Sorry Not Sorry: (Non-) Apology, Satire, and the Vacuum

This essay considers the theme of apology and what happens when the demand for apology is subverted, using the Vacuum newspaper as a case study. I consider the argument that played out in 2004 between the Vacuum and Belfast City Council, which partially funded its production. The Vacuum’s publication of themed double issues entitled ‘God’ and ‘Satan’ provoked the ire of conservative Council Members who proposed that the publication's editors must apologize to Members of the Council and the citizens of Belfast for the offence they had caused. In so doing, the publication secured its place as one of the most controversial Northern Irish print publications of recent years. In their response to the Council’s demand – a themed ‘Sorry’ issue – the Vacuum’s editors struck a defiant tone. Media discourse around the ‘Sorry’ issue of the Vacuum has centred on the element of public spectacle it generated, but this essay represents a reconsideration of its importance. I read it as informed by an ethics of resistance. By refusing to be co-opted into making a sham apology, the ‘Sorry’ issue illuminates the crucial importance of apology in the place and time of its production – in a country still reeling from the violence of the Troubles.

Crowdfunding for Independent Print Media: E-Commerce, Marketing, and Business Development

Crowdfunding, as an alternative method to fundraising, triggers increased awareness in society, while it is also an effective marketing tool for campaign runners. The production and release of independent print media poses significant hurdles in terms of financing. Including the community in raising funds through crowdfunding seems like a good possible alternative. This paper examines which types of crowdfunding the independent print media use, and why, and also focuses on the possible types of crowdfunding that are the best fit for organizations. The study applies a case example approach on a total of thirty independent print publications that have relied on crowdfunding. We found that independent print media focus on reward-based crowdfunding for the launch of publications, the method being not used solely for fundraising, but also specifically for community building. Practitioners benefit from the insights by being enabled to draft campaigns that are better-suited to the specific needs of the independent media target group, and to secure financing for the start of the operations. The approach of this study is of special value, as the research and empirical insights into the independent media sector are limited.

Encountering Pilgrims

Participants in the pilgrimage network in Norway share numerous features with those at other contemporary Christian sites, among them the focus on the intense yet temporary bonding with other pilgrims, a starkly embodied experience of the landscape traveled through, and the importance of hosts and volunteers in the experience. Pilgrims share many of the reasons for going on pilgrimages with those in other networks, and they often become involved in hosting upon their return. There are also distinct features that appear in Norway, in particular the revival of the coastal pilgrimage route, which takes pilgrims off the path and on board historical vessels, under guidance and a common schedule and accommodation. As the Norwegian pilgrimage network has been under development, various modes of promotion of pilgrimage through print publications, films, and social media disrupt the break from “normal” that many pilgrims seek and serve to recruit new pilgrims. For many pilgrims “biopsychosociospiritual” healing appears to describe well the complex experiences they seek and encounter on the path.

An experimental study of the generation of inequality and unpredictability in an artificial academic literature market

Academic publishing has changed substantially in the past 30 years due to the advent of the internet. Unlike print publications, digital publications have the ability to provide additional information to visitors about the publication and previous readers via metadata like download counts. This study investigated the effect of this metadata on the development of download inequality and unpredictability of success in an experimental academic literature marketplace. We found that presence of an accurate download count increased inequality in article downloads, meaning fewer papers accumulated a larger share of the total download count. We also found that the presence of download count increased the unpredictability of success, meaning across identical instances, different papers became the most popular. Finally, an exploratory analysis found papers were more highly rated when download counts were present. Together, these findings provide insight into how the download behaviors of previous academic readers may influence literature choice.

Transnationalism and Latino print media in Spain: The challenge of linking contents to both origin and destination

The creation of transnational Latino media spaces is the result of the migratory flow of Latin Americans to the north. In this context, the goal of this research is to link news content in Latino print publications in Spain to the origin and destination of their readers, and to analyse the importance of this media content as a vehicle of transnational practices. As our initial hypothesis, we suggest that the content of Latino print media in Spain reinforces the maintenance of readers’ ties to their countries of origin, whilst failing to prioritize stories that encourage the incorporation of readers into their country of destination, in this case Spain. Our analysis focuses on the orientation of contents, in order to determine whether they are mainly oriented towards the readers’ origin or destination. The findings confirm the initial hypothesis, because origin-binding contents represent 62.4percent of all contents, a result that multiplies by four destination-binding contents, which represent 14.1percent of the total. The leaning of content towards origin is an important step to foster the transnational behaviour of migrants. However, the greater leaning of content towards origin could compromise the transnational role of Latino print media in Spain, because while their contents strengthen readers’ ties with their homeland, they do not sufficiently reinforce the integration of readers into their country of destination.

