scholarly journals Re-Orienting Refugee Representation? A Multimodal Analysis of Syrian Refugee Representation on the Social Media Platform "Humans of New York"

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Nicole Cathleen Aarssen

This paper examines a selection of photo-narratives from the social media account Humans of New York, which documented the experiences of Syrian refugees in the fall of 2015. It questions how an alternative media platform may challenge or reinforce traditional tropes utilized by mainstream media to represent a marginalized group such as Syrian refugees. To engage in the analysis, codes were developed from the literature review on Orientalism, neo-Orientalism, media representations of Islam and of refugees, as well as from theories of visual social semiotics and narrative analysis. The results suggest that while alternative platforms may challenge aspects of the Orientalist discourse, this discourse is also seen to adapt and persist through more subtle manifestations. The HONY audience is more likely to affirm representations that fit within the neo-liberal notion of who is an acceptable and “worthy” refugee.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Aarssen

This major research paper (MRP) examines a selection of photo-narratives presented by the social media account Humans of New York, focusing on a series that documented Syrian refugees in the fall of 2015. It seeks to answer the following questions: How does the HONY platform frame the Syrian Refugee crisis? Which visual, textual, and multimodal elements are mostprevalent in the sample? How does HONY’s representations of Syrian refugees contribute to or challenge the discourse of Orientalism and Othering? Does the HONY coverage provide the opportunity for a more humanizing, compassionate perspective? To answer these questions, I coded the twenty most “liked” posts from the series for various visual, narrative, and multimodal elements. A codebook was developed from the literature review on Orientalism, neo-Orientalism, media representations of Islam, and media representations of refugees, as well as from theories of visual social semiotics, narrative analysis, and multimodal communication. The findings of this MRP question how alternative media platforms may challenge or reinforce traditional tropes utilized by mainstream media to represent a marginalized group such as Syrian refugees. The results suggest that while alternative platforms may challenge aspects of the Orientalist discourse and highlight a shared sense of humanity, the continuity of this discourse is seen to adapt through more subtle manifestations. The HONY audience is more likely to affirm representations that fit within the neo-liberal notion of who is an acceptable and “worthy” refugee. Based on the findings, this study is relevant to how professional communicators and audiences engage with media representations of marginalized groups, particularly in the current sociopolitical environment that is witnessing the unprecedented mass movement of displaced peoples.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Aarssen

This major research paper (MRP) examines a selection of photo-narratives presented by the social media account Humans of New York, focusing on a series that documented Syrian refugees in the fall of 2015. It seeks to answer the following questions: How does the HONY platform frame the Syrian Refugee crisis? Which visual, textual, and multimodal elements are mostprevalent in the sample? How does HONY’s representations of Syrian refugees contribute to or challenge the discourse of Orientalism and Othering? Does the HONY coverage provide the opportunity for a more humanizing, compassionate perspective? To answer these questions, I coded the twenty most “liked” posts from the series for various visual, narrative, and multimodal elements. A codebook was developed from the literature review on Orientalism, neo-Orientalism, media representations of Islam, and media representations of refugees, as well as from theories of visual social semiotics, narrative analysis, and multimodal communication. The findings of this MRP question how alternative media platforms may challenge or reinforce traditional tropes utilized by mainstream media to represent a marginalized group such as Syrian refugees. The results suggest that while alternative platforms may challenge aspects of the Orientalist discourse and highlight a shared sense of humanity, the continuity of this discourse is seen to adapt through more subtle manifestations. The HONY audience is more likely to affirm representations that fit within the neo-liberal notion of who is an acceptable and “worthy” refugee. Based on the findings, this study is relevant to how professional communicators and audiences engage with media representations of marginalized groups, particularly in the current sociopolitical environment that is witnessing the unprecedented mass movement of displaced peoples.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Akhmad Roja Badrus Zaman ◽  
Mahin Muqaddam Assarwani

Advances in technology and information provide new opportunities for preachers to be able to take part in spreading Islamic teachings through various social media platforms. One of the preachers who took the role to preach through social media was Habib Husein Jafar al-Hadar. This article examines Habib Husein Jafar’s missionary activities on the social media platform he uses, Youtube. The researcher analyzes the data by observing virtually and visually (virtual ethnography) on the da’wa content displayed by Habib Husein Jafar through Youtube. The study shows that: 1) the attention to the spiritual enlightenment efforts of the younger generation is the basis of the selection of the social media platform Youtube - because based on previous research, the users of this social media platform are 18-29 years of age; 2) starting from the da’wa consumers who are primarily young people, the content they present is suitable to their needs and lifestyle and 3) by using the concept of the circuit of culture analysis, Habib Husein Jafar in various ranges can reconstruct people’s perception of one’s definition of holiness. It is not limited based on normative appearance - cloaked and sacrificed, for example - but more on the substantive side, namely by behaving and having knowledgeable skills. With the variety of content, he could visualize himself as a pious young man by not abandoning his social status as a young person.


