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Public self-expression, identity and the participatory turn: The power to re-imagine the self
Abstract
References to the so-called ‘participatory turn’ have become pervasive in the social sciences. In the broad field of culture, media and communication studies, the participatory turn is mostly studied in a single site or scholarly sub-discipline. In contrast, this article provides an overarching view of the participatory turn in culture, media and communication studies by tying together isolated references to participation in political communication, development communication, media studies, celebrity studies, Internet studies and youth culture. This comprehensive view is specifically anchored by the intersection of public participation, identity and self-expression, and focuses on how people publicly express and work on their identities. In the process of describing the participatory turn in culture, media and communication studies, different forms of self-expression are identified. It is argued that even though some of these forms are noisy and narcissistic, they are meaningful to the individual who creates them. Some of these forms offer opportunities to voice opinions that might otherwise not be heard in the public sphere. Most significantly, public self-expression affords the ordinary person the power to (re-)imagine the self in the wake of the many changes the world faces due to globalisation and hegemonic power relations.
... Más recientemente, el término "co-creación" se ha trasladado a la esfera académica y, con frecuencia, se ha utilizado de manera intercambiable con el término "co-producción", que se emplea para referirse al "giro participativo" que se ha dado en la investiga-ción, sobre todo en Ciencias Sociales (Burger, 2015), y que consiste en la producción de conocimiento colectivo a partir de la colaboración con comunidades y otras personas participantes no-académicas (Banks et al, 2018;Kindon, Pain y Kesby, 2007). ...
El texto que ustedes tienen en sus manos constituye un primer esfuerzo
por reunir los debates y las reflexiones que en el marco del Proyecto H2020
se presentaron en el Seminario Internacional Ciudades cohesionadas: Co crear
agendas urbanas incluyentes. Este acto académico fue organizado por
la UNAM en colaboración con la Secretaría de Educación, Ciencia,
Tecnología e Innovación de la Ciudad de México del 2 al 5 de septiembre
del 2019. En él se ofreció un panorama integral sobre el trabajo que se
emprende en diversos ámbitos, para construir y restablecer redes de
cooperación entre las distintas áreas de las ciudades y mediante diversas
herramientas.
Este volumen y tiene como telón de fondo dos temáticas. La primera, se refiere a la incorporación del enfoque de Co-Creación como una herramienta metodológica que a través del arte impulsa el trabajo comunitario para identificar problemáticas
y buscar soluciones comunes. La segunda, da cuenta del renovado impulso
que viven las ciudades a través de las prácticas artísticas comunitarias, al
menos en los últimos veinte años. Si bien no se trata de un fenómeno
nuevo, los objetivos de estas prácticas en las comunidades si se han
dinamizado hacia la recuperación de espacios públicos y la generación de
lazos que buscan articular a los ciudadanos mediante la promoción del
diálogo entre la sociedad civil y los tomadores de decisiones.
... De hecho, ante la crisis surgida en torno al concepto de representación, tanto en su aplicación institucional en democracia y medios de comunicación como en el debate científico, se ofrecen soluciones "intersubjetivas". En el campo amplio de las Ciencias Sociales se puede identificar una llamada multidisciplinar a un "giro participativo" (Burger, 2015), que responde a las limitaciones estructurales en la representación científica. Por su parte, la proclama "no nos representan" del movimiento 15M venía precedida de numerosos estudios sobre la desafección ciudadana con la representación institucional y política (Torcal, 2006), y décadas de denuncia proveniente de la teoría de la Democracia Deliberativa (Nino, 1997) en el campo del derecho. ...
El presente capítulo ofrece evidencias y reflexiones sobre los riesgos asociados a que esto ocurra. En concreto, se toma como referente la docuserie Rocío, contar la verdad para seguir viva, en la que Rocío Carrasco, personaje público en la esfera social española contemporánea, narra su experiencia como superviviente de violencia de género. Este caso ilustra la enorme potencialidad mediática para desfigurar una representación comprometida de un problema social y, a su vez, permite esquematizar la polarización —junto a la espectacularización— como variables que embarran un círculo de representación y debate público potencialmente virtuoso y generan una brecha que abre espacios discursivos de posverdad.