Content and demographic discrepancies that exist between women's fashion magazines and their corresponding websites

Introduction: The digitization of women’s fashion magazines is an on-going development in recent years. The rise of fashion bloggers and online-only fashion publications on the internet have forced major print publications to develop and expand their companion websites. Over the last decade, sales of print fashion magazines have steadily declined, while costs of printing have steadily risen. As a result, major publications have looked towards the cheaper alternative of developing websites in order to deliver digital content to their readers and further establish a strong presence online. By utilizing such digital platforms, women’s fashion publications have found a way to reach large audiences with generally free and easily accessible content that is produced with a high frequency. With a secondary medium of digital fashion magazines complimenting their original print publications, discrepancies in content between print and digital platforms emerge. Several factors play a part in the discrepancy between print and digital content. One of the primary factors, suggested by researcher Ytre-Anne is the way in which older audiences prefer physical print editions of magazines over newer digital alternatives (Ytre-Anne 2011). This factor may cause print fashion magazines to specifically cater towards an older demographic in order to maintain or increase sales. Furthermore, as the development of the internet and the rise of fashion blogs in the late 1990s into the new millennium worked to target younger audiences who were familiar with technological advancements, it may be argued that a younger readership may be the target of online publications (Magee 2012, Turner 2009). Similarly, other studies have shown that younger audiences prefer fashion products to be featured on, or endorsed by celebrities, pointing towards the idea that a younger audience prefers content with celebrity news or features. Other factors that might indicate discrepancies in content are product price ranges, with lower priced ready-to-wear fashion featured more frequently online. Alongside such differences in content, several technical features can also cause differences in content. As the internet allows for instant updates on the latest news and fashion, magazine websites are now outputting content on a daily basis as opposed to their print counterparts who typically produce editions on a monthly basis. This phenomenon can ultimately lead to differences in content between the print and online versions of a fashion magazine. My Major Research Project will seek to identify key developments and patterns that might derive from discrepancies in content between women’s fashion magazines’ print editions and their corresponding websites. Using a primarily qualitative approach, my research study will include a content analysis of four North American women’s fashion magazines and a series of interviews with corresponding fashion editors. The content analysis will look for several characteristics present in each fashion magazine’s print edition and its corresponding website, including product pricing, demographic target, as well as celebrity references. The content analysis will further work to compare data between each fashion magazine’s print edition and its corresponding website. In order to further my evidence I will conduct interviews with fashion magazine editors to gain a professional perspective on the subject. The interview portion of this research study will work to provide professional opinion on the subject of content and demographic discrepancies between print fashion magazines and their corresponding websites. Overall, I am interested in the topic of content discrepancies between published print fashion magazines versus their corresponding websites. My aim is not to argue for or against one medium, but instead to look at the implications that might result from content discrepancies between the two mediums. Finally, I hypothesize two primary results: (1) that there are discrepancy patterns in content between a fashion magazine’s print edition and its website, and (2) these discrepancies suggest a difference in demographics, in which online formats target a younger audience and print versions aim to appeal to an older demographic. These findings will work to illuminate key patterns in the fashion publishing industry in terms of content and demographic discrepancies found between online and print versions. As little research has been conducted in this area, it will act as a starting point for future research to explore these patterns more in depth. As digital fashion journalism is still a topic under development, this study will contribute towards a larger goal of conceptualizing digital journalism more broadly. Similarly, the results of this study aim to provide insight and analysis into the current trends in fashion journalism, further assisting fashion editors and journalists in the industry. The overall goal of my research project will seek to establish that within the field of fashion publication in the year 2015, age is an important factor in patterns of print versus online fashion journalism.

Content and demographic discrepancies that exist between women's fashion magazines and their corresponding websites

