkable amount of valuable information this semester, not only do I feel confident writing an opinion piece, but I now feel comfortable reaching out to my peers and reflecting participants thoughts ethically. I am looking forward to utilizing the skills I have acquired in this semester for projects in the future.
Thank you for reading and let me know if you agree/ disagree below!
What are the effects of both part-time and full-time student employment on the student experience? And How do these affect students stress levels and academic performance?
While the student experience is predominantly associated with the nature of students learning, external factors can potentially interfere with the beneficial outcome of these experiences. It is important to consider these external factors, such as working full and part-time, as they can impede on students stress level and academic performance.
As you can see from Cruella De Vil above, balancing a busy work schedule with a full-time university can have significant influences on the student experience.
In addition, considering I am a full-time worker myself, I felt my experience with the university was progressively different than that of my non-working peers. I found that with increased employment hours and university workload I became increasingly more stressed than usual, and subsequently experienced a poorer academic performance. From these experiences I began to wonder if other students felt the same, and if not did they find they had reduced/regular stress levels and increased academic performance.
For my investigation into the student experience, I have decided to investigate the effects of employment on the student experiences, in particular focusing on students stress levels and academic performance.
Upon initially researching my chosen topic, I was surprised to discover that the rate of student employment is increasing across the globe. Maarjar Beerkans from the University of Twente (Enschede, The Netherlands) acknowledges the growing trend of employment rates among students as she writes:
“The number of working students (and the number of work hours) is on the rise”(2011) she then continues to alert the negative effects surrounding student employment and academic performance. Similarly, in an article published by Jerry S. DeSimone (University of Maryland 2008), he argues the negative effects of employment on student performance,
While both these articles were published in late 2000, they provide adequate insight into the effects of employment on academic performance however fails to address the levels of stress students face and why they choose employment. From these findings, it is evident that there is limited information into how student employment affects student performance; this is why it is crucial for universities to research these effects to better accommodate students.
The growing increase of student employment is important for universities and other institutions to research, as a better understanding will assist in achieving a greater student experience for working students. Universities will be further enabled to accommodate for working students, by adjusting the structure and content of a course modification can assist the needs of each individual student. By doing this, universities will reduce drop out rates amongst working students, decrease stress levels and increase working students academic performance.
My intended research audience will be employed or previously employed BCM212 students; this will enable me to gather adequate primary data. To achieve primary sources, I aim to conduct a survey questionnaire for all BCM212 students and will post regularly to twitter on the #BCM212 hashtag to spark conversation regarding student employment and stress levels.
Overall, I interested in my desired topic of investigation, and I feel it will provide an in depth understanding for others and myself in BCM212. Understanding why students decide to work while attending university and investigating the effects of employment on academic performance and stress levels will be an achievable topic of investigation.
Let me know what you think, and if you have any suggestions in the comments below!
Reference List
Beerkens, M. and Magi, E. (2010). University studies as a side job: causes and consequences of massive student employment in Estonia. [online] SpringerLink. Avaliable at:
DeSimone, J. (2008). The Impact Of Employment during School on College Student Academic Performance. The National Bureau of Economic Research. Avaliable at: https://www.nber.org/papers/w14006
The ‘University Experience’ covers an extensive array of areas all promoting a positive learning experience for students, of these areas include: the safety of students on and off campus, the prevention of alcohol/substance abuse and transportation for students.
Following discussing some potential research areas in class, I have narrowed my curiosities into these main questions:
“Why students choose to go to university? And how do they choose which university to attend?”
From planning to attend university from a young age, I have always questioned why I have felt this way and if other students feel the same. Was if influence from my schooling, family or just my desire for future employment?
2. “Can the balance of time management affect the University Experience for students? And how effective is the current enrollment process in allowing time management?”
After discussing the difficult nature of enrolment processes with the pressure of co-curricular, family and work-related commitments, I was curious about how many other students have struggled with this process. And if the balance of time management can greatly affect the University Experience either in positive or negative ways.
Do you agree/ disagree with my questions or have any suggestions – let me know, I’d love to hear what you have to say!
Thanks for reading 🙂
REVISITED* 16/3/19
After struggling to decide which topic to choose for my research project, I decided to focus more on the experiences surrounding the working student and their experience with University.
3. What are the effects of both part-time and full-time student employment on the student experience? and How do these affect students stress levels and academic performance?
Following our rather interesting prototyping phase, Christina Di Meglio and I have devoted to gaining more followers and engaging with them, as proposed in our Social Utility.
While we already understood the need to gain more followers, we discovered we needed to search for individuals like our starter pack, as they would be more inclined to follow and engage without content. We were set out on accomplishing this, as it is crucial in achieving our social utility, that being to provide aesthetic information/ experiences about the markets to make our audiences experience less overwhelming.
But how did we achieve this? Read more to find out!
Increasing our Hashtag use
While our original posts didn’t receive that much engagement, we did receive one major source of feedback, this was the lack of new organic followers and a decline/ loss of likes.