... Similarly, a Critical Indigenous Qualitative Research approach can be applied along with interpretive research practices that aim to be ethical, transformative and participatory (Denzin et al., 2008), and can recover the texture and nuance to illuminate our research participants' local identities and to problematise the researcher-researched relationship. "These recent moves in decolonization illustrate ways in which scholars engaged in decolonizing research remain constantly mindful of the ways in which the process or outcomes of their research might reify hegemonic power thereby creating marginality" (Swadener & Mutua, 2008:33), and instead promote self-expression amongst research participants (see Tomaselli & Dyll-Myklebust, 2015;Burger, 2015). ...
This article critically examines the conventional researcher-researched relationship thatempowers the researcher over the researched. The orthodoxy of objectivity – claimed to locatethe researchers as neutral observer – is here argued to be a power relation that has an excludingeffect where subject communities are concerned. By means of an archaeological case study thatincluded mapping and interpretation of ancient rock engravings we offer a new way of negotiatinginterpretations. This new way involved four members from a Bushman community who helped usnavigate spiritual, ontological and environmental dimensions in making sense of rock art.
... This participatory approach to communication research has been at the heart of decision-making processes in a variety of sectors of society and policy areas around the world (Bherer, 2016). Coming from a deliberative restructuring (Fonseca, 2012), this is a finding that has crossed different spheres, including the scientific field from the social sciences (Burger, 2015), on the urgency of ensuring the effective participation of the various parties involved, particularly civil society. ...
... Similarly, a Critical Indigenous Qualitative Research approach can be applied along with interpretive research practices that aim to be ethical, transformative and participatory (Denzin et al., 2008), and can recover the texture and nuance to illuminate our research participants' local identities and to problematise the researcher-researched relationship. "These recent moves in decolonization illustrate ways in which scholars engaged in decolonizing research remain constantly mindful of the ways in which the process or outcomes of their research might reify hegemonic power thereby creating marginality" (Swadener & Mutua, 2008:33), and instead promote self-expression amongst research participants (see Tomaselli & Dyll-Myklebust, 2015;Burger, 2015). ...
This article critically examines the conventional researcher-researched relationship that empowers the researcher over the researched. The orthodoxy of objectivity-claimed to locate the researchers as neutral observer-is here argued to be a power relation that has an excluding effect where subject communities are concerned. By means of an archaeological case study that included mapping and interpretation of ancient rock engravings we offer a new way of negotiating interpretations. This new way involved four members from a Bushman community who helped us navigate spiritual, ontological and environmental dimensions in making sense of rock art.
... Users perform different social roles in these groups than on Steam as a whole. As Mariekie Burger argued, online participation increasingly moves into these more intimate communities, in which it is inextricably linked to identity performance (Burger, 2015). Accordingly, the Habermasian notion of the public sphere is not flexible enough to accommodate these groups, which should be interpreted on the level of micro publics, comparable in scope to the "new social movements" (Burger, 2015: 269) of the 1990s or more recent forms of "subactivism" (Burger, 2015: 271). ...
Disclaimer: The article originated in discussions with Charis Papaevangelou, whose MA thesis on Steam I supervised at the time (cf. http://tiny.cc/vh4oiz). While Charis' work conceptualizes the platformization strategy itself, this article foregrounds the diachronic affordance analysis method and how feature changes complement the corporate rhetoric of Steam as a platform.
Despite its profound influence on the video game industry, scholarly inquiry into Steam has focused on analyses of user or value creation. However, Steam arguably derives its long-term disruptive potential from combining the gamification of digital distribution with the formation of ephemeral public spheres around the games that it distributes, thereby becoming a de facto online social network. To investigate this strategy, the article employs a historically comparative affordance analysis, drawing on a small data set of Steam blog posts and tech blog coverage from 2007 to 2018 to map patterns of affordance change.
