DOCSLIB.ORG

Austerity, Women and Right-Wing Populism the Case of Monroe Vs Hopkins

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Austerity, Women and Right-Wing Populism the Case of Monroe Vs Hopkins Austerity, Women and Right-wing Populism The Case of Monroe vs Hopkins Kirsten Forkert (Birmingham School of Media) Austerity politics in the UK 2015 General Election, a Conservative government continued the austerity n the aftermath of the financial programme. Cuts were applied to a great Icrisis of 2008 and the 2010 General number of welfare benefits such as Child Election, which ended 13 years of rule Benefit, Employment and Housing by the Labour Party, the Conservative Support Allowance, Universal Credit, Liberal-Democrat Coalition government but also to the salaries of public sector undertook a programme of drastic cuts to employees and to the budgets of local public spending. This was justified by the authorities, who in their turn were forced argument that the previous government to close hundreds of libraries and youth had irresponsibly overspent and that the clubs as well as reduce support for creative public must now ‘live within their means’ activities. All these measures together – essentially a revival of the economy- had the combined effect of entrenching as-household metaphor used by former social and economic inequality. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher many years earlier. Like in Thatcher’s time, Women hit hardest this was an argument which was mostly accepted by the public, who – as intended t a closer look the brunt of austerity - made the common-sense intuitive link Awas mostly borne by women, thus between household finances and macro- reversing gains made on gender quality. economics. Although there were vibrant Although women were already at a protests and anti-austerity campaigns, disadvantage because of the gender pay these did not involve a majority of gap - they earn 82 p for every pound the population and did not force the earned by a man - and were more likely government to change course. After the to live in poverty, at the time of writing £22 billion of the £26 billion of ‘savings’ Page 66 Hard Times 102 (2/2018) Kirsten Forkert since 2010 have come from women The role of right-wing media and (MacDonald 2018). This was partly popular responses due to tax and benefit changes which reward traditional single-earner families he tabloid press (with a conservative with a male ‘breadwinner’ and penalise Tor right-wing bias) have successfully the ‘second earner’ (most likely to be a supported austerity propaganda by woman) in dual-income households. vilifying certain social groups such as Furthermore, according to the Women’s the unemployed and immigrants as Budget Group, public sector job cuts scroungers and burdens on the taxpayer. have affected women in particular, as Positioning these people as objects of 73% of the work-force is female. Cuts to resentment has caused a hardening of benefits for low-paid part-time workers public attitudes towards them, which have also disproportionately affected then has made further cuts affecting women, notably mothers who find it these groups more socially acceptable. difficult to work full-time because of ro-austerity arguments are often based inadequate childcare support. By 2020, in old prejudices such as the lingering women will have borne 86% of the P Victorian fears of the ‘residuum’: the burden of welfare cuts. (Stewart 2017). lazy, feckless and dangerous underclass, ome groups of women are hit especially who were seen as a demographic threat Shard. Among them are lone mothers, to other social classes. A large number who represent 92% of single parents and of the stories proliferating in the tabloid are 50% more likely than the average press along these lines additionally draw citizen to be living in poverty (ibid). on ideologies concerning traditional Black and Ethnic Minority women are views of social reproduction and family also particularly vulnerable, as, due to care, putting most of the blame on workplace discrimination, they are more women: single mothers, unemployed likely to be unemployed than white and migrant women with large families women. These groups depend more than - not coincidentally the groups which others on the benefits system and are are also the most vulnerable to austerity therefore more vulnerable to the cuts, cuts - have served as favourite targets which increases their risk of falling into for scorn. They are blamed for being deeper poverty and deprivation (Women’s irresponsible parents who had too many Budget Group/Runnymede Trust 2017). children. Such accusations tend to play on moral panics about public health. n particular, food has become a Ipoliticised issue within the austerity Page 67 Hard Times 102 (2/2018) Austerity, Women and Right-wing Populism context, as the increasing reliance on there is the fact that the past few years foodbanks and reports about children have seen a renewed activity in feminist going to school hungry have alarmed and LGBT+ campaigning, from #MeToo the public. Commentators in the media, to women’s marches to the increased arguing from a mixture of old and new visibility of trans rights campaigns. The prejudices, have especially singled out UK voted for gay marriage in 2013, and working class mothers, blaming them there are currently plans to update the for rising childhood obesity and the Gender Recognition Act to define gender poor diets of children. For example, in terms of self-identification rather than in 2013 celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s biology. Therefore, an austerity discourse bemoaned “the mum and the kid eating which draws on traditional gender and chips and cheese out of Styrofoam sexual norms is no longer uncontested. containers, and behind them is a massive f*cking