The meaning of Greta: a psychosocial exploration of Greta Thunberg

This article explores the social meaning of Greta Thunberg. Time magazine made her Person of the Year 2019, claiming she has become a social phenomenon, a "global sensation". This article utilises psychosocial theory and new social movement theory to explore the social meaning of "Greta". It asks what "Greta" evokes in our "social imaginary" (Taylor, 2009, p. 146). What conscious and unconscious identifications are projected onto "Greta" that have made her the unlikely famous person she is? These questions are not about exploring her individual psychological, leadership, or character traits, but focus on Greta (now eighteen years old) as a social object (Latour, 2005) with a vast social network following her, including over 4.2 million Twitter followers, a new documentary film about her, and mainstream media coverage across the globe. Part one of this article outlines the context and libidinal economies that Greta operates within, and the theoretical influences the article draws upon. Part two outlines five core messages that Greta transmits, and the meanings that emerge from observing social reactions to her. The article ends with a conclusion summarising the social meanings of Greta.

The visual politics of success and solidarity a case study of Chris Niedenthal's photography from The People's Republic of Poland 1978-1982

This thesis focuses on photographs from the Black Star Collection by photojournalist Chris Niedenthal, who did freelance assignments in Poland for Newsweek, Time Magazine, and Der Spiegel during the 1970s and 1980s. By looking closely at Niedenthal’s work, this thesis explores how these photographs respond to and engage with the rising tension in the People’s Republic of Poland (PRL) between the years 1978 -1982. The purpose of this investigation is to study the techniques Niedenthal devised to photograph Poland during a volatile time. Through a comparative analysis of selected images from the Black Star Collection, this thesis considers two phases of Niedenthal’s work in Poland, and examines both the way Chris Niedenthal’s photography attempts to negotiate the restrictions imposed by a totalitarian political system that sought to control its self-image, and how his approach to photography adapted to the rise of the Solidarity Trade Union and imposition of Martial Law in Poland.

The visual politics of success and solidarity a case study of Chris Niedenthal's photography from The People's Republic of Poland 1978-1982

This thesis focuses on photographs from the Black Star Collection by photojournalist Chris Niedenthal, who did freelance assignments in Poland for Newsweek, Time Magazine, and Der Spiegel during the 1970s and 1980s. By looking closely at Niedenthal’s work, this thesis explores how these photographs respond to and engage with the rising tension in the People’s Republic of Poland (PRL) between the years 1978 -1982. The purpose of this investigation is to study the techniques Niedenthal devised to photograph Poland during a volatile time. Through a comparative analysis of selected images from the Black Star Collection, this thesis considers two phases of Niedenthal’s work in Poland, and examines both the way Chris Niedenthal’s photography attempts to negotiate the restrictions imposed by a totalitarian political system that sought to control its self-image, and how his approach to photography adapted to the rise of the Solidarity Trade Union and imposition of Martial Law in Poland.

The Nintendo 64: Nintendo's Adult Platform? The Dichotomy Of Nintendo And Children's Video Games

Introduction When the Nintendo 64 was released in 1996, TIME Magazine gave it the distinction of “Machine of the Year,” arguing that Nintendo had revitalized the somewhat stagnant video game console market of the 1990s, which had offered little more than incremental hardware upgrades and mostly unsuccessful add-on devices. In his enthusiastic end-of-year review of the console, TIME’s Michael Krantz contended that “Nintendo's marquee product will be the machine that most fully influences our children's introduction to the mind-boggling potential of digital technology,” and that the platform represented “the first glimpse of [the] future” of video game hardware (73).

The Nintendo 64: Nintendo's Adult Platform? The Dichotomy Of Nintendo And Children's Video Games

Introduction When the Nintendo 64 was released in 1996, TIME Magazine gave it the distinction of “Machine of the Year,” arguing that Nintendo had revitalized the somewhat stagnant video game console market of the 1990s, which had offered little more than incremental hardware upgrades and mostly unsuccessful add-on devices. In his enthusiastic end-of-year review of the console, TIME’s Michael Krantz contended that “Nintendo's marquee product will be the machine that most fully influences our children's introduction to the mind-boggling potential of digital technology,” and that the platform represented “the first glimpse of [the] future” of video game hardware (73).

“Famous, Beloved, Reviled, Respected, Feared, Celebrated:” Media Construction of Greta Thunberg

In the 16 months before TIME magazine naming Greta Thunberg its Person of the Year, as her influence grew, so too did the news media’s attempts to make sense of her. This project analyzes profiles of Greta Thunberg to understand how journalists constructed the persona that has become “Greta.” We argue the paradoxical framing of Thunberg as exceptional and fierce and childlike contributes to an alternative construction of girlhood grounded in the positive portrayal of her Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis. While featuring ASD as her “superpower” is potentially progressive, we argue foregrounding Thunberg’s whiteness and age cements her construction as the iconic voice of the climate crisis movement, potentially downplaying the need for collective action to end climate change.

A Nude Horse Is A Rude Horse: The Society for Indecency to Naked Animals

In 1959, Alan Abel began sending out a series of press releases to American media outlets credited to a new organization, The Society for Indecency to Naked Animals. Using the language of conservative moralists opposed to the changes in postwar society, he argued that ‘naked’ animals were scandalous and needed to be clothed. Pets, farm animals, and wildlife were all included, as the organization hued to slogans like ‘a nude horse is a rude horse’ and ‘decency today means morality tomorrow’. Abel employed comedian Buck Henry to play the organization’s president, G. Clifford Prout, who gave interviews and speeches covered widely by the mainstream press. Over the next four years, Prout and the group were featured on every major American newscast. The hoax was exposed in late 1962 after he gave an interview to Walter Cronkite. The following year, Time magazine officially debunked the existence of the group. It was an elaborate hoax, but it was also a satire, using animals to critique moralists attempting to ban books and music for indecency. In so doing, the group also unintentionally laid bare American contradictory thinking about animals, as clothing nonhuman animals and worrying about their ‘indecency’ assumed that they had some level of agency. The United States, for example, had always classified the killing of those wearing clothes as murder. Thus it was that while the satire of The Society for Indecency to Naked Animals was directed toward human moralists, the content of its crusade focused exclusively on nonhumans, raising clear questions about their role in human society.

Hamilton Naki: From Gardening to Greatness

In the wake of the first heart transplant 53 years ago in Cape Town, Professor Christian Barnard found himself to be the subject of much media attention with his face appearing on the cover of Time magazine, highlighting the significance of this milestone in transplant surgery. While the importance of this moment in the history of transplant surgery has never been in dispute, the roster of people who made this achievement possible has, with the presence of one particular individual being the source of great controversy in the 53 years following the procedure.