This study investigates the relationship between sibling rivalry and self-expression among young adults, examining potential influences and gender differences. Through a review of existing literature and empirical analysis, the study explores whether sibling rivalry affects self-expression and if gender moderates this relationship. Data from 200 participants revealed no significant correlation between sibling rivalry and self-expression. Additionally, regression analysis indicates no statistical influence of sibling rivalry on self-expression. Independent sample t-tests show no significant gender differences in sibling rivalry or self-expression scores. The findings suggest that sibling rivalry may not directly impact self-expression among young adults, irrespective of gender. Further research is warranted to explore additional factors contributing to variations in selfexpression within sibling relationships
There have arguably been just two major philosophical paradigms in transpersonal psychology since its founding: perennialist and participatory. Having one or more effective philosophical frames is critical to the success of a transpersonal approach. This chapter first distinguishes between theoretical orientations and philosophical frameworks. Next, it introduces perennial philosophy along with the critiques that have moderated its influence within transpersonal psychology. Due to participatory philosophy's rather public dispute with perennialist approaches, the relationship between these two is addressed in abbreviated form. With this background, the chapter examines participatory philosophy as a suitable container for the transpersonal project.
This paper compares two institutions of storytelling, mainstream national narratives and self-represented digital storytelling. It considers the centenary of World War 1, especially the Gallipoli campaign (1915) and its role in forming Australian ‘national character’. Using the new approach of cultural science, it investigates storytelling as a means by which cultures make and bind groups or ‘demes’. It finds that that demic (group-made) knowledge trumps individual experience, and that self-representation (digital storytelling) tends to copy the national narrative, even when the latter is known not to be true. The paper discusses the importance of culture in the creation of knowledge, arguing that if the radical potential of digital storytelling is to be understood - and realised - then a systems (as opposed to behavioural) approach to communication is necessary. Without a new model of knowledge, it seems we are stuck with repetition of the same old story.
Globally, women are generally lower in status and power relative to men in economic, political, and job prestige. However, in general, power is not thing to be possessed only by a person or a group of individuals. Power can be gained, nurtured and sharpened and the processes to gainer acquire power in known as empowerment. Several feminist groups and NGOs have mentioned that the empowerment process should be broken down into three levels of power; they are ‘power to’, ‘power with’ and ‘power within’. This study examined the power within as a type of power achieved by women in Iran. In this study power within is conceptually consisting of two elements, i.e. ‘self-esteem’ and ‘gender awareness’. The study showed that women in Shiraz, Iran have the moderate level of power within. It means they are never disempowered nor empowered sufficiently. Organization such as NGOs can help the women to develop their power within and become empowered. The result also indicates that the NGOs have played their roles in developing the power within among the women through their functions such as, developing individual ability, educational functions, awareness building and mobilizing of women. The study discovered the developing individual ability among the other functions was most effective function contributed by NGO.
Many teens today who use the Internet are actively involved in participatory cultures—joining online communities (Facebook, message boards, game clans), producing creative work in new forms (digital sampling, modding, fan videomaking, fan fiction), working in teams to complete tasks and develop new knowledge (as in Wikipedia), and shaping the flow of media (as in blogging or podcasting). A growing body of scholarship suggests potential benefits of these activities, including opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, development of skills useful in the modern workplace, and a more empowered conception of citizenship. Some argue that young people pick up these key skills and competencies on their own by interacting with popular culture; but the problems of unequal access, lack of media transparency, and the breakdown of traditional forms of socialization and professional training suggest a role for policy and pedagogical intervention.
This report aims to shift the conversation about the "digital divide" from questions about access to technology to questions about access to opportunities for involvement in participatory culture and how to provide all young people with the chance to develop the cultural competencies and social skills needed. Fostering these skills, the authors argue, requires a systemic approach to media education; schools, afterschool programs, and parents all have distinctive roles to play.