TV” (Deans 2013). Note that further form of othering within in Oliver’s comment mothers, and not A austerity discourses is the framing fathers, are assumed to be responsible of people as unpatriotic subjects. I for cooking and preparing meals. Food have mentioned immigrants as key is thus mobilised within discourses and targets for public resentment and have processes of othering. The reference written about this elsewhere (Forkert to televisions and other gadgets in the 2017). However, unlike immigrants - quote further suggest en passant that the whose very right to be in the country is poverty experienced by working-class disputed - British citizens can be vilified mothers is not real, and that unhealthy as traitorous, often through accusations food is an irresponsible lifestyle choice of lacking respect for the military. These and an example of bad parenting. accusations are routinely employed to discriminate those on the Left, as for part from traditional gender roles, instance the frequent attacks by the Aheteronormativity and cis-gender tabloid press on Labour Party leader normativity are brought into play to Jeremy Corbyn for his anti-imperialist underpin austerity rhetoric. For example, politics show. Conversely, to assert the former Prime Minister David Cameron’s importance of respect for the military is “hardworking families” rhetoric to make a claim for the authority and combines ‘hardworking’ and ‘family’, moral superiority of traditional values which suggests that the hard work of such as the discipline associated with the individuals who are not in families or British national character - symbolised might have other living arrangements in the stereotype of the ‘stiff upper does not matter. On the other hand, lip’ -, adherence to social norms, etc.. Page 68 Hard Times 102 (2/2018) Kirsten Forkert Disrespect for the military is also proxy for or Britain First – has created pressures other controversial issues. Thus it is used on mainstream politics to embrace as an argument in an intergenerational compulsory patriotism in the form of conflict: the younger generations are English nationalism, lest this be ceded accused of lacking gratitude towards to the far right. Conversely, those who the bravery and sacrifices of older do not embrace patriotism are dismissed generations, particularly those who had as an out-of-touch metropolitan served in the Second World War, which elite (ironically a right-wing version still is a powerful symbol of British of Stalin’s “rootless cosmopolitan”, identity. At this point in history there are a discriminatory term for Jews). few people still alive who served in the Second World War, so that it has become Jack Monroe and Katie Hopkins as less of a living memory and more of a paradigmatic figures of Austerity generalised and simulacral association Britain with older generations. Memories of the hese three themes underpinning backlash in the 1970s against anti-war austerity discourses – responsibility protestors and stereotypes about scruffy, T for providing healthy food, the undisciplined hippies are also deliberately traditional role of women and respect exploited – the tabloids’ obsession with for the military – became issues in the the clothes Corbyn wears during official controversy around a dispute between memorial events is a good example. two public figures: the food blogger and ccusations of disrespect for the anti-poverty campaigner Jack Monroe Amilitary have become further and the right-wing columnist Katie politically loaded in the context Hopkins. In different ways they are of discussions about ‘compulsory paradigmatic figures of Austerity Britain. patriotism’, originally an American ack Monroe first came to prominence concept much employed after the 9/11 through a food blog entitled A Girl attacks and in the war on terror debates. J Called Jack (now renamed as Cooking Whilst the 9/11 attacks have, however, on a Bootstrap), on which she shared not mobilised the same strong support cheap recipes which could feed a of ‘compulsory patriotism’ in the UK family under £10/week. Formerly a as in the US, the recent rise of the call handler for the Essex County Fire populist right and far right - represented and Rescue Service, Monroe became by the UK Independence Party, the unemployed after having given birth Brexiteers and street protest groups and being unable to negotiate changes such as the English Defence League to her work schedule to accommodate Page 69 Hard Times 102 (2/2018) Austerity, Women and Right-wing Populism childcare.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Sheffield Hallam University Thesis
    How do I look? Viewing, embodiment, performance, showgirls, and art practice. CARR, Alison J. Available from the Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive (SHURA) at: http://shura.shu.ac.uk/19426/ A Sheffield Hallam University thesis This thesis is protected by copyright which belongs to the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Please visit http://shura.shu.ac.uk/19426/ and http://shura.shu.ac.uk/information.html for further details about copyright and re-use permissions. How Do I Look? Viewing, Embodiment, Performance, Showgirls, & Art Practice Alison Jane Carr A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Sheffield Hallam University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy ProQuest Number: 10694307 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10694307 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 Declaration I, Alison J Carr, declare that the enclosed submission for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, and consisting of a written thesis and a DVD booklet, meets the regulations stated in the handbook for the mode of submission selected and approved by the Research Degrees Sub-Committee of Sheffield Hallam University.
