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Journal Article 1: Picone, I. (2017). Conceptualizing media users across media: The case for ‘media user/use’ as analytical concepts. Convergence, 23, 390.

Abstract: Many academic works and authors have added to our understanding of the changing audience dynamics that emerged with the wide adoption of digital media by exploring audiences turning into prosumers, producers, pro-ams and so on. Gradually, and rather unnoticed, another denominator seems to have entered our academic vocabulary: the user. Although widely adopted, many media scholars remain wary of this notion, as it would undermine theoretical advancements made in audience studies. At the same time, the almost natural adoption of the term in media studies indicates that ‘user’ is at least intuitively better suited than ‘audience’ to address people in relationship with media today. The article makes the case for ‘media user’ and ‘media use’ as not merely suitable terms but also as more encompassing analytical concepts, especially in light of understanding cross-media use. First, an argumentation is developed for adopting these terms by showing the analytical benefits of talking about media users when addressing people ‘floating’ across media. Subsequently, the notion of media use is grounded in both traditional approaches and recent advancements in media studies. Special attention is given to the notion of audience activity and how it translates into a cross-media environment. The article concludes with a critical reflection on both terms in relation to notions such as participation and user empowerment.

Journal Article 2: Maragh, R. S., (2017). Authenticity on “Black Twitter”: Reading racial performance and social networking. Television & New Media, 94, 1527476417738569.

Abstract: This article investigates the complex rhetorics of racial authenticity online, intermixing ethnography and critical technocultural discourse analysis (CTDA) to understand African American users’ investments in enacting race in their social networks. The piece uncovers “acting white” as a significant discourse that shapes online identity and group performances. Examining rhetorics of racial authenticity including insider knowledges in relation to “acting white” and “acting black,” I map Twitter users’ negotiations with individual and collective notions of racial ingroup markers. I put forth the finding of “performance in the negative case,” as interviewees discuss their lack of participation in their ingroup based on diverse perceptions of racial authenticity. I argue that a full understanding of racial authenticity, performative participation, and nonresponsiveness opens up identity and race formulations to include complexities of what is and is not expressed via interaction and performance.

Journal Article 3: Markham, T. (2014). Celebrity advocacy and public engagement: The divergent uses of celebrity. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 18, 480.

Abstract: This article sounds a cautionary note about the instrumental use of celebrity advocacy to (re)engage audiences in public life. It begins by setting out the steps necessary to achieve public recognition of a social problem requiring a response. It then presents empirical evidence which suggests that those most interested in celebrity, while also paying attention to the main stories of the day, are least likely to participate in any form of politics. However, this does not rule out the possibility of forging a link between celebrity and public engagement, raising questions about what would potentially sustain such an articulation. After discussing the broader cultural context of celebrity advocacy, in which perceived authenticity functions as a valorised form of symbolic capital, the article outlines a phenomenological approach to understanding the uses audiences make of celebrity advocacy, using the example of a Ewan McGregor UNICEF appeal for illustration. It concludes that while media encounters with celebrities can underpin a viewer’s sense of self, this is as likely to lead to the rationalisation of inaction as a positive response to a charity appeal.

Journal Article 4: Carducci, V. (2006). Culture jamming: A sociological perspective. Journal of Consumer Culture, 6, 138.

Abstract: ‘Culture jamming’ is defined as ‘an organized, social activist effort that aims to counter the bombardment of consumption-oriented messages in the mass media’ (Handelman and Kozinets, 2004: n.p.). This article seeks to understand culture jamming from a sociological perspective, situating it in the ‘expressivist’ tradition, which originates with the mid-18th century thinker Rousseau and whose legacy extends to postwar Western counterculture. Culture jamming is seen as an investigation into the apparatus of representation in late modernity, as it relates to both images and discourses of the media and commodity system, and the expression of political will. By providing an incentive for producers to respond to consumer demands for environmental sustainability and an end to labor exploitation, culture jamming may ironically help rehabilitate the market system it often portends to transcend. This may indeed serve to ameliorate certain ‘market failures’ of the global system.