Week 4: Starting a Social Research Project

In this weeks blog I will look at the research question that my research group has suggested to put forward as our presentation topic.

The research group that I belong to consists of myself, Kerry Williams, Deborah England, Kristian Leech and Laura Underwood. I have known both Kerry Williams and Laura Underwood as friends since starting my degree at UCLAN, and I have been friends with Deborah England and Kristian Leech since they arrived at UCLAN at the beginning of the second year of study. I am very much looking forward to working with the research team over the coming weeks, as I believe our existing friendships will enable us to engage in in depth and meaningful discussions that may help to inform our success in terms of a good working relationship that promotes advancing critical analysis and debate. I believe that as the group is already familiar with each other this will dispense of the sometimes time consuming task of 'getting to know one another' and understanding the research areas of specific interest to each member in the group. In this respect, already knowing the members on the group has been helpful to me, as I am aware of each members specific research interests.

I am aware that the group as a whole appears to be interested in concepts of gender identity with an emphasis on the construction of heterosexuality as 'normal' and therefore the only 'acceptable' form of sexual identity. This group-wide interest has led us to suggest a research question that is based around on the various representations of heterosexuality in contemporary British magazines. We have proposed that our research topic question for the poster presentation will be based upon the extent that heterosexuality is promoted as the only sexual identity within a carefully selected range of magazines.  This research project may serve to support the argument by Batchelor et al that heterosexuality has been constantly promoted in magazines and 'the relentless focus on monogamous heterosexual relationships [appears to be] the goal to which all women should aspire (Batchelor, Kitzinger & Burtney 2004).

Initially we had a little difficulty pinning down a small enough sample of magazines that would cover an acceptable cross-section of magazine readers but eventually as a group we decided that we would analyse the content of Shout, Bizarre, Cosmopolitan and FHM.  I believe that the selection of magazines that we have chosen will help us to understand just how evident heterosexual identity is among men's magazines such as FHM, magazines aimed at teenage girls such as Shout, magazines for women such as Cosmopolitan and those magazines aimed at those readers who identify with an 'alternative lifestyle'.  I believe the selection of magazines offers a good variety of texts that  will enable a substantial cross-sectional content analysis.

I will look towards the theories of Judith Butler and Adrienne Rich in order to facilitate this research project.  Alongside the assertion that gender is a performance, Butler is also concerned with the ways that heterosexuality is mediated within the binary of the male-female gender system.  According to Butler, heterosexuality is proliferated and situated within the static male-female binary that ultimately creates any sexual identity that is non heterosexual as different and therefore outside of the 'normal' (Butler 1990:24).

In terms of heterosexuality being situated as only 'acceptable' sexual identity, I will consider the work of Adrienne Rich and her assertion that 'compulsory heterosexuality' is    an imposed sexual identity. Rich suggests that a countering of women's sexuality has occurred in many ways, and as such, heterosexuality becomes situated as an identity that must be externally enforced, imposed and regulated (Rich 1980:648).  In this respect, Rich asserts that heterosexuality is the only viable existence (ibid p.640).

The magazines that the group finally decided to consider (Shout, Bizarre, Cosmopolitan, FHM) were chosen as they appear to appeal to a wide variety of reader demographics and also appear to intersect aspects of class, ethnicity, and economic position.  It is not yet clear from the research whether the magazines that we have chosen will give a good representation of different genders and sexualities.  My aim is for this research is to answer the following concern, and I assume that through the process of gaining the data in the magazines that we as a research group will have a better understanding of the prevalence of sexual identities within contemporary print media.

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Shout is aimed at the teenage girl audience.  Shout is described as '....the fortnightly magazine for teenage girls everywhere....Shout's cool, compact size and exciting editorial make it a must have for girls aged between 11 and 14. Contains celebrities, beauty, features, fashion, problems and competitions' (Mediauk 2013).

Bizarre is aimed at the adult 'alternative' audience.  Bizarre is described as a magazine 'covering strange and unusual stories from around the world. Bizarre is the best way to keep in touch with the alternative community. For weird news, fetish features, downright debauchery and tales of kookiness from around the globe' (Mediauk 2013)

Cosmopolitan is aimed at a female (heterosexual?) readership.  Cosmopolitan is described as 'The world's number one glossy women's magazine with a unique mix of men and relationship advice, topical features, must have fashion and beauty secrets and the very latest health and career news' (Mediauk 2013).

FHM is aimed at a male (heterosexual?) readership.  FHM is described as a magazine that 'every month brings you the world's best women, as well as brilliant fashion, features, men’s health and fitness advice, reviews, and everything else a man needs to know. All covered in FHM magazine’s unique, hilarious tone. The magazine is the standard-bearer among British men's magazines' (Greatmagazines 2013).

