#failbetter

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-99
Author(s):  
Jonathan Heron
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Popular Culture ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Queer Studies ◽  
Political Issue ◽  
Disability Culture ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Us Presidential Election ◽  
Experimental Theatre

Recalling Beckett's treatment of failure ( Three Dialogues, 1949; Worstward Ho, 1983), this article considers ‘fidelity to failure’ as a performative and political issue. In dealing with both the aesthetics and ethics of Beckett's failure, the article is informed by recent publications and events within the field ( Kenny ; Morin ; Maprayil; 2020 ). These interventions build upon a body of literature on Beckett ( McMullan, 1994 ; Calder, 2001 ; Anderton, 2016 ; Thomas, 2018) and culture ( Bersani and Dutoit, 1993 ; Ridout, 2006 ; Bailes, 2011 ; Halberstam, 2011 ). The article examines the phenomenon of failure within Beckettian production and wider ethical implications surrounding the (mis)appropriations of ‘failing better’. Having established the uses – and misuses – of this phrase, the article proceeds in three interlinked parts: a) aesthetic failure in Beckett's creative practice through to his legacy in experimental theatre and popular culture; b) performance more broadly, including intersections with disability culture and queer studies; and c) performative interventions in public discourse, from Brexit in Europe to the 2016 US Presidential Election as well as social movements such as Black Lives Matter.

Anticipating and addressing the ethical implications of deepfakes in the context of elections

2020 ◽  
pp. 146144482092581
Author(s):  
Nicholas Diakopoulos ◽  
Deborah Johnson
Keyword(s):  
New Media ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Us Presidential Election ◽  
Social Domains ◽  
Video And Audio ◽  
Multi Stakeholder

New media synthesis technologies are rapidly advancing and becoming more accessible, allowing users to make video and audio clips (i.e. deepfakes) of individuals doing and saying things they never did or said. Deepfakes have significant implications for the integrity of many social domains including that of elections. Focusing on the 2020 US presidential election and using an anticipatory approach, this article examines the ethical issues raised by deepfakes and discusses strategies for addressing these issues. Eight hypothetical scenarios are developed and used as the basis for this analysis, which identifies harms to voters who view deepfakes, candidates and campaigns that are the subjects of deepfakes, and threats to electoral integrity. Four potential forms of intervention are discussed with respect to multi-stakeholder responsibility for addressing harms, including education and media literacy, subject defense, verification, and publicity moderation.

Conclusion

2018 ◽  
pp. 148-156
Author(s):  
Marina Dekavalla
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
New Media ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Mainstream Media ◽  
Building Model ◽  
Frame Building ◽  
Us Presidential Election ◽  
Eu Referendum ◽  
Picture Frame

This chapter revisits the question of whether the mediation of referendum campaigns is distinctive enough to deserve dedicated analysis. It queries the extent to which the referendum analysed in this book bears similarities with the UK’s subsequent 2016 EU referendum and how that event was framed in the mainstream media. The chapter argues that the frame-building model proposed in chapter 7 appears to also provide an account for the mediation of that campaign. The chapter concludes with a wider consideration of the contribution of old and new media to our understanding of politics. It considers the changing nature of public debate following Brexit and the 2016 US Presidential election and questions the extent to which mainstream media remain key determinants of public discourse. It proposes that future avenues for frame building research would need to explore frame building processes on social media, where the gatekeepers and organizational routines that are so central in the frame building model proposed in this book are absent. It argues that in order to deliver the complete picture frame analysis needs to engage with the totality of news provision and sharing as this moves towards the internet and news aggregation, propaganda sites and social media.

scholarly journals The role of popular media in 2016 US presidential election memes

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyra Osten Hunting
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Harry Potter ◽  
Entertainment Media ◽  
Negative Stereotypes ◽  
Star Wars ◽  
Female Candidates ◽  
Female Politicians ◽  
Us Presidential Election

The 2016 US presidential election was marked by the extensive role that social media played in the construction of the candidates as well as by the growth of a number of forms of digital political rhetoric, including memes. The subgenre of popular culture–based political memes that draw on well-known entertainment media, particularly those with large fandoms like Star Wars and Harry Potter, reveal inequities in gender representation in entertainment media that are subsequently virally deployed. Memes based on popular culture that are designed to celebrate female candidates are disadvantaged by having a more limited popular culture lexicon than do memes featuring male candidates. This imbalance is compounded by the ways negative stereotypes of women already present in popular culture can be deployed in these memes, often in ways that align with the framing of news that works to police female politicians. The popular culture materials deployed by memes work to exacerbate existing prejudices and inequities.

Filtering 2008 US presidential election news on YouTube by elites and nonelites: An examination of the democratizing potential of the internet

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 832-849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan B. Dylko ◽  
Michael A. Beam ◽  
Kristen D. Landreville ◽  
Nicholas Geidner
Keyword(s):  
Presidential Election ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Online News ◽  
User Generated Content ◽  
The Internet ◽  
News Production ◽  
Political News ◽  
Quantitative Content ◽  
Us Presidential Election ◽  
Election News

The goals of this study are to explore several claims about the democratizing potential of the internet and to extend gatekeeping theory into user-generated content (UGC) domain. A quantitative content analysis of the most popular YouTube political news videos during the 2008 US presidential election was conducted to investigate the degree to which nonelites were able to partake in mainstream public discourse. We found that elites dominated first and second filters (news sourcing and news production) in the flow of online news, while nonelites dominated the third filter (news distribution). These results suggest that an update to the traditional gatekeeping model is needed to reflect the realities of today’s user-driven communication environment.