Introduction: The digitization of women’s fashion magazines is an on-going development in recent years. The rise of fashion bloggers and online-only fashion publications on the internet have forced major print publications to develop and expand their companion websites. Over the last decade, sales of print fashion magazines have steadily declined, while costs of printing have steadily risen. As a result, major publications have looked towards the cheaper alternative of developing websites in order to deliver digital content to their readers and further establish a strong presence online. By utilizing such digital platforms, women’s fashion publications have found a way to reach large audiences with generally free and easily accessible content that is produced with a high frequency. With a secondary medium of digital fashion magazines complimenting their original print publications, discrepancies in content between print and digital platforms emerge. Several factors play a part in the discrepancy between print and digital content. One of the primary factors, suggested by researcher Ytre-Anne is the way in which older audiences prefer physical print editions of magazines over newer digital alternatives (Ytre-Anne 2011). This factor may cause print fashion magazines to specifically cater towards an older demographic in order to maintain or increase sales. Furthermore, as the development of the internet and the rise of fashion blogs in the late 1990s into the new millennium worked to target younger audiences who were familiar with technological advancements, it may be argued that a younger readership may be the target of online publications (Magee 2012, Turner 2009). Similarly, other studies have shown that younger audiences prefer fashion products to be featured on, or endorsed by celebrities, pointing towards the idea that a younger audience prefers content with celebrity news or features. Other factors that might indicate discrepancies in content are product price ranges, with lower priced ready-to-wear fashion featured more frequently online. Alongside such differences in content, several technical features can also cause differences in content. As the internet allows for instant updates on the latest news and fashion, magazine websites are now outputting content on a daily basis as opposed to their print counterparts who typically produce editions on a monthly basis. This phenomenon can ultimately lead to differences in content between the print and online versions of a fashion magazine. My Major Research Project will seek to identify key developments and patterns that might derive from discrepancies in content between women’s fashion magazines’ print editions and their corresponding websites. Using a primarily qualitative approach, my research study will include a content analysis of four North American women’s fashion magazines and a series of interviews with corresponding fashion editors. The content analysis will look for several characteristics present in each fashion magazine’s print edition and its corresponding website, including product pricing, demographic target, as well as celebrity references. The content analysis will further work to compare data between each fashion magazine’s print edition and its corresponding website. In order to further my evidence I will conduct interviews with fashion magazine editors to gain a professional perspective on the subject. The interview portion of this research study will work to provide professional opinion on the subject of content and demographic discrepancies between print fashion magazines and their corresponding websites. Overall, I am interested in the topic of content discrepancies between published print fashion magazines versus their corresponding websites. My aim is not to argue for or against one medium, but instead to look at the implications that might result from content discrepancies between the two mediums. Finally, I hypothesize two primary results: (1) that there are discrepancy patterns in content between a fashion magazine’s print edition and its website, and (2) these discrepancies suggest a difference in demographics, in which online formats target a younger audience and print versions aim to appeal to an older demographic. These findings will work to illuminate key patterns in the fashion publishing industry in terms of content and demographic discrepancies found between online and print versions. As little research has been conducted in this area, it will act as a starting point for future research to explore these patterns more in depth. As digital fashion journalism is still a topic under development, this study will contribute towards a larger goal of conceptualizing digital journalism more broadly. Similarly, the results of this study aim to provide insight and analysis into the current trends in fashion journalism, further assisting fashion editors and journalists in the industry. The overall goal of my research project will seek to establish that within the field of fashion publication in the year 2015, age is an important factor in patterns of print versus online fashion journalism.

Man! and the International Group

From January 1933 through April 1940, Man! A Journal of the Anarchist Ideal and Movement served as the central connector for a transnational anarchist network that extended across multiple continents from North America to Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. As the main organ of the “International Group”—an organization with chapters throughout the United States—Man! also linked radical immigrant communities throughout America. In addition to demonstrating the importance of print publications as an avenue for transatlantic and inter-ethnic connection, the story of Man! provides a lesser-known, early example of an international solidarity movement and critical window into political repression. With help from the American Civil Liberties Union, the several-year governmental effort to suppress the journal and deport its editors Vincent Ferrero and Domenic Sallitto as well as their colleague, Marcus Graham, became an international cause célèbre that sparked an international defense movement. Recounting the history of Man! and the International Group helps to bring this moment in transnational anarchist resistance to light, while elucidating the ways in which xenophobia-driven immigration policy can serve as a means for State-based suppression of political dissent.

Visualizing Jonathan Edwards

This article begins by introducing Jonathan Edwards, the eighteenth century American philosopher theologian from Northampton, Massachusetts. Edwards believed that the world of nature had communicative properties, full of types and symbols, and indeed, was a kind of language of God. This article posits that Edwards’ typological language of nature, encapsulated in his notebook “Images of Divine Things” and throughout his written corpus, can be explored through the lense of Digital Humanities and network analysis using Processing and Python programming languages. Next, the article summarizes recent Edwards-focused DH projects by Kenneth Minkema, Michał Choiński, and Michael Keller. The article then recounts the history and development of the Visual Edwards project and how it expands exploration of the 26 volume Yale letterpress edition of The Works of Jonathan Edwards. Features of the Visual Edwards software are introduced briefly, as well as print publications flowing from the project.

Literacy

This chapter examines the role of print publications in Yiddish, beginning in the sixteenth century. Print stabilized Yiddish and also endowed it with an elasticity that was unprecedented in diaspora Jewish vernaculars, enabling it to traverse all of northern Europe. As a largely market-driven phenomenon, Yiddish eventually became an international language read by millions. Its print culture ran the gamut of Jewish ideologies and extended across the spectrum of high and low culture. The place of Yiddish in the shifting constellation of languages engaged by Ashkenazim is reflected in translations into and out of Yiddish, as well as in multilingual texts.