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Changing the Culture of Doomscrolling: Exploring the Multimodal Mediation of "Reinventing Tomorrow" Micro-documentaries about Viable Climate Solutions
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Carmen Daniela Maier
The premise of this paper is that audiences have become desensitized to climate change communication due to a widespred culture of doomscrolling. The Pique Action media company is one of the few companies endeavoring to systematically counteract this culture of doomscrolling by mediating innovative micro-documentaries about viable climate solutions. The purpose of this study is to examine the multimodal discourses mediated across several social media platforms by the "Reinventing Tomorrow "micro-documentaries of this media company. The theoretical framework combines perspectives upon threat appraisal, empowerment and a social semiotic perspective upon multimodal discourses. The methodological approach combines multimodal discourse analysis with thematic reflexive analysis. Thus, this qualitative study proposes an approach for investigating the complexity of empowering discourses of renewal across several media and semiotic modes. The paper explains how multimodal discursive strategies are employed for accomplishing empowering functions at individual, relational and collective well-being levels through the digital integration of several semiotic modes in the representation of resilient social actors as groups or identifiable individuals. The socio-emotional dynamics of their implicit dialogue with prospective viewers is also multimodally explored. The discursive strategies are also employed for mediating diverse social actions as collaborative challenge - solving initiatives that acknowledge the necessity and efficacy of genuine commitment and involvement. Thus, this study is not only of theoretical and methodological relevance, but also of practical relevance for other media companies aiming to both disclose relentless climate change challenges as well as to promote successful collaborative initiatives across several semiotic modes and social media platforms.
The Affective Labor of Chinese Fandom for Virtual Idols
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Yuruo Wei
In the era of artificial intelligence, virtual idols have rapidly emerged as a new cultural phenomenon. Positioned at the intersection of technological culture, idol culture, and anime culture, virtual idols have garnered significant popularity among younger generations. Unlike traditional idols, the identity, activities, and fame of virtual idols depend heavily on user-generated content. Under the influence of technological imagination, virtual idols display characteristics of authenticity, versatility, uniqueness, and approach ability, fostering close connections with fan communities. Fans coalesce from individuals into distinct groups, forming specialized communities commonly referred to as “fandom.” Emotional creations by these fans can be seen as a form of affective labor within the context of the digital economy. This labor is often absorbed and converted into capital by the virtual idol industry, contributing to surplus value. However, it is notable that the virtual idol industry does not provide substantive compensation for the labor contributed by its fans. Against this backdrop, the industry not only exploits fan labor to the greatest extent but also does so covertly. This study focuses on Chinese fan groups associated with virtual idols' “fandom,” utilizing interviews with twenty fans, non-participatory observations, and coding analysis. The objective is to explore the transition of fan labor from “affective labor” to “digital emotional exploitation.” This transformation demonstrates how fans—while contributing affective labor—are subjected to the control of platform operators, further diminishing their subjective agency. Since this process is driven by fans’ autonomous choices, it provides significant traffic and economic value to capital.
Empowerment or Catharsis?: China’s “Leftover Women” on Social Media View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Chengxu Zhao
In the years following its first use in 2006, the term “leftover women” rapidly became commonplace in Chinese media. Stigma against this group persists, but the numbers are growing, and “leftover” has become a choice of life. The cultural and social changes relating to gender have taken place in part because of Internet technology, which has provided new possibilities and spaces for the global popularisation of feminism. This paper explores the dilemmas “leftover women” face through an analysis of how this issue is represented on the social media accounts of influential women public figures in China. The research design is qualitative, and case studies have been conducted with publicly available social media accounts on different platforms run by prominent female scholars, actors, and influencers to investigate: 1) how they discuss feminism and gender-related topics; and 2) how social media users respond to this content. Three methods were used to analyse the data: Foucauldian-informed discourse analysis, feminist discourse analysis, and multimodal discourse analysis. The case studies combine to show that social media accounts run by progressive female public figures have played a role in the dissemination of Chinese cyberfeminism. These prominent women have used the openness and interactivity of social media to offer progressive ideas about fertility, age, and gender roles that challenge mainstream stereotypes. However, social media still have limitations in facilitating the “leftover women” group to fight for their rights. The findings contribute a de-Westernised perspective to knowledge about global feminism by presenting Chinese women’s distinct discourses and experiences.
Featured Participating in the Popular: The Importance of Media Rituals in Understanding the Relationship between Children and Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Marissa Lammon
The examination of media and their audiences has, expectedly, resulted in a diverse body of disciplines, perspectives, paradigms, and research. Although the rapidly changing media landscape has shaped much of media studies, the unique forces of cultural discourse and ideology surrounding specific audiences and specific media platforms presents as a challenge to media researchers. In particular, the discourses surrounding children, animation, and media effects have complicated the understanding of children as media audiences and animation as a pedagogical force. This paper dissects this relationship by integrating cultural analysis into conversations about media and children. It uses systematic review to correlate the classification of animation as a “children’s medium” with the creation and dismissal of adulterated content in animated texts, and places this alongside the ritual behaviors of children concerning media made for them. By exploring how children engage in media rituals, including aspects of character identification, this paper advocates for the conceptualization of popular culture as deeply connected to society in order to properly evaluate the pedagogical nature of media as disseminators of ideology in children’s lives.
