Rap Music Literacy: A Case Study of Millennial Audience Reception to Rap Lyrics Depicting Independent Women

Using a feminist lens and a constructivist approach as the theoretical framework, we used rap lyrics and videos to help college students explore mass media’s representation of the “independent” Black woman and the concept of “independence” in general. Students must be able to formulate their own concept of independence to counteract the messages and stereotypes they receive in popular culture through advertisements, film, print and music. The authors found that independence is situationally defined and it is a complex concept that is differentiated in consideration of age, race, and gender. Participants noted that rap music has the potential to influence their definitions and perceptions of rap music. More educational opportunities are needed where students can utilize constructivist pedagogies in order to become more critically aware of the influence of the media and systems of social stratification

Engaging in “dangerous discussions”: Fostering cultural competence through the analysis of depictions of college life in popular films.

This qualitative case study utilized critical media literacy to guide the analysis of the depiction of racially and ethnically diverse college students in contemporary popular films. Participants in this study were racially and ethnically diverse undergraduate students enrolled at a private, predominantly White institution in the United States. Three primary themes emerged from this study. First, students of color were more apt to recognize stereotypical portrayals of people of color in the films, whereas White students’ responses were more attuned with color-blind racial ideology (CBRI). Second, media-centered discussions provided an outlet for students of color to share their personal experiences with racism, stereotyping, and prejudice. In doing so, students of color seek to build the cultural competence of peers who may hold CBRI beliefs. Finally, this study presents a need for critical media literacy. Regardless of race and/or ethnicity, the undergraduates who participated in our study communicated an importance of examining media messages, such as stereotypes of people of color, from a critical perspective. For college and university administrators, such as chief diversity officers, this study is significant in presenting a means for engaging students, faculty, and other stakeholders in dialogue about racial issues in the hopes of fostering a more welcoming campus racial climate for students of color

Critical Mirrors: Diverse College Students\u27 Perspectives on Stereotypes Depicted in Popular Films About College Life

This qualitative study explored diverse college students’ perspectives on the portrayal of college life in recent popular films. Results from this study suggest that White college students dismiss stereotypes as comedic satire whereas their non-White peers readily identify the influence of negative media representations upon their academic and ethnic identities. These findings exemplify the need to promote positive representations of college students from racially and culturally diverse backgrounds. Findings suggest the need for Critical Media Literacy education to help young adults dismantle stereotypes in mainstream society while developing cultural competence

The Feminine Mystique and society : a look at new media representations.

Betty Friedan, in her 1963 bestseller, The Feminine Mystique, examined the role of various institutions in keeping women in a subservient position. The text helped kick off 1960s feminism in the United States. Fifty years later as feminism enters into the fourth wave, the time is ripe to study the book’s lasting impact on society. This essay examines representations of the Feminine Mystique in popular culture. Specifically, it investigates pins posted to Pinterest in 2013. While The Feminine Mystique is unquestionably a noteworthy text that helped stimulate the feminist movement, very few communications research articles have addressed the book. A search on Communication & Mass Media Complete revealed only five scholarly articles on the topic. Of these articles, only one discusses the 50th anniversary of The Feminine Mystique, and none discuss new media portrayals of the book. Building on these gaps in the literature, this study addressed two questions: (1) what themes are present in Pinterest pins about The Feminist Mystique? (2) what content is linked to Pinterest pins containing Feminist Mystique in the title? The artifacts for this analysis were 100 Pinterest pins found by searching for the keywords “Betty Friedan and Feminine Mystique” in October of 2013. Pins are visual bookmarks stored on a user’s Pinterest account that link to outside content (see Diagram 1). Pinterest is one of the newer social networking sites that launched in beta mode in March 2010. The invite-only visual bookmarking site is exclusive, yet by June 2012, according to Google DoubleClick, Pinterest was up to 31 million unique visitors per month (Chang, 2012). Preliminary findings indicate Pinterest pins containing the term “Feminine Mystique”link to content such as YouTube videos, products and websites, For instance, one such pin spotlights New York Times columnist Gail Collins’ debate on the strengths and weaknesses of the ageless book (see Diagram 2). Pinterest pins also tout products ranging from art to high fashion to the book itself. For instance, an NPR blog entry highlighted in a pin focuses on an interview with Hanna Rosin, author of The End of Men (Neary, 2013). Rosin states that she was surprised by Friedan’s anger as she systematically laid out the case against a male-dominated society that was determined to keep women in their place. She adds that The Feminine Mystique is still relevant especially when it comes to society’s “understanding of women and domesticity.” Another pin links to a blog post titled, “4 Big Problems with 'The Feminine Mystique,” featured in The Atlantic (see Diagram 3). The author Ashley Fetters explores what she calls several “grains of salt” that deserve consideration in any discussion of the 50-year-old book's legacy (Fetters, 2013). The post asserts that The Feminist Mystique ignored the black and lower-income women of the 20th century. It also discusses the positive achievements that women have made in the last 50 years. This exploratory study reveals The Feminine Mystique remains an integral part of popular culture. Study findings illustrate the significant impact the text has had on society. The text continues to shape women’s lives in the 21st Century. Pins discuss and critique feminism, commemorate the five decades following the publishing of The Feminine Mystique and keep alive the valuable debate on important women’s issues

The Feminine Mystique and society : a look at new media representations.