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Learning
Presented as a panacea for the problems of environmental management, participation' conceals competing frames of meaning. Ladders of participation' explain insufficiently why public engagement is often limited to consultation, even within so-called higher level partnerships. To explain how participation is shaped to produce more or less symmetric exchanges in processes of deliberation, this article distinguishes between (1) discourses/practices, (2) frames and (3) power effects. This article's empirical focus is the experience of participatory catchment organisations and their central but under-researched role in integrated catchment management. In addition to an analysis of policy statements and other relevant documents, this article draws on qualitative interview and participant-observation data gathered in an international participatory knowledge exchange that we facilitated among four participatory catchment organisations (and various other agencies). Results suggest that while statements about legislation promise symmetric engagements, the mechanics of legislation frame participation as asymmetric consultation. In their own arenas, participatory catchment organisations deploy participation within a framework of grassroots democracy, but when they engage in partnership with government, participation is reshaped by at least four competing frames: (1) representative democracy, which admits, yet captures, the public's voice; (2) professionalisation, which can exclude framings that facilitate more symmetric engagement; (3) statutory requirements, which hybridise participatory catchment organisations to deliver government agendas and (4) evidence-based decision-making, which tends to maintain knowledge hierarchies. Nevertheless, participatory catchment organisations proved capable of reflecting on their capture. We thus conclude that the co-production of science and society, and the power effects of framing, must become explicit topics of discussion in processes of environmental policy deliberation for participation to result in more symmetric forms of public engagement.
At the beginning of the 1990s a new discourse emerged at the European Union level, insisting on the necessity of ‘civil society’ participation in decision-making processes. Based on a ‘strategic-constructivist’ research design, this article addresses the question of the emergence of this participatory turn in the official discourse and its transformation into a norm. It argues that the continued activism of an elite forum, consisting of political and administrative actors as well as academics, created the momentum that brought the concerned actors to accept the participatory norm and to play the roles required by it. However, due to internal competition amongst norm entrepreneurs, and a changed political situation, this norm is still contested, making it difficult to assess how its implementation will function.
While the availability of genome tests on the internet has given rise to heated debates about the likely impact on personal genome information on test-takers, on insurance, and on healthcare systems, in this article I argue that a more tangible effect of personal genomics is that it has started to change how participation in disease research is conceived and enacted. I examine three models of research participation that personal genomics customers are encouraged to engage in. I conclude with an evaluation of the pitfalls and benefits of "crowdsourcing" genetic disease research in the context of personal genomics.
This paper assesses the involvement of civil society actors in the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) by addressing the dynamics between participation and power. A theoretical model combining Foucault's and Giddens' perspectives on power and resistance is applied to analyse the Summit and its participatory potential towards civil society. The acclaimed participatory nature of the Summit-process (in Geneva), including the preparatory meetings, is evaluated through a comparison of generative, restrictive power mechanisms and the resistance they provoke. Our analysis shows the importance of explicitly dealing with power and power (im)balances when evaluating participatory discourses, specifically in policy contexts. The WSIS process has made a valuable contribution towards increasing civil society's access, interaction and consultation in international regulatory practices, but the power imbalances are still too present to justify the use of the notion of participation.
This paper is also published as:
Cammaerts, B. & Carpentier, N. (2005) 'The Unbearable Lightness of Full Participation in a
Global Context: WSIS and Civil Society participation’, in J. Servaes &
N. Carpentier (Eds.) Towards a Sustainable Information Society: Beyond WSIS, pp.
17-49. Bristol: Intellect.
Reality programming—a broad title for unscripted shows that involve non-actors—is really an updated version of a classic television genre that had its first successes decades before The Real World or Survivor made their premieres. NBC launched Try and Do It, a show in which audience members attempted to complete tasks such as whistling with a mouthful of crackers, in 1949. In the 1950s Queen for a Day crowned the most down-trodden of its four contestants, draping her in a sable-trimmed robe and granting a previously declared wish. The wild success reality television has achieved of late has pushed the envelope of such programming ever further away from the genre's innocuous beginnings. The time is now ripe for a look back on how this genre has developed, what it reveals about us, and what has transformed it into one of the most powerful forms of entertainment on television today.
Reality programming—a broad title for unscripted shows that involve non-actors—is really an updated version of a classic television genre that had its first successes decades before The Real World or Survivor made their premieres. NBC launched Try and Do It, a show in which audience members attempted to complete tasks such as whistling with a mouthful of crackers, in 1949. In the 1950s Queen for a Day crowned the most down-trodden of its four contestants at the end of each show, draping her in a sable-trimmed robe and granting a previously declared wish. The wild success reality television has achieved of late has pushed the envelope of such programming ever further away—from the genre's innocuous beginnings. The time is now ripe for a look back on how this genre has developed, what it reveals about us, and what has transformed it into one of the most powerful forms of entertainment on television today.
