Author: louisa

Critical Perspectives on Social Media

Participatory culture is defined as users having a significant role in the distribution and spreading of online media. Jenkins sees this sharing and producing of content to be positive because it is bringing humanity closer together, and enabling networks. Jenkins (2012; 2006) argues that media users are a positive aspect of an increasingly ‘participatory culture’. However, this has been criticised… Read more →

From Viral to Spreadable Media

Rushkoff (1994) argues that viral media is media which “takes over something”/ “infecting something”. He states that media viruses are not inherently positive and/or negative, however, his work gained criticism from Jenkins as his approach denies human autonomy. In Jenkins (2008) viral media and memes are biological metaphors which explains the way content moves through cultures. Viral media explains the… Read more →

Persuasion and Rhetoric in Advertising

Persuasion attempts to influence the decisions of others. In The Study of Persuasion (2001) Simons refers to persuasion as a coherent and convincing narrative which is an opposition to the raw, objective truth. Persuasion is human communication designed to influence the autonomous judgements and actions of others. Rhetoric is defined to be the ‘art of persuasion’, it can be a… Read more →

Discourse analysis II

In the previous blog post I discussed Rose’s (1999) concept of discourse analysis I, which is concerned with the social positions of difference and authority which are articulated through images and texts. Discourse analysis II, however, whilst working with similar ‘materials’ (such as images and texts) is more concerned with their production by particular institutions and their practices, and thus… Read more →

Discourse Analysis I: Text, Intertextuality and Context

      Discourse analysis encompasses the study of language use beyond the level of sentence or utterance, in relation to a social context. Discourse analysis encompasses both speech and interaction and written texts as objects of study. The work by Rose (2001) will be referred to, as she defines and discusses discourse analysis and categorises it into two components.… Read more →

Cultural Branding

What is cultural branding? Cultural branding is where a brand becomes a culture, the emphasis comes away from the product itself and focuses on the culture surrounding the product. Cultural branding is based on self-expression and powerful shared myths that drive the brand’s self-identity. Holt (2004) states in ‘brands’ the names, logos and designs are only the material markers of… Read more →

Reading Images and Products: Signs and Signification

When analysing communication one of the most commonly used approaches is the semiotic approach. The semiotic approach is a qualitative method as it explores the qualities of individual texts. According to Berger, semiotic theory offers an explanation of how people find meaning in their everyday lives, and in the media they consume (2010, pg 10). Branston (2003)  stresses that within… Read more →

Who, what, why?

Hi there, this blog is run by me, Louisa, an Arts and Culture student following the Media specialisation at Maastricht University. This is for all of you who have an interest in cultural branding and identity formation in modern media culture. Over the next 8 weeks I will be leading you through my course, which will explore all aspects of… Read more →