9,183 research outputs found
Neither playing the game nor keeping it real: media logics and Big Brother
Sam Pepper, one of the contestants in Big Brother 11, at one point accused fellow housemates Josie and John James of feigning romantic feelings for each other in order to cash in on lucrative deals with celebrity magazines such as OK! and Hello!. The provocation caused much apparent offence, and led to a prolonged and predominantly rancorous debate about authenticity and inauthenticity, soon extending to revelations that other housemates (Rachel, Corinne) aimed to appear in soft pornography titles like Nuts and Zoo, and as such, âcouldnât be trustedâ. The clear subtext was that any economic motivation was considered a breach of the rules of the Big Brother game â not the explicit parameters of the competition, but the spirit in which it should be played. Being a worthy winner is a matter of who you are rather than what you do, which raises the question of how we came to know Josie and co, as well as how we come to know celebrity selves generally. If BB has taught us anything about the formation of mediated selves, it is that an authentic mediated self cannot exist â and yet authenticity still matters. This piece reflects on this tension and its implications for our increasingly reflexive media culture
Interacting for the environment:Engaging Goffman in pro-environmental action
Whilst there are profound disagreements about how more sustainable forms of living might be achieved, most research on pro-environmental action recognises it as a fundamentally social challenge â demanding shifts not merely in individualsâ attitudes and behaviours, but also in social norms, contexts and practices. Despite the social nature of the challenge, perhaps the most fundamental social medium â social interaction - remains under-theorised in this area. To address this gap, this paper applies Erving Goffmanâs understandings of social interaction to an ethnographic case study of a pro- environmental change initiative called Environment Champions. The analysis shows that social interaction plays a crucially important role in shaping responses to pro-environmental change processes that has the potential to both help and hinder the spread of pro-environmental action. The paper concludes by exploring how Goffmanâs ideas develop and extend current debates about pro- environmental behaviour change
Interaction between clients and physiotherapists in group exercise classes in geriatric rehabilitation
The aim of this paper is to explore how older people construct their interaction in group exercise classes in geriatric rehabilitation and what is their contribution to the interaction. Discourse analysis was employed and data, consisting of seven videotaped group-based exercise sessions, were collected from 52 older people (aged 66â93 years) and nine rehabilitation professionals in seven rehabilitation centres. Four discourse categories were found. In âtaciturn exercisingâ, older people remained verbally silent but physically active. In âsubmissive disagreeingâ, older people opposed the professionalsâ agenda by displaying reluctant consent to proposals. In âresilient endeavouringâ, older adults persisted on their course of action, regardless of the disapproval of the professionals. In âlay helpingâ, older people initiated spontaneous encouragement, but also gave verbal and physical assistance to their peers. Older people's meaningful contribution to interaction, whilst it may challenge the institutional flow of activities, can constitute an integral part of the re-ablement process of rehabilitation
Scaling Law in Carbon Nanotube Electromechanical Devices
We report a method for probing electromechanical properties of multiwalled
carbon nanotubes(CNTs). This method is based on AFM measurements on a doubly
clamped suspended CNT electrostatically deflected by a gate electrode. We
measure the maximum deflection as a function of the applied gate voltage. Data
from different CNTs scale into an universal curve within the experimental
accuracy, in agreement with a continuum model prediction. This method and the
general validity of the scaling law constitute a very useful tool for designing
actuators and in general conducting nanowire-based NEMS.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures. To be published in Phys. Rev. Let
Unsettling Appearances: Diane Arbus, Erving Goffman and the Sociological Eye
Both the photographer Diane Arbus and sociologist Erving Goffman were fascinated by the way we present ourselves to others and this paper sets out how each understood the drama of human interaction. It begins by exploring how their work parallels some developments in the sociology of deviance, and notes how Goffman was one of the earliest critics of this field, before briefly sketching out Arbusâs controversial career and then turning to a more detailed look at three of her images. It concentrates on how the gap between intention and effect, or what Goffman terms the difference between the impressions we âgiveâ and those we actually âgive offâ, are at the core of her work and this sociological insight animates her compositions. The paper then describes how their work unsettles ânormal appearancesâ and provides rich resources for understanding human conduct
Narratives of self and identity in women's prisons: stigma and the struggle for self-definition in penal regimes
A concern with questions of selfhood and identity has been central to penal practices in women's prisons, and to the sociology of women's imprisonment. Studies of women's prisons have remained preoccupied with women prisonersâ social identities, and their apparent tendency to adapt to imprisonment through relationships. This article explores the narratives of women in two English prisons to demonstrate the importance of the self as a site of meaning for prisoners and the central place of identity in micro-level power negotiations in prisons
Stigma narratives: LGBT transitions and identities in Malta
This article is available open access through the publisherâs website at the link below. Copyright @ 2011 A B Academic Publishers.This article considers narratives of transition experiences of a group of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) young people in Malta. The article draws on Goffman's concept of stigma and uses this to explore transitions in a society that retains some traditional characteristics, particularly the code of honour and shame, although mediated by aspects of modernity. Interviews were undertaken with 15 young people with the goal of producing narratives. The article analyses the experience of stigma, its effects and how young people manage its consequences. It concludes by drawing attention to the pervasive nature of stigma and the importance of structure, agency and reflexivity in youth transitions. In particular stigma remains an important feature of societies in which hetero-normative sexuality remains dominant
Who violates expectations when? How firmsâ growth and dividend reputations affect investorsâ reactions to acquisitions
Research summary: We investigate the role of a firmâs dividend and growth reputations in
shaping investorsâ interpretations of acquisitions as a negative or positive expectation
violation. While our findings reveal that both an acquiring firmâs dividend and growth
reputations trigger positive investor reactions, they also show that investors react negatively
to an acquisition of a target firm with a strong growth reputation when the acquiring firm has
a strong dividend reputation. We also find that investors are inclined to give managers âthe
benefit of the doubtâ to the extent that an acquiring firm strategically frames an acquisition
announcement in such a way that it provides assurance to investors that the acquisition is
meant to exceed investorsâ expectations about shareholder value creation.
Managerial summary: We study why investors respond to some acquisitions positively and
others negatively. We find that the way acquiring and target firms have created shareholder
value in the past, and the information conveyed in the acquisition announcements are
important determinants of investorsâ differential reactions to acquisitions. Our findings show
that while investors generally react positively to acquisitions by firms known for creating
value either through dividends or growth, their reactions become negative when a firm
known for value creation through dividends acquires a target known for value creation
through growth. We further find that managers can favorably influence investor reactions by
making it salient in the acquisition announcement how the acquisition is intended to exceed
investorsâ value creation expectations from the acquiring firm
Celebrity advocacy and public engagement: the divergent uses of celebrity
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 also 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 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 viewerâs sense of self, this is as likely to lead to the rationalisation of inaction as a positive response to a charity appeal
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