Post-colonialism - bonus reading and tasks

Social media and black identity 

1) List three theorists discussed in the article and what they believe regarding black identity.

• Aisha Harris- Social media plays a negative role in the construction of black identities 
• Giddens- argued that social media can be the arena for the construction of black identities 
• Christian Fuchs- In-order to have a true 'participatory' culture , there needs to be equality of ownership; and as social media (and the internet as a whole)  are largely directed , owned and influenced by large corporations with vested,ideological interests, it can not therefore be claimed that they facilitate the creation of true participatory cultures. This is because, as institutions, social media and websites choose who can participate, how they participate and the extent to witch their participation in seen.

2) In your opinion, is social media a positive or negative force when it comes to issues of black identity? 

I think that social media is both positive and negative as are most things. To name some positives, there is like what was mentioned the #blacklivesmatter campaign which spread across social media and there is also societies and forums online where not just black  people but other identities can come and share opinions and ideas. There is also negatives as the internet has brought about the rise of trolls as it gives a faceless person the ability to spread hate about other races. 

3) How could you apply the post-colonial theories we have learned in class to the issue of social media and black identity?

Alvarado's theory of key representations of non-white people, social media and the internet has given some black people a new identity, it has allowed them to share video which could be classed as humorous and exotic as it has let some express themselves in terms of music and specific genres in particular.



A Hustle for Life: Refugees in the Media


Now turn to page 6 and read A Hustle for Life: Refugees in the Media. When you have read the article, complete the following tasks:

1) What examples of different representations of refugees in the media are offered in the article?

One of the main representations of refugees in the article is how it describes them as hostile. They were also called migrants which takes the focus off them being refugees as that implies that they are escaping something and that they have no choice to leave, the word migrant has recently been over used in the media and is now labelled as something like a burden. 

2) In your opinion, is the documentary genre more or less biased than the news media? What examples can you provide from the article to support your view?

A Documentary is defined as something which is aimed at documenting some aspect of reality. Reality is not tampered with but the reality shown maybe a negative one, for example benefits street on Channel 4 was quite negative as no representations of anything good was shown to come from the show and it documented the hooliganism that went on, on that street. The same with the example in the article about the refugee camp, documentaries don't need to be made to show the negatives as sometimes there is only one side to things so therefore it could be said to be biased.

3) How could you apply the post-colonial theories we have learned in class to the representation of refugees in the media?

Said's orientalist theory works well here as it shows a clear divide between them and us, uncivilized and civilized. Refugees in the media are represented in quite a negative way as a lot of the images shown in the media are of them in poverty and suffering. This only reinforces the divide between east and west as along with the charity appeals is just demeans the whole region and the people in it and places us above them.