To combat this issue, Christina and I decided to increase the number of hashtags we used on each post. While adding an additional sum, we kept some of the same hashtags, of these, included #Wollongong, #Illawarra and words like #boho #indie #handmade and #vintage, we did this to try to pinpoint our desired audience to gain more engagement without content. In addition to this, we also added a series of hashtags relevant to the photo/ video we had posted, these included #ceramics on pictures of pottery.
From completing this experiment, we found a significant increase in new followers, comments and likes. Many of the new viewers were local, this showed us that tagging the correct locations of markets we attended worked.
Changing our Aesthetic
We decided it would be needed for us to change our aesthetic, following our plateau in likes and after receiving feedback on our prototyping blog post.
Considering our previous aesthetic relied on bright, ‘cute’ colour themes, we decided to shift to something more edgy and alternative. From this, we began modifying our aesthetic, from using quiet pastel tones to bold and vibrant rainbow colours. We achieved this by adjusting our editing process on the VSCO Cam app. By intensifying our image saturation, we created content that was more eye-catching, which in the digital attention economy, helping us to stand out rather than blend in like Finders Keepers was previously doing. By changing our aesthetic, we have better suited the Instagram platform.
Photo Cred: Christina Di Meglio
After completing this ‘facelift’, we achieved great results – an increase in both followers, likes and overall engagement.
By rapidly shifting our a e s t h e t i c to bright and bold colours we gained significant improvements! Goes to show what can happen if you break your aesthetic. #bcm114pic.twitter.com/rAFiuUoOR4
Initially, in our proposed plan for Finders Keepers, we decided at some point we would begin to engage with market stall owners as a way to branch out and increase our following. So, by starting slowly we began asking stall owners more questions to provide our followers with an adequate reflection of the markets. Of course, incorporate other businesses in our DA can be risky, so we made sure to depict every item in a positive, informative and aesthetic way.
The main reason for why we did this, was to allow stall owners to engage with us in our own feed, whilst also providing them with the option to promote us on their established account (#scheme). If we were to be promoted, a large portion of the accounts following would match our desired ‘starter pack’ audience, therefore, allowing us to achieve our social utility as our users are enabled to learn about other market-based brands, and removing the stresses of market shopping.
After all our hard work we found that a portion of the brands we promoted responded to us, illustrating our new ability to build discussion over Finders Keepers’ Instagram platform.
Bye, Bye Wix
Despite the popularity of blogging in TV shows like ‘Gossip Girl’, many people don’t actively engage with blogs on the traditional blog type on WordPress or Wix. We found that our blog posts received little engagements, so from this information, we decided to shift the focus from writing detailed and extensive blog posts to more informative captions on Instagram accompanied by photos from the markets.
While doing this enabled our audiences the ability to engage with our content on a more physical level, while in hand lessening the effort associated with finding our blog posts from our Instagram platform. All of our information will be found on the one platform, this change has enabled us to better achieve our proposed social utility. See below for one of our blog post/ Instagram posts.
After implementing this, we have noticed that a significant portion of our followers began to engage more with the post, this further demonstrated that the information we provided is resonating with our audience.
Popular posts, reimagined
From our prototyping phase, Christina and I dove into our most successful posts to see how we could replicate the content to achieve similar success. The post that we felt would be best to replicate was the photo of a musician (see below).
Original Post
Remake Post
Surprisingly the reincarnation of our original post grew to be more successful than our first, however, it was not the most successful post from our making phase. From this, it is evident that intentionally placing ‘meme objects’ assist in sparking conversation as audiences are enabled to gain a relative perspective based on what they observe.
Pinterest
While still looking for ways to improve Finders Keepers, we stumbled upon an idea to create a Pinterest account. We felt this would benefit Finders Keepers, as the platform is largely associated with posting aesthetic photographs. With a large portion of our starter pack audience vaguely based on the Pinterest platform, we decided to instigate a two-phase plan to maximize our audience engagement.
Firstly we would repost all of our photos to our Pinterest board, with links to our Instagram so anyone who saw our content would be ‘trapped’ and sucked into the main portion of our artifact, the Instagram.
Secondly, we wanted to draw people into our platforms by creating similar boards and reposting other peoples content that shadowed the content that we produced. We did this to enhance the cognitive dissonance between content already existing on the Pinterest platform and with our own content.
However, these ideas proved to be good in theory, but bad in practice as we failed to consider how our content would fit into the Pinterest algorithm, subsequently failing to provide traffic to our main Instagram.
Where to now!
After completing the ‘making process’, we have definitely made some significant *bright* changes to the façade of Finders Keepers. While emphasizing our associated meme objects we appeal to our audience, while providing them with useful information regarding personal experiences at the markets – achieving our social utility. Follower by follower, we are slowly building a community and we can’t wait to see where this takes us!
#longliveFindersKeepers!
Thank you for reading, let me know how you think our making process turned out – and if you have any suggestion on what we should investigate next!
Rick and Morty Fan Art
Maddie Johnston 