A look into the picture-perfect fake life of Amalia Ulman’s Excellences and perfections

In 2014, the Spanish artist Amalia Ulman gathered inspiration from the ways of aestheticizing everyday life chosen by Instagram users to develop an elaborate performative photographic series that lasted months and existed firstly only on her personal Instagram feed @amaliaulman. In April of that year, she suddenly started posting iPhone photographs about an apparently trendy life she was living in Los Angeles, California. She started reproducing the style of different Instagram personas while incorporating the usual aesthetic choices of the social media. The narrative constructed by each of the 175 pictures accounted for her life as an artsy girl who firstly moves to LA after apparently breaking up with a boyfriend, starting work as an escort, having cosmetic plastic surgery and drug abuse issues, followed by time in rehab, and finally posts about recovery, and healthy and fitness habits. The attention to the details of what she wrote and exhibited was what probably made the almost 90 thousand subscribers she gathered along the 5 months of the performance very surprised when she finally announced it was all part of an art work entitled Excellences and Perfections. This fictional life of Amalia Ulman was thoroughly calculated to appear believable to an audience already accustomed to aesthetics of this social media visual culture by reproducing certain patterns of pictures, captions, use of hashtags and interactions with followers. This paper will analyse the performance via the Instagram archive as well as the recently published book Excellences and Perfections. (2018), discussing the ways that it deals aesthetically with questions of identity, gender, class, sexuality and “lifestyle porn” in a visual network platform. The main question to be discussed is: how did the aesthetic choices of this performance made a fake story so convincing

Experimental investigations of #authenticity online

The concept of 'authenticity' is highly valued on social media sites (SMSes), despite its ambiguous nature and definition. One interpretation of 'authenticity' by media scholars is a human's congruence with online portrayals of themselves (e.g. posting spontaneous photographs from their lives, or using real biodata online). For marketers and 'influencers', these patterns of behaviour can achieve certain gains: sales for a business, or success of a campaign. For existentialist philosophers, using 'authenticity' as a means to an end is against its very definition. In this paper, I investigate what SMS users are looking for by their supposed 'authentic' portrayal online. My experimental approach draws upon empirical data from the Instagram social media site. Using machine learning techniques, descriptions and features of posts - including subjects, captions, and contexts - will be categorised and aggregated. I will then interpret these findings, drawing upon work by Taylor, Golomb, and Guignon, whose works on authenticity are based on mid-20th century existentalists. I argue that the existentialist ideals on authenticity are not necessarily present in contemporary SMS use. I will also argue that the popular interpretation of authenticity on SMSes can be self-defeating, when it seeks to turn the 'for-itself' into an 'in-itself'

Authentic Relationship Management to Heighten Control Mutuality in Social Media

Drawing on literature from public relations, marketing, interpersonal communication, and organizational communication, this dissertation focused on the effects of authenticity on relationship management outcomes in nonprofit organizations’ social media efforts. There is significant need for relationship management rooted in authenticity with the rise in inauthentic communication online. This dissertation aims to contribute to relationship management theory by highlighting the role of control mutuality in analyses of authenticity in organization-public relationships in social media for nonprofit organizations like local animal welfare organizations. This dissertation proposes that control mutuality is an ethical outcome of authentic relationship management. This dissertation also proposes that control mutuality will be heightened when the three components of authenticity (transparency, veracity, and genuineness) are used in relationship management by local animal welfare organizations with their donors. Using an online survey (n = 1,076) of donors in five regional animal welfare organizations, this dissertation revealed that genuineness and veracity were the most significant ethical variables of authenticity for donors in their evaluations of their local animal welfare organizations. Control mutuality was positively associated with social media engagement. Perhaps most importantly, control mutuality was also the only relationship variable to mediate the relationship between ethical variables of authenticity and social media engagement. Theoretical and practical implications for relationship management on social media platforms are offered

Enhancing Visitor Satisfaction in Bangladeshi River Tourism: Identifying and Addressing Critical Factors

The expanding popularity of river tourism highlights the need to research the different factors that influence visitor satisfaction in this industry. The purpose of this study is to identify critical factors in enhancing visitor satisfaction in Bangladeshi river tourism. A precisely prepared study methodology was used to examine data collected from 100 visitors who had direct experience with river tourism in the Chandpur region, using a random sample method. The collected data underwent a variety of statistical analyses, including regression, descriptive statistics, KMO and Bartlett's Test, reliability testing, ANOVA, and exploratory factor analysis, with the goal of identifying the major drivers influencing visitor satisfaction in river tourism. The analysis identified destination attractions, safety and security, effective management, and accessibility of river tourism as critical factors influencing the satisfaction of visitors. Furthermore, three research hypotheses were thoroughly tested using the chi-square test, ANOVA, regression, and coefficient analysis. The research findings are expected to provide significant insights for tourism experts in developing strategies for effective planning and execution of business activities in the river tourism sector. The research concludes by outlining consequences and suggesting options for future research endeavors.&nbsp

Mind Over Media: An Examination of the Intersection Between Self-Alienation and Social Media

An integral part of technological life, most social media platforms provide individuals with increased autonomy, allowing conscious choice. These networking sites allow users to be engaged for longer periods of time. The divergent effects of social media challenge people’s ability to maintain a sense of meaning in life. In turn, this addiction can reduce their quality of life, academic achievement, and physical health, and hinder their energy level. It is important to determine common determinants of the social media issue and prevent further worsened mental health issues. Cross-sectional studies compare the use of social media to well-being outcomes. While other studies suggest more positive outcomes of social media use, such as greater life satisfaction. A review of current research addresses the underlying psychological mechanisms of excessive use of social media. In recent years, more people to participate either passively or actively in social media trends. The following thesis investigates the severity of addiction and its relation to free will in order to create an intervention program at TAMU. The research assessment was studied using an online self-report questionnaire that evaluates the attitudes and behavioral changes in college students. In addition to free will and social media addiction, the survey analyzes external factors such as usage/habits, hours of sleep, demographics, and academic performance

Branding Small Businesses in Small Communities

Branding has grown into a vital part of communicating a brand to its audience members. Unfortunately, large portions of branding tactics are geared towards large corporations in large communities. Small and mid-sized businesses require different tactics in order to create a brand that effectively communicates its purpose and values to its consumers. Because of this, this thesis is looking at the branding tactics of a small business in Charleston, Illinois. This business, Phoenix Elite, showed weaknesses in multiple areas of its branding package. Using a literature review, the goal is to create a better understanding of what branding is, as well as some key components to branding in a small community. With that knowledge established, this thesis will pinpoint the weaknesses in Phoenix Elite’s branding and create a branding campaign to help strengthen those weaknesses. The overall goal of this thesis is to create a better understanding of branding small businesses in small communities