The research question that the group is working on may actually produce answers that would fit an initial hypothesis, that heterosexuality is, in overwhelming terms supported and defined as the only acceptable sexual identity within many contemporary magazines in circulation.  I suspect that FHM, Cosmopolitan and Shout are all likely to proliferate textual messages of heterosexuality as 'the norm', alongside the use of specific imagery to support the primary position in society that a heterosexual identity dominates.  I theorize that the only magazine that may not support the primacy of heterosexuality is Bizarre, as it is the only magazine out of the magazines that we have chosen to analyse that appears to publish texts and images that do not support the dominant heterosexual framework in modern print.

The primary method of social research in respect of this module will be the content analysis approach that will aim to collate data on articles that either appear to support or deny a heterosexual identity as a dominant sexual identity.  I believe that most of the data that we will be considering will be qualitative in its nature as it based upon subjective meanings and emotions that are associated with a heterosexual identity.

In terms of ease of use, the ability to explore easily available magazines and their content and style has made the collection of data and imagery relatively easy and simple to undertake.  This means that having the data instantly to hand has benefits over other methods of data collection that may be more time consuming , such as looking through large data sets online, or having to visit public libraries to get research information that is suitable to use. 

This research project may serve to highlight the influential nature of contemporary magazines and the effects that they have upon the proliferation and dominance of heterosexual themes and images.  In relation to women's magazines, Garner et al argue  that 'Because of their accessibility, affordability and private and anonymous nature, such magazines are in a strong position to influence the attitudes and behaviours of a significant proportion of women' (Garner, Sterk & Adams 1998).  I find this to be a very interesting point, and in relation to magazines aimed at teenage girls, and the effects that the influential nature of such themes could have their readers.  Therefore I am eager to explore this assertion in relation to images of heterosexuality that are produced in Shout, a magazine that is aimed at 11 to 14 year old girls.

Throughout all of the magazines and their textual themes, I am interested in examining the ways in which sexuality (and specifically heterosexuality) has become generally more prevalent as an ongoing theme that occurs across all genres of lifestyle magazine (including male, female, teenage girl and alternative lifestyle magazines).  Kim and Ward state that 'one only has to glance at the cover of any women’s lifestyle magazine to be aware that articles about sex have become a staple of this genre, with their sexual content increasing in recent decades' (Kim & Ward 2004).  

Drawing conclusions, I believe that this research topic offers a very large area of study, with potential for a very rewarding research project that will help myself and the research team to develop critical skills in the collection of data, the analysis of data and the interpretation of results.  Ultimately, I believe that this research project will enhance my existing understanding of the ways in which sexuality is defined and supported by the media, and will hopefully increase my understanding of the research process, its limitations and its benefits.

Blog on Blogs

Week 3: Blog on Blogs

This week I will be looking at the ways in which using online blogs have become so pervasive in contemporary online networks, while considering the potential benefits, pitfalls and limitations of blogs and their usefulness as sociological research tools.

The blog example I looked at was the F word (http://www.thefword.org.uk/blog/) which is part of a website dedicated to contemporary feminist issues in the UK.  Currently, the F word has published blogs on women's economic position, the impact of eating disorders, issues that affect LGBT women, and the role of women in technology.  I think the F word blog is very accessible and is easy to understand and navigate.  I think that this blog is particularly effective as it samples different demographics of women within the feminist movement, which in turn creates a blog that is varied in its content and attractive to readers who identify with a variety of current and contemporary themes and topics.  The F word blog offers a clear and concise layout that is easy to use and discover theme specific blogs.  Along with a accessible language and syntax, the blog utilizes photos and videos in order to support textual themes that are easy to read and understand.

In order to understand the current status of blogs as a communication tool, some attention must be given to the reasons why the popularity of blogs has proliferated in recent years, the potential benefits of blogs and the limitations and ethical considerations that must be considered when accessing blogs as a research tool.  In terms of using blog content as a sociological research tool, the online blog can provide a number of benefits that other types of data may not.  Blogs are beneficial in the sense that they provide low-cost data that is publicly available, instantaneous and are substantial in their amount and  variety (Hookway 2008:92).     

Blogs appear to dominate much of cyberspace, and appear to be increasingly popular as a tool for academic and non-academic writers, who use blogs to consider a variety of different topics and themes.  In recent years there have been many attempts to suggest the number of blogs online, with estimates suggesting there are between 2.8 million and 100 million blogs globally (National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education 2006; Riley 2005). 

A potential concern when using blogs in sociological research is the ethical concern of the public-private divide.  Blogs appear in the public sphere online but due to the private nature of the content, many are written in a personal and reflective manner.  Blogs appear to sit uneasily in the public-private framework, and are therefore difficult to locate as either predominantly public or private.  In this respect blogs may be seen to mediate the private-public divide.  Altman agrees that privacy is a dynamic concept that is changeable, and is therefore not a fixed concept but one that is based upon a balance of competing needs (Altman 1975).  I would agree with Altman in respect of blogs and privacy, as at different times, people have different needs such as to be alone or to make contact with others.  In this sense, the blog is an excellent tool for bridging the private-public divide at times when the authors of the blogs desire contact with others in the public sphere.

Regarding the privacy of blogs there are three ways of explaining the delineation of the public-private divide in cyberspace.  The first assertion argues that because online material is freely available consent is not required, the second assertion argues that although blogs are available publicly they are written in a private manner and should be treated as such, and the final assertion considers content on the internet as neither public or private (Hookway 2008:105).

