I would like to begin this blog post by saying…surprise! The topic for my DA has changed! It took me a while to consider whether it was a smart move to change topics from true crime, to something that is definitely not related to true crime…but here we are. Change is all part of the process.
My new media niche will be the coffee house aesthetic, which is also known as the ‘almond milk’ aesthetic. My project will now be a collaboration between myself and two other BCM241 students, whom are also interested in creating an Instagram page for our DA. Although the transition between topics will be a difficult one for me, I have now taken the time to edit my old blog posts to point out what is staying the same, and what is changing.
For my own research into this field, I will be focusing on why the audience likes the almond milk aesthetic, whilst my team members will be looking at what the audience wants to see, and in a more reflective light, why we, ourselves, are drawn to this aesthetic.
In terms of background research, it is important to first look at what an aesthetic is, and its importance on social media. An aesthetic, in this context, is the mood, tone, or style of an image, and on social media when an account has an aesthetic, it generally means that all the photos on the account follow a similar format. In her research paper, Schreiber (2017) mentions that aesthetics are a way to visually communicate with the audience. Below I have included an example of a cream-toned aesthetic.
On the theoretical side of research, a paradigm is defined as a standard perspective, or a set of ideas that are held by someone. When you change paradigms, you are changing how you are thinking about something. The systematic structure I will be using to analyse my findings will be interpretivism.
As the reasons as to why this particular audience likes the almond milk aesthetic is subjective, interpretivism is important as it focuses on the idea that there usually isn’t one single truth as to why somebody likes a certain aesthetic. As Pham (2018) mentions, a “single phenomenon may have multiple interpretations rather than a truth that can be determined by a process of measurement”. This paradigm is relevant in the context of my topic of choice as it involves looking at the phenomenon of liking this aesthetic in its unique context, rather than as a generalisation. Similarly, Chowdhury (2014) focuses on the idea that interpretivism involves seeing the world in the eyes of the people being studied by considering the audiences ideas, ways of thinking, and what they consider important. This can help describe why people enjoy images that belong to a particular aesthetic.
A big part of ethnographic research, and really any kind of research, is ethics. Ethics are a set of moral principles that drive behaviour. A major ethical consideration we have to consider is copyright, and the fair use of other people’s photos. Although we are going to try to use our own photos on Instagram, it is hard to go out to take new ones that fit the almond milk aesthetic, because of the current pandemic. And so, we will be aiming to credit every photo we use regardless of the platform we found it on. In the captions, we will also be mentioning the source of the image. Our images will not contain anything inappropriate or graphic so as to reduce potential harm to our audience. Our interactions with our audience/participants will be mindful and respectful. Our participants will also be informed that by interacting with our DA, they are being observed for ethnographic research purposes. Our audience will remain anonymous, and any insight they provide will be confidential. They will also have the choice to be removed from the study at any time, regardless of how important their contributions are to the research.
(Twenty Seventh of August 2020)
References
Chowdhury, MF 2014, ‘Interpretivism in Aiding Our Understanding of the Contemporary World’, Open Journal of Philosophy, vol. 4, no. 3, viewed 27 August 2020, <https://www.scirp.org/html/20-1650412_48986.htm>
Hughes, J 2019, 6 Tips for Creating a Social Media Brand Aesthetic, blog post, Revive Social, viewed 27 August 2020, <https://revive.social/creating-social-brand-aesthetic/#:~:text=The%20benefits%20of%20creating%20a,social%20channels%20to%20ensure%20consistency.>
Merriam-Webster n.d., Ethic, website, Merriam-Webster.com, viewed 27 August 2020, <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethic>
Pham, L 2018, ‘A Review of Key Paradigms: Positivism, Interpretivism, and Critical Inquiry’, Research Gate, vol. 1, pp.1-7, viewed 27 August 2020, < https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324486854_A_Review_of_key_paradigms_positivism_interpretivism_and_critical_inquiry>
Schreiber, M 2017, ‘Audiences, Aesthetics and Affordances: Analysing Practices of Visual Communication on Social Media’, Digital Culture and Society, vol. 2, pp. 143-163, viewed 27 August 2020, <https://mediarep.org/bitstream/handle/doc/14445/DIGITAL-CULTURE-AND-SOCIETY_3_2_2017_143-163_Schreiber_Audiences_Aesthetics_Affordances_.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y>
Vocabulary n.d. Paradigm, website, Vocabulary.com, viewed 27 August 2020, <https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/paradigm>
in omnia paratus 