Using interviews with network insiders, reality producers, and other experts, Richard Huff supplies fascinating insights into the diverse content and often erratic development of reality television programming, augmenting this information with illuminating general connections between the past and present forms these shows assume. From Queen for a Day through Extreme Makeover, from Cops to Fear Factor, the genre is placed before us in this exhaustive and many-sided account, an account that uncovers the foundations and the future potential of the compelling and dominating phenomenon that is reality television.
One of our goals in launching the International Journal of Communication, in addition to demonstrating the viability of non-commercial open access scholarly publication at the highest level, was to take full advantage of the capabilities of online publishing to serve as a forum for a variety of contributions and conversations. Thus, our Features category has included lectures, policy papers and debates, interviews, and other writings that are not traditional scholarly articles or book reviews. In this spirit, we are delighted to introduce a new dimension to our platform, one that will further extend the possibilities afforded by our non-commercial online format under a new category called "Forum." In the new section that we are calling Participations: Dialogues on the Participatory Promise of Contemporary Culture and Politics, Editorial Board members Nick Couldry and Henry Jenkins engage scholars in informal discussions of contemporary culture and politics. The conversations presented are the result of a series of open-ended conversations that they initiated with colleagues and that seemed to them-and to us-to be worth pursuing in this more public and open-ended venue. Five key topics will be discussed: creativity, labor, politics, knowledge and education, and platforms. In the spirit of opening and continuing the conversation, we welcome comments and contributions from our readers. There is an "add comment" function available when you access each dialogue (including this introduction) to enter your feedback. We look forward to your responses.
The literature on meaning in life written by contemporary philosophers has yet to be systematically applied to literature on the point of psychotherapy. My broad aim in this chapter is to indicate some plausible ways to merge these two tracks of material that have run in parallel up to now. More specifically, here I articulate the hypothesis that psychodynamic and humanistic therapy, clinical psychology, and counseling psychology as such, not a particular branch of them, are best understood as enterprises in search of meaning in life, in the way many present-day philosophers understand this phrase, and I also provide good reason to take this conjecture seriously. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht. All rights reserved.
Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) methods, now known as Participatory Learning and Action (PLA), have been extensively used in development research, action and evaluation. This book is based on the author’s decade-long intensive field experience—each method is explained by drawing on field-based illustrations. The book vividly describes the methods of PRA, highlighting the essential features as well as the application, merits and limitations of each method.Participatory Rural Appraisal: Principles, Methods and Application outlines the application of PRA methodology in areas like participatory poverty assessment, sustainable livelihood analysis, assessment of hunger, vulnerability analysis, organizational analysis, monitoring and evaluation. Separate sections on SWOT analysis and on the method of interview and dialogue are also included in the book. The author has provided guidelines for sector-wise application of PRA, which serves as a ready reference for students and practitioners alike. A chapter on the roles of members of a PRA team is another key feature of this book, which is immensely valuable for students, researchers and academicians working in the areas of social work, rural development, agriculture, and environmental science, and also for NGO workers and trainers and researchers in the development field.
Reality TV restores a crucial, and often absent, element to the critical debate about reality television: the voices of people who watch reality programmes. From Animal Hospital to Big Brother, Annette Hill argues that much can be learned from listening to audience discussion about this popular and rapidly changing television genre. Viewers' responses to reality TV can provide invaluable information to enhance our understanding of both the reality genre and contemporary television audiences. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative audience research to understand how viewers categorise the reality genre, and how they judge the performance of ordinary people and the representation of authenticity within different types of reality programmes. Do audiences think reality TV is real? Can people learn from watching reality TV? How critical are viewers of reality TV? Reality TV argues that audiences are engaged in a critical examination of the development of popular factual television. The book examines how audiences can learn from watching reality programmes, and how viewers think and talk about the ethics of reality TV.