Identity propaganda: Racial narratives and disinformation

2021 ◽  
pp. 146144482110292
Author(s):  
Madhavi Reddi ◽  
Rachel Kuo ◽  
Daniel Kreiss
Keyword(s):  
Presidential Election ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Vice President ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
Marginalized Groups ◽  
Identity Based ◽  
Us Presidential Election ◽  
Social Orders ◽  
Racial Narratives

This article develops the concept of “identity propaganda,” or narratives that strategically target and exploit identity-based differences in accord with pre-existing power structures to maintain hegemonic social orders. In proposing and developing the concept of identity propaganda, we especially aim to help researchers find new insights into their data on misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda by outlining a framework for unpacking layers of historical power relations embedded in the content they analyze. We focus on three forms of identity propaganda: othering narratives that alienate and marginalize non-white or non-dominant groups; essentializing narratives that create generalizing tropes of marginalized groups; and authenticating narratives that call upon people to prove or undermine their claims to be part of certain groups. We demonstrate the utility of this framework through our analysis of identity propaganda around Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2020 US presidential election.

scholarly journals Strengthening the EU’s resilience to hybrid threats

European View ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 178168582110046
Author(s):  
Sandra Kalniete ◽  
Tomass Pildegovičs
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Turning Point ◽  
Hybrid Methods ◽  
Cyber Attacks ◽  
Political Will ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Us Presidential Election ◽  
Hybrid Threats

Against the backdrop of the deterioration of EU–Russia relations in recent years, there has been a shift in the awareness of hybrid threats all across the Union. At the same time, there is evidence of a growing political will to strengthen resilience to these threats. While hostile foreign actors have long deployed hybrid methods to target Europe, Russia’s intervention in Ukraine in 2014, interference in the 2016 US presidential election, and repeated cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns aimed at EU member states have marked a turning point, exposing Western countries’ unpreparedness and vulnerability to these threats. This article analyses the EU’s resilience to hybrid warfare from institutional, regulatory and societal perspectives, with a particular focus on the information space. By drawing on case studies from member states historically at the forefront of resisting and countering Russian-backed disinformation campaigns, this article outlines the case for a whole-of-society approach to countering hybrid threats and underscores the need for EU leadership in a standard-setting capacity.

Obama's Reelection Prospects under “Bread and Peace” Voting in the 2012 US Presidential Election

2012 ◽  
Vol 45 (04) ◽  
pp. 635-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas A. Hibbs
Keyword(s):  
Presidential Election ◽  
Presidential Elections ◽  
Weighted Average ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Average Growth ◽  
Us Military ◽  
Us Presidential Election ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Objectively Measured ◽  
Foreign Wars

According to the Bread and Peace Model postwar, American presidential elections should be interpreted as a sequence of referendums on the incumbent party's record during its four-year mandate period. In fact postwar aggregate votes for president are well explained by just two objectively measured fundamental determinants: (1) weighted-average growth of per capita real disposable personal income over the term, and (2) cumulative US military fatalities due to unprovoked, hostile deployments of American armed forces in foreign wars. No other outside variable systematically affects postwar aggregate votes for president.

scholarly journals State-Level Forecasts for the 2020 US Presidential Election: Tough Victory Ahead for Biden — Corrigendum

2021 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 193-193
Author(s):  
Bruno Jérôme ◽  
Véronique Jérôme ◽  
Philippe Mongrain ◽  
Richard Nadeau
Keyword(s):  
Presidential Election ◽  
State Level ◽  
Us Presidential Election

scholarly journals A Review of Mormon Studies in China

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 375
Author(s):  
Hongmeng Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Presidential Election ◽  
National Level ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Internal Factors ◽  
History Of ◽  
Us Presidential Election ◽  
Chinese Scholars ◽  
Mitt Romney ◽  
High Level

Mormon studies in China began in the early 1990s and can be divided into three phases between the years of 2004 and 2017. The first Master’s and Doctoral theses on Mormonism were both published in 2004, and journal articles have also been increasing in frequency since then. The year of 2012 saw a peak, partly because Mormon Mitt Romney won the Republican nomination for the 2012 US presidential election. In 2017, a national-level project, Mormonism and its Bearings on Current Sino-US Relations, funded by the Chinese government, was launched. However, Mormon studies in China is thus far still in its infancy, with few institutions and a small number of scholars. Academic works are limited in number, and high-level achievements are very few. Among the published works, the study of the external factors of Mormonism is far more prevalent than research on its internal factors. Historical, sociological, and political approaches far exceed those of philosophy, theology, and history of thoughts. To Mormon studies, Chinese scholars can and should be making unique contributions, but the potential remains to be tapped.

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