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Presentation of research dec 2014
- 1. The social media use of creative and cultural workers Karen Patel
- 3. Creative and cultural workers? Definition People working in ‘creative industries’ “those industries which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and which have a potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property” (DCMS, 1998) • Definition outdated and under consultation • Independent and freelance workers, possibly also cultural intermediaries
- 4. Research questions Original question: What is the nature of social media use among creative and cultural workers and to what extent can it inform understanding of creative communities? • Twitter • Community, networks • Strong and weak ties • Social capital (and other capitals) • Some reference to labour and precarity
- 5. Research questions Now: • Performativity of expertise on social media (Twitter) “An individual may style himself an expert and be penalised by nothing stronger than sniggers” (Goffman, 1959:68)
- 6. Research questions Now: • Creative economy. Possible approach via cultural-political economy (Taylor, 2013). • Labour and precarity, boundaries of personal and professional life, digital labour
- 7. Research questions New focus: • What is the nature of Twitter use in the everyday lives of creative and cultural workers? • How is expertise performed on Twitter? • What can both of these tell us about the workings of the creative economy? • Birmingham creative and cultural workers as case study • Chose Birmingham because of its distinctive social media ‘scene’ (Birmingham Social Media Café) and its alignment with creative industries • Why Twitter?
- 8. Literature survey Networks Labour and precarity Social media Cultural work Sociality of the creative industries, expertise and reputation, cultural intermediaries Network sociality – Castells, Wellman, work done on social media Theorising creative industries networks – social network markets, Bourdieusian approaches Social media methods – discourse analysis, linguistics, quantitative Social media and mediated communication Social media and performativity –Butler inspired approaches to performativity. Also acknowledge Goffman Policy context – from cultural to creative industries, cultural-political economy Creative industries and digital – including digital labour
- 9. Methodology • Judith Butler’s approach to performativity to look at performance of expertise on Twitter • Analysis of tweets using Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis • Qualitative interviews with creative and cultural workers • Relate back to wider context of creative economy through ideas of cultural-political economy (Taylor, 2013)
- 10. Methodology Why? • Cultural-political economy useful for thinking about the role of cultural intermediaries (Taylor, 2013), who position themselves as ‘experts’ within the creative economy in the UK (Prince, 2010). • Cultural-political economy provides a more complete look at the workings of the creative economy, an advance on Bourdieu’s cultural sociology and Granovetter’s ‘weak ties’ both used often when looking at creative industries networks
- 11. Contribution to knowledge • Unique insight into how creative and cultural workers use social media • Multi-method approach to looking at social media use – appreciating the user’s relationship with social media and relating it to a wider context (in this case, the creative industries)
Editor's Notes
- This is something not too unfamiliar is it? It’s something I’m guilty of myself My interest in technology, social media and the role in our lives Also interest in creative and cultural workers Irregular working hours, pressure to be social, (McRobbie Clubs to Companies, 2002)
- Definition is problematic Under consultation by Government Working with this for now Focusing on independent and freelance workers in these industries – artists, musicians, designers, web designers, TV and radio workers Cultural Intermediaries:
- Social media’s role in creative communities Social capital, weak and strong ties, which is still of value Some reference to labour and precarity of creative industries but wasn’t quite sure how this would fit Needed to relate to wider context, felt like this needed more meat to the bones
- Now, after looking at literature, focus has changed Focusing more on current themes in literature Performativity of expertise – you can go on to Twitter now, and say you’re an expert in birds, biochemical engineering, cake and only the people that know you would question it. Align with your other profiles and the internet will think you’re an expert in whatever you say. How many of your followers know you? How many people in the Twittersphere know you if you get retweeted? As Goffman says….how does this play out nowadays in the social media age? I’ve quoted Goffman here but my approach will utilise more of Judith Butler’s approach to performativity - Identified small body of work to appraise
- Context of creative economy. Cultural-political economy – Calvin Taylor, which I’ll elaborate more on later when I talk about methodology Another theme is the labour and precarity of creative work in context of digital. Growing body of work on technology and blurring between personal and professional life – does this have a role in creative workers’ lives? Pressure to be social, precarity of creative industries. Brings us back to the picture. To what extent is checking your tweets at 11pm labour? Digital labour also important – are we working for Twitter? They own everything we put on there. Growing body of work in this area which is raising important questions.
- Focus on these tentative questions Using Birmingham as a case study but this could always change – nature of social media and technology in general raises questions about importance and role of place Chose Birmingham initially from my experience situated within its creative industries on occasion as a practitioner and academic (during MA) Why Twitter? Public, where I’ve seen the most activity, rich content, growing body of literature which I feel I can contribute knowledge to
- Rough overview of themes in literature survey. Not going to expand on this too much as subject to change Helped me identify what I need to flesh out, particularly work of Judith Butler. Which brings me to next slide
- Butler’s approach to looking at performativity useful as an advance on Foucault’s ideas of relating micro tactics of professionalisation to broader power relations (Hodgson, 2005) Fairclough provides systematic way of analysing text in relation to discursive practices of performativity on social media Qualitative interviews to find out about the role of social media in their daily lives and talk about themes of labour and blurring between personal/professional Relate back to cultural political economy, and why? Next slide
- Let slides do talking here Work I’ve been reading around creative economy raising important questions about how it is working, particularly in digital age and departure from ‘New Labour’ creative industries rhetoric As Taylor points out, cultural-political economy can provide a more nuanced understanding
- Unique insight and its relation to certain facets of their lives