Popular media present a vast array of stories about women and men. What impact do these images and ideas have on people's identities? The new edition of Media, Gender and Identity is a highly readable introduction to the relationship between media and gender identities today. Fully revised and updated, including new case studies and a new chapter, it considers a wide range of research and provides new ways for thinking about the media's influence on gender and sexuality. David Gauntlett discusses movies such as Knocked Up and Spiderman 3, men's and women's magazines, TV shows, self-help books, YouTube videos, and more, to show how the media play a role in the shaping of individual self-identities. The book includes: A comparison of gender representations in the past and today, from James Bond to Ugly Betty. An introduction to key theorists such as Judith Butler, Anthony Giddens and Michel Foucault. An outline of creative approaches, where identities are explored with video, drawing, or Lego bricks. A Companion Website with extra articles, interviews and selected links, at: www.theoryhead.com.
Recently, many scholars in public administration have argued for a participatory turn: the introduction of deliberative arrangements to include citizens in policymaking. In this article, the arguments and likely consequences of these proposals are assessed by using Max Weber’s classical analysis of the interplay between democracy and bureaucratization. It is argued that advocacy for a participatory turn contains blind spots. In consequence, the proposed measures are likely to increase the problems that they were intended to remedy.
Points for practitioners
The conclusion for practitioners is that direct participatory arrangements are not the panacea to the multiple problems they are often presented to be. The view through a Weberian lens urges caution on those who consider introducing such arrangements, as they might lead to a diminishing of predictability and accountability of public administration, a decrease in (substantial) expertise within government, and a general dissatisfaction with arrangements that do not provide citizens with what they were led to expect. More direct participation, then, easily contributes to the problems they were meant to remedy.
The potential of the Internet to enhance civic participation has been examined in numerous theoretical and empirical studies. This article concentrates specifically on the role the medium plays in affording and supporting new forms of making sense of public issues and getting involved in civic activities that evolve at the level of everyday life. Characteristically, these forms do not square neatly with elevated notions of political and civic participation. Their significance easily escapes recognition. Building on existing conceptualizations such as those of “life politics” (Giddens, 1991),“sub-politics” (Beck, 1997) and “the political” Mouffe (2005), and “democratic rationalization” (Feenberg, 1999), the concept of subactivism is proposed with the objective to expand received notions of what does and should count as civic engagement.
‘Graeme Turner is one of the leading figures in cultural studies today. When his gaze turns to celebrity, the result is a readable and compelling account of this most perplexing and infuriating of modern phenomena. Read on!’ – Toby Miller, New York University We cannot escape celebrity culture: it is everywhere. So just what is the cultural function of celebrity? This is the first comprehensive overview of the production and consumption of celebrity from within cultural and media studies. The pervasive influence of contemporary celebrity, and the cultures it produces, has been widely noticed. Earlier studies, though, have tended to focus on the consumption of celebrity or on particular locations of celebrity – Hollywood, or the sports industries for instance. This book presents a broad survey across all media as well as a new synthesis of theoretical positions, that will be welcomed by all students of media and cultural studies. Among its attributes are the following: It provides an overview and evaluation of the key debates surrounding the definition of celebrity, its history, and its social and cultural function; It examines the ‘celebrity industries’: the PR and publicity structures that manufacture celebrity; It looks at the cultural processes through which celebrity is consumed; It draws examples from the full range of contemporary media – film, television, newspapers, magazines and the web.
The original title of this paper was “Power, Desire, Interest.”1 Indeed, whatever power these meditations command may have been earned by a politically interested refusal to push to the limit the founding presuppositions of my desires, as far as they are within my grasp. This vulgar three-stroke formula, applied both to the most resolutely committed and to the most ironic discourse, keeps track of what Althusser so aptly named “philosophies of denegation.”2 I have invoked my positionality in this awkward way so as to accentuate the fact that calling the place of the investigator into question remains a meaningless piety in many recent critiques of the sovereign subject. Thus, although I will attempt to foreground the precariousness of my position throughout, I know such gestures can never suffice.
The participatory turn in broadcast television, institutional, editorial and textual challenges and strategies
- G S Enli
Megan Trainor lyrics - All about that bass
- Metro Lyrics
The personal is political: The women's liberation movement
- C Hanisch