Betty Friedan, in her 1963 bestseller, The Feminine Mystique, examined the role of various institutions in keeping women in a subservient position. The text helped kick off 1960s feminism in the United States. Fifty years later as feminism enters into the fourth wave, the time is ripe to study the book’s lasting impact on society. This essay examines representations of the Feminine Mystique in popular culture. Specifically, it investigates pins posted to Pinterest in 2013. While The Feminine Mystique is unquestionably a noteworthy text that helped stimulate the feminist movement, very few communications research articles have addressed the book. A search on Communication & Mass Media Complete revealed only five scholarly articles on the topic. Of these articles, only one discusses the 50th anniversary of The Feminine Mystique, and none discuss new media portrayals of the book. Building on these gaps in the literature, this study addressed two questions: (1) what themes are present in Pinterest pins about The Feminist Mystique? (2) what content is linked to Pinterest pins containing Feminist Mystique in the title? The artifacts for this analysis were 100 Pinterest pins found by searching for the keywords “Betty Friedan and Feminine Mystique” in October of 2013. Pins are visual bookmarks stored on a user’s Pinterest account that link to outside content (see Diagram 1). Pinterest is one of the newer social networking sites that launched in beta mode in March 2010. The invite-only visual bookmarking site is exclusive, yet by June 2012, according to Google DoubleClick, Pinterest was up to 31 million unique visitors per month (Chang, 2012). Preliminary findings indicate Pinterest pins containing the term “Feminine Mystique”link to content such as YouTube videos, products and websites, For instance, one such pin spotlights New York Times columnist Gail Collins’ debate on the strengths and weaknesses of the ageless book (see Diagram 2). Pinterest pins also tout products ranging from art to high fashion to the book itself. For instance, an NPR blog entry highlighted in a pin focuses on an interview with Hanna Rosin, author of The End of Men (Neary, 2013). Rosin states that she was surprised by Friedan’s anger as she systematically laid out the case against a male-dominated society that was determined to keep women in their place. She adds that The Feminine Mystique is still relevant especially when it comes to society’s “understanding of women and domesticity.” Another pin links to a blog post titled, “4 Big Problems with 'The Feminine Mystique,” featured in The Atlantic (see Diagram 3). The author Ashley Fetters explores what she calls several “grains of salt” that deserve consideration in any discussion of the 50-year-old book's legacy (Fetters, 2013). The post asserts that The Feminist Mystique ignored the black and lower-income women of the 20th century. It also discusses the positive achievements that women have made in the last 50 years. This exploratory study reveals The Feminine Mystique remains an integral part of popular culture. Study findings illustrate the significant impact the text has had on society. The text continues to shape women’s lives in the 21st Century. Pins discuss and critique feminism, commemorate the five decades following the publishing of The Feminine Mystique and keep alive the valuable debate on important women’s issues

Race, gender, and image restoration theory: how digital media change the landscape/ Mia Moody-Ramirez and Hazel James Cole.

Includes bibliographical references and index.Overview of theories -- Introduction -- Image repair theory : general terminology -- Critical race theory and image repair studies -- Image repair theory and the web -- Outbursts and offensive language -- Hate speech & crisis management : a case study of Donald Sterling's use of racist rhetoric -- Free speech vs. hate speech : an image restoration case study of Justin Bieber's use of the n-word -- What happens on Twitter stays on Twitter : black Twitter, "#Niggernavy" and the image repair tactics of Yahoo finance -- Fighting words : an image restoration study of Hulk Hogan's use of the n-word -- Sexual assault, domestic violence, and IRT -- The fall of America's favorite dad : Bill Cosby's image repair tactics -- The aftermath of #MeToo : Harvey Weinstein's image repair tactics and Pinterest representations -- Gender, race, and IRT -- Passing for black : an analysis of Rachel Dolezal's image repair strategies -- Spanning the decades : an analysis of Monica Lewinsky's image restoration strategies during a 2015 Ted talks appearance -- Politics and IRT -- Taming of the shrew and rock star : media framing of senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama during the 2007-08 presidential primaries -- Image repair and online media framing of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential race -- Conclusions and future directions in image restoration theory -- Appendixes -- References -- About the authors.1 online resourc