2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (6) ◽  
pp. 1195-1220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrizia Casadei ◽  
Neil Lee

The creative and cultural industries form an important part of many urban economies, and the fashion industries are one of the exemplar creative industries. Because fashion is based on intangibles such as branding and reputation, it tends to have a two-way relationship with cities: urban areas market themselves through their fashion industry, while the fashion industry draws heavily on the representation of place. In this paper we investigate this interlinked relationship between the fashion industry and place in four of the major cities of global fashion – London, New York, Milan and Paris – using data from the social media platform Twitter. To do this, we draw upon a variety of computer-aided text analysis techniques – including cluster, correspondence and specificity analyses – to examine almost 100,000 tweets collected during the Spring–Summer fashion weeks of February and March 2018. We find considerable diversity in how these cities are represented. Milan and Paris are seen in terms of national fashion houses, artisanal production and traditional institutions such as galleries and exhibitions. New York is focused on media and entertainment, independent designers and a ‘buzzy’ social life. London is portrayed in the most diverse ways, with events, shopping, education, social movements, political issues and the royal family all prominent. In each case, the historical legacy and built environment form important parts of the city’s image. However, there is considerable diversity in representation. We argue that social media allow a more democratic view of the way cities are represented than other methodologies.


Author(s):  
Ni Wayan Widhiasthini

Simultaneous regional head elections in 2020 are a democratic party held during the Covid19 pandemic. There are social restrictions and community mobility and in the context of preventing the spread of the virus, social media has become the main choice for election participants in campaigning. The sharing economy is the reference in this article, based on the prevailing view in society that elections are more closely watched from the political aspect. The era of disruption has penetrated various fields including politics, democracy, especially in the administration of elections. The problem in this article describes the practice of sharing the economy of the election campaign through social media. The goal to be achieved is to contribute to thoughts and to provide awareness that campaigns on social media are not merely political activities. But economic activity with a collaborative economic concept. The discussion of this article covers the six districts in Bali that are participating in the general election simultaneously in 2020. The results of the discussion show that the practice of sharing economy in the election campaign through social media is carried out through the selection of the social media platform that will be used to carry out the campaign.


2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Citra Hennida ◽  
Kandi Aryani ◽  
Sri Endah Kinasih

Netizens often use social media as a medium for activism, including Indonesia’s Migrant Workers (IMWs). Social media with networked characteristics has succeeded in lifting narratives in particular groups that have not been heard a lot and have escaped mainstream media scrutiny. Starting from the development of communication between IMWs, we raise the extent to which IMWs use social media as a medium for social activism, especially for IMWs protection issues and social media’s main content uploaded IMWs. This study aims to analyze to what extent social media is used by IMWs for social activism related to issues concerning the protection of migrant workers and what influences their behavior when using social media. We use a social media activism framework within the social media platform. Researchers collected data from March-October 2019 through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and focused discussions that presented 15 representatives from assistants, NGOs, and academics in Malang. There were also 25 IMWs representatives with placement experience in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia. We found that the majority of IMWs use social media as a means of communicating between themselves and their families in the country; however, social media content for social activism is low, especially for the issue of IMWs protection. The culture and legal system in the countries of origin and destination countries influence the low level of participation in the content they create. IMWs is placed in a country with a more open culture, where local laws are more apparent in the protection of IMWs, so IMW’s social media content is more open and willing to provide testimony on the problems that exist around them and vice versa. Therefore, although social media is massive among IMWs, it is not linear with content production that leads to protection.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Servet Kardeş ◽  
Çağla Banko ◽  
Berrin Akman