Another concern when considering blogs is the amount of credibility given to the content of blogs, and whether they should be considered as truthful and accurate accounts of events, or should be considered as part-fictionalized or contested sources of information.  According to Metzger 'credibility...is a receiver-based judgment that involves both...objective assessments of information quality and accuracy and.....subjective judgments of a source’s trustworthiness and expertise (Metzger 2007). Therefore a blogs credibility is somewhat decided by the audience that is reading and interacting (leaving comments) with the blogs themes, and is therefore dependent on how readers of the blog come to formulate the decision to 'trust' the blogs content.  Moreover it may be argued that academic research tools such as the use of diaries and questionnaires may also be problematic when considering the credibility of the content, as they too are open to contest and claims of incredibility, much in the same way that blogs are open to debate.

In conclusion, it is apparent that online blogs, much as diaries have been used in the past as a mode of textual data, are likely to become more prevalent in society as the use and development of technology and the internet continues to become situated as 'the everyday' in contemporary social cultures.  The use of blogs in sociological research is also likely to continue to be an area of development, yet this raises questions around the public-private divide, and other ethical concerns.  Such concerns highlight the questionable credibility of blog content, issues around the protection of young and vulnerable internet users and the difficulties and appropriateness of  gaining consent to use other individuals thoughts, feelings and ideologies that appear in private form as blog entries.

Post 2 - Autoethnography

Week 2: Autoethnography: Community Membership.

Prior to undertaking this module I had very limited knowledge of autoethnography as a method of social research and as a tool for data analysis.  I now understand autoethnography to be a valuable tool for researchers to be able to consider their own experiences, values and norms against the backdrop of cultural variables.

Autoethnography uses 'autobiographies that....explore the interplay of the introspective, personally engaged self with ....descriptions mediated through language, history, and ethnographic explanation'
(Ellis and Bochner 2000).  Autoethnography  acknowledges emotions and subjectivity, and the effect that researchers own influences can have upon research being carried out (Ellis et al 2011).

Within this blog I will discuss the ways that the cruelty-free and ethical beauty movements have helped to shape my identity and my affiliation and use of exclusively cruelty-free and ethical beauty products.  My initial interest in cruelty-free beauty started when I was about 12 years old, when I was a practising vegetarian.  I had become a vegetarian after I saw a documentary on the slaughter of animals, which propelled me to take up a vegetarian lifestyle (this lasted for 12 years).  A vegetarian diet had led me to understand the ways that animals are used in the testing of cosmetics and beauty products, and the ways in which, at least to me, such testing constitutes unethical and unnecessary treatment of animals.

I have become increasingly aware of the work that the BUAV (British Union Against Vivisection) has piloted in the effort to change British Laws against vivisection in relation to the testing of beauty products on animals.  I support the BUAV's campaigns to end all testing of cosmetics on animals, and therefore, as an ethical consumer I am committed to using only BUAV approved products myself, and to further this, I insist that only BUAV products are used in my home.

The media and beauty industries are relentlessly bombarding us with new products that are often claimed to be 'bigger, better, and more effective  than previous products that already saturate the consumer market.  Unfortunately most of these products either as complete products or as ingredients are still tested on live animals, therefore large quantities of these products are 'off-limits' to me. 

Irving asserts that 'the success of consumer boycotts addressing animal testing in the late 1980's still influences the tone of contemporary campaigns' (Irving et al 2002).  In respect of this I have found that I am able to demonstrate my ethical beliefs through modifying my patterns of consumerism and boycotting certain products.  Ethical spending and the decision to boycott specific products is effective and has been demonstrated previously with successful consumer boycotts of various companies.  The choice to be an ethical consumer is often problematic for me at birthdays and at Christmas, as I often receive gifts that are not cruelty free, and therefore I am unable to use such products.  While I understand that this may be seen as wasteful I am happy to give away the products to family, friends or colleagues in order for me to continue my ethical consumer regime.

My interest in the unethical treatment of animals in the testing of cosmetics and beauty products may be due to the fact that I find the argument for such testing untenable, with often unreliable results that are not comparable to the results and/effects seen in humans.  The beauty industry has been condemned for its use of animals in product testing, as beauty products are often considered as 'unnecessary' luxury items, and because beauty product manufacturers tend to have significant public and media presence (Balls 1994).

The cost of BUAV approved products is constantly becoming more affordable, yet the cheaper beauty products on the market are often not approved by the BUAV.  I have found this difficult in times of financial hardship to maintain my ethical opinions and strong belief in cruelty-free beauty, which has resulted in me 'going without' in order to maintain my beliefs and my affiliation with the cruelty free community and movement. 

I have found, ultimately, that the BUAV strongly influences the ways in which I shop for beauty products, and I feel that their ideology and vision is one that I closely align myself with.  This blog has shown me that my ethical beliefs and need to support the cruelty-free regime has shaped my life more than I realize in many ways.