    [Show full text]
  • Racism in Europe: a Challenge for Democracy?
    Chapter Two Racism in Europe: A Challenge for Democracy? Leila Hadj-Abdou Democracy is a form of government, not a steambath of popular feelings. —Ralf Dahrendorf1 The Anti-Racist Founding Myth of Europe and the Perseverance of Racism In recent decades the Shoah has become a central reference point for a common European identity. Especially in the 1990s, after the end of the Cold War, the heritage of the Nazi past and the involvement of many European countries in the exploitation and extermination of Jews gained a special role in the public discourse of the newly unified Europe.2 The commemoration of the Shoah is not only a source of symbolic legitimacy, but it also suggests a commitment to political val- ues such as the rejection of racism, antisemitism, and xenophobia3. In 2007, denial of the Shoah became a punishable crime across the Euro- pean Union.4 However, despite the relevance of this founding myth it would be misleading to believe that it implies a clear cut rupture with Europe’s racist past, and the end of exclusionary practices. On the contrary, several factors indicate that racism continues to be a feature of contemporary Europe. For instance, in a publication released by the civil society organization European Network Against Racism (ENAR) in 2015, it was revealed that in 2013 alone there were 47,210 racist crimes reported across the European Union. The organization stressed that this is only the tip of the iceberg as many crimes go unre- 1. Margaret Canovan, “Trust the People! Populism and the Two Faces of Democracy,” Political Studies, vol.
    [Show full text]
  • A Multimodal Discourse Analysis Exploring How Katie Hopkins Asserts Power Over Katie Waissel in Their Debate on the Television Programme ‘This Morning’
    13 Trent Notes on Linguistics, VOL 2. 2019 A multimodal discourse analysis exploring how Katie Hopkins asserts power over Katie Waissel in their debate on the television programme ‘This Morning’ Charlotte-Rose Kennedy PhD student in Linguistics Nottingham Trent University Through the employment of multimodal interaction analysis (Norris, 2004), this study seeks to show how Katie Hopkins asserts power over her opponent Katie Waissel on a televised interview on This Morning, through features of non-verbal communication such as interruption and floor holding devices, and posture and gesture. The results of my analysis show that Katie Hopkins dominates Katie Waissel through face-threatening acts in the forms of beat gesture, expansive posture, competitive interruptions and floor holding devices. 1. Introduction and literature review Katie Hopkins is a self-nominated spokesperson for the people, who helps shape social views through being an ‘outspoken columnist’, ‘controversial TV personality’ and a ‘motormouth’ (Baker, 2015; Rutter, 2016). Many people find Hopkins to be a ‘vile Tory troll’ (Bussey, 2015) causing ‘offence on an almost daily basis on her twitter account’ due to her ‘shocking and often insulting views’ on topics such as immigration, mental illness, and even ginger babies (Baker, 2015). This project seeks to explore how Katie Hopkins asserts power over Katie Waissel in their debate on the television programme ‘This Morning’ through both verbal and non-verbal communication. I conduct a multimodal discourse analysis of the debate between Katie Hopkins and Katie Waissel (a heavily tattooed former X Factor contestant), on the topic of whether tattooed celebrities are good role models for children.
    [Show full text]
  • Print Journalism: a Critical Introduction
    Print Journalism A critical introduction Print Journalism: A critical introduction provides a unique and thorough insight into the skills required to work within the newspaper, magazine and online journalism industries. Among the many highlighted are: sourcing the news interviewing sub-editing feature writing and editing reviewing designing pages pitching features In addition, separate chapters focus on ethics, reporting courts, covering politics and copyright whilst others look at the history of newspapers and magazines, the structure of the UK print industry (including its financial organisation) and the development of journalism education in the UK, helping to place the coverage of skills within a broader, critical context. All contributors are experienced practising journalists as well as journalism educators from a broad range of UK universities. Contributors: Rod Allen, Peter Cole, Martin Conboy, Chris Frost, Tony Harcup, Tim Holmes, Susan Jones, Richard Keeble, Sarah Niblock, Richard Orange, Iain Stevenson, Neil Thurman, Jane Taylor and Sharon Wheeler. Richard Keeble is Professor of Journalism at Lincoln University and former director of undergraduate studies in the Journalism Department at City University, London. He is the author of Ethics for Journalists (2001) and The Newspapers Handbook, now in its fourth edition (2005). Print Journalism A critical introduction Edited by Richard Keeble First published 2005 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX9 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” Selection and editorial matter © 2005 Richard Keeble; individual chapters © 2005 the contributors All rights reserved.
    [Show full text]
  • Egypt and the Middle East
    Monitoring Study: British Media Portrayals of Egypt Author: Guy Gabriel - AMW adviser Contact details: Tel: 07815 747 729 E-mail: [email protected] Newspapers monitored: All British national daily broadsheets and tabloids, as well as the Evening Standard Monitoring period: May 2008 - May 2009 1 Table of contents: Egypt & the Middle East Regional Importance Israel Camp David Accords The Gulf Sudan Horn of Africa Diplomacy towards Palestine Before Gaza Conflict 2009 Gaza 2009 Diplomacy The Palestine Border Tunnel Economy Crossing Closures Domestic Egypt Food Religion in Society State Ideology Economy Miscellaneous Domestic Threats Emergency Rule & Internal Security Terrorism Egypt & the West Egypt as an Ally 'War on Terror' Suez Ancient Egypt Influence of Egyptian Art Other Legacies Tourism 2 Egypt & the Middle East Regional Importance Various other Middle Eastern countries are sometimes mentioned in connection with Egypt's regional influence, though very rarely those from North Africa. In terms of Egypt's standing in the Middle East as viewed by the US, a meeting in Cairo, as well as Saudi Arabia and Israel, are "necessary step[s] in the careful path Mr Obama is laying out," notes Times chief foreign affairs commentator Bronwen Maddox (29 May 2009). A "solid" Arab-Israeli peace deal "must include President Mubarak of Egypt," says Michael Levy in the same newspaper (14 May 2009). Regarding a divided Lebanon, the Arab League is "tainted by the commitment of the Saudis and Egyptians to one side rather than the other," according to an Independent editorial (13 May 2008). Egypt appointing an ambassador to Iraq generates interest "not only because it is the most populous Arab country but also because its chargé d'affaires in Baghdad was kidnapped and killed in 2005," writes Guardian Middle East editor Ian Black (2 July 2008).
    [Show full text]
  • The Trolling of Gina Miller
    The remoaner queen under attack: the trolling of Gina Miller What happens when a private individual takes on a very public cause? Amy Binns and John Mair examine how the case of Gina Miller demonstrates how fast social media can whip up a storm of abuse Gina Miller shot to fame after taking the British government to court for attempting to force through Article 50, the mechanism, which started the Brexit process. It was a case that, like the 2016 Referendum itself, polarised Britain. While Leavers were outraged that their vote to exit the EU was not the final word, Remainers watched with bated breath in hope that their disaster could turn to triumph. In the middle was the previously unknown financier Gina Miller. Articulate, photogenic and unafraid to comment on a controversial issue, she might have been made for the media. Widespread coverage led to her becoming a hate figure online, with two men arrested for making threats to kill her. In her own words, in her book Rise (Miller, 2018), she outlines the hate her campaign had generated: “Over the past two years I’ve been the target of extreme bullying and racist abuse. Ever since I took the UK government to court for attempting to force through Article 50, the mechanism for starting Brexit which would have led to the nation leaving the European union without Parliamentary consent, I live in fear of attacks. “I receive anonymous death threats almost every day. Strangers have informed me graphically that they want to gang rape me and slit the throats of my children, how the colour of my skin means I am nothing more than an ape, a whore, a piece of shit that deserves to be trodden into the gutter.” This study analyses 18,036 tweets, which include the username @thatginamiller, from October 1, 2016 to February 27, 2017, from just before the opening of her High Court case to beyond the Supreme Court ruling on January 26 .
    [Show full text]
  • Katie Hopkins
    KATIE HOPKINS IMPACT: Katie Hopkins is a self-described “Christian conservative” English media personality and columnist for multiple media outlets. She uses her online platforms to spread misinformation and has a history of making anti- Muslim, anti-immigrant, and anti-black comments. ● Katie Hopkins writes a mixed-media column called Hopkins World for The Rebel Media, a far-right Canadian political and social commentary media website. A former Rebel staffer told Vice that The Rebel Media founder, Ezra Levant, is willing to put money into any reporter or story “as long as they are willing to say things about Muslims.” On The Rebel, Hopkins is listed as a Shillman fellow, a fellowship run through the anti-Muslim organization, David Horowitz Freedom Center (DHFC), and funded by tech billionaire Robert Shillman. ● Hopkins previously served as a columnist for the UK paper, The Sun, from October 2013 to September 2015, and Mail Online, affiliate website of The Daily Mail, from October 2015 to October 2017. Hopkins has also written columns for Breitbart, an online conservative media site which Atlantic journalist, Peter Beinart, describes as being filled with “generalized, anti-Muslim sentiment.” ● Hopkins has made numerous derogatory and generalizing statements about Muslims, immigrants, and refugees in her columns, on her radio show, and on Twitter. In April 2015, Hopkins wrote a column for The Sun titled “Rescue boats? I’d use gunships to stop migrants” in which she began by stating “NO, I don’t care. Show me pictures of coffins, show me bodies floating in water, play violins and show me skinny people looking sad.
    [Show full text]
  • GCSE English Language Insert Unit 01
    5 6 There are no sources printed on this page There are no sources printed on this page GCSE ENGLISH/ENGLISH LANGUAGE F Foundation Tier Unit 1 Understanding and producing non-fiction texts Insert The three sources that follow are: Source 1: an online article called, ‘Teenager buys £600 worth of shopping for 4p and donates food to charity’ Source 2: ‘Hunger Hurts’, an extract from a blog by Jack Monroe Source 3: a charity leaflet from St Mungo’s Broadway. Open out this page to see Source 2 and Source 3 Please open the insert fully to see all three sources Copyright information For confidentiality purposes, from the November 2015 examination series, acknowledgements of third party copyright material will be published in a separate booklet rather than including them on the examination paper or support materials. This booklet is published after each examination series and is available for free download from www.aqa.org.uk after the live examination series. Permission to reproduce all copyright material has been applied for. In some cases, efforts to contact copyright-holders may have been unsuccessful and AQA will be happy to rectify any omissions of acknowledgements. If you have any queries please contact the Copyright Team, AQA, Stag Hill House, Guildford, GU2 7XJ. Copyright © 2015 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. LY/Nov15/ENG1F LY/Nov15/ENG1F LY/Nov15/E5 ENG1F 2 3 4 Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 JACK MONROE This is Harvey, with his Site Directory Search COOK, CAMPAIGNER, GUARDIAN RECIPE COLUMNIST, RED MAGAZINE’S WOMAN OF THE YEAR, AUTHOR OF ‘A GIRL CALLED South Wales Evening Post JACK’ & ‘A YEAR IN 120 RECIPES’, COOKS, WRITES, GROWS SOME STUFF, EATS, TWITTER: @MSJACKMONROE dog Kiya.
    [Show full text]
  • 2 April 2021 Page 1 of 10 SATURDAY 27 MARCH 2021 Robin Was a Furniture Designer Best Known for His Injection Nali
    Radio 4 Extra Listings for 27 March – 2 April 2021 Page 1 of 10 SATURDAY 27 MARCH 2021 Robin was a furniture designer best known for his injection Nali ...... Nina Conti moulded polypropylene stacking chair, of which over 20 million Libby ...... Sarah Kendall SAT 00:00 Dream Story by Arthur Schnitzler (m000tg86) have been manufactured. Joan ...... Sarah Thom Episode 5 The Days shared a vision of good, affordable design for all. Mrs Singh ...... Nina Wadia Having infiltrated a secret masked ball where the female Together they established themselves as Britain's most Cilla ...... Gbemisola Ikumelo revellers are naked, Fridolin is discovered and must face his celebrated post-war designer couple, often been compared to Zoanna ...... Gbemisola Ikumelo hosts. US contemporaries, Charles Eames and Ray Eames. Roland ...... Colin Hoult Read by Paul Rhys. But despite their growing fame in the 1950s and 60s they Producer: Alexandra Smith Published in 1926, Arthur Schnitzler’s ‘Dream Story’ was remained uncomfortable with the public attention they received. A BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in alternately titled ‘Rhapsody’ and, in the original German, They shared a passion for nature and spent more and more time November 2016. ‘Traumnovelle’. outdoors. Lucienne drew much of her inspiration from plants SAT 05:30 Stand-Up Specials (m000tcl3) Credited as the novella that inspired Stanley Kubrick's last film. and flowers and Robin was a talented and obsessive mountain Jacob Hawley: Class Act Translated by JMQ Davies