Bu araştırmada sığınmacılara yönelik paylaşımların yapıldığı sosyal medyada yer alan sözlüklerden birinde sığınmacılara yönelik algıya bakılmıştır. Yöntem olarak nitel desende olan bu çalışmada, bir sosyal medya sitesinde yer alan paylaşımlar içerik analizi yoluyla derinlemesine incelenip yorumlanmıştır. Araştırmanın sonucunda sosyal medya kullanıcılarının sığınmacıları büyük bir güvensizlik ortamı ve huzursuzluk yaratan bireyler olarak gördükleri saptanmış, sığınmacılarla yaşanan deneyimlerin ve medyadaki haberlerin bu düşüncelerin oluşmasında etkisinin olduğu belirlenmiştir. Bunun yanında sosyal medya kullanıcılarının devletin sığınmacılar konusunda yanlış politika izlediğini düşündükleri ve sığınmacılar için etkili bir planlama yapılmadığını ifade ettikleri görülmüştür. Çalışmanın sonuçları doğrultusunda medyada sığınmacılar hakkında çıkan haberlerde olumsuz ve şiddet temalı haberlerin azaltılması, Suriyeli sığınmacıların durumu, sahip oldukları haklar ve topluma yansımaları hakkında doğru ve bilgilendirici kamu spotları hazırlanması ayrıca sığınmacıların topluma entegre olma sürecinin her basamağında daha planlı ve etkili bir yol izlenmesi önerilebilir.ABSTRACT IN ENGLISHPerceptions about Syrian refugees on social media: an evaluation of a social media platformIn this research, posts which are about Syrian refugees were published in a social media platform, called as “sözlük” were investigated. The research is a qualitative research. The posts in this platform are analyzed with content analysis method. According to results of analyses, social media users see Syrian refugees as people who create an insecure and a restless environment. The experiences people had with them and news have an effect on this view. In addition, social media users think that government made inappropriate policies and ineffective plans about Syrian refugees. It is suggested negative news about Syrian refugees should be decreased and government should make safer policies. In addition, adaptation of refugees to society should be made in more planned and effective way.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 7081 ◽  
Author(s):  
Athapol Ruangkanjanases ◽  
Shu-Ling Hsu ◽  
Yenchun Jim Wu ◽  
Shih-Chih Chen ◽  
Jo-Yu Chang

With the growth of social media communities, people now use this new media to engage in many interrelated activities. As a result, social media communities have grown into popular and interactive platforms among users, consumers and enterprises. In the social media era of high competition, increasing continuance intention towards a specific social media platform could transfer extra benefits to such virtual groups. Based on the expectation-confirmation model (ECM), this research proposed a conceptual framework incorporating social influence and social identity as key determinants of social media continuous usage intention. The research findings of this study highlight that: (1) the social influence view of the group norms and image significantly affects social identity; (2) social identity significantly affects perceived usefulness and confirmation; (3) confirmation has a significant impact on perceived usefulness and satisfaction; (4) perceived usefulness and satisfaction have positive effects on usage continuance intention. The results of this study can serve as a guide to better understand the reasons for and implications of social media usage and adoption.


Author(s):  
Giandomenico Di Domenico ◽  
Annamaria Tuan ◽  
Marco Visentin

AbstractIn the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, unprecedent amounts of fake news and hoax spread on social media. In particular, conspiracy theories argued on the effect of specific new technologies like 5G and misinformation tarnished the reputation of brands like Huawei. Language plays a crucial role in understanding the motivational determinants of social media users in sharing misinformation, as people extract meaning from information based on their discursive resources and their skillset. In this paper, we analyze textual and non-textual cues from a panel of 4923 tweets containing the hashtags #5G and #Huawei during the first week of May 2020, when several countries were still adopting lockdown measures, to determine whether or not a tweet is retweeted and, if so, how much it is retweeted. Overall, through traditional logistic regression and machine learning, we found different effects of the textual and non-textual cues on the retweeting of a tweet and on its ability to accumulate retweets. In particular, the presence of misinformation plays an interesting role in spreading the tweet on the network. More importantly, the relative influence of the cues suggests that Twitter users actually read a tweet but not necessarily they understand or critically evaluate it before deciding to share it on the social media platform.


Modern Italy ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 335-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierluigi Erbaggio

Based on Roberto Saviano's book Gomorra (2006), production of the TV series Gomorra – La serie (2014) was met with scepticism as many feared it would glamorise organised crime and, consequently, attract young people toward Camorra affiliation. The series' bleak portrayal of criminals and criminality was offered as a response to such concerns. Despite the preoccupations, Gomorra – La serie was hugely successful and, because of its quality, was sold to other countries. In Italy, the series' success can be measured by the popularity of its Twitter hashtag #GomorraLaSerie. Engaged with Henry Jenkins' theories of media convergence and based on a corpus of tweets bearing this official hashtag, this article proposes a quantitative analysis and advances conclusions regarding the Italian TV audience and second-screen viewing practices. Additionally, through a qualitative study of Saviano's tweets about the series, it examines the writer's use of the social media platform as a tool of narrative continuity. Finally, the article highlights a few examples of fan-generated media and concludes with remarks regarding Saviano's problematic position at the centre of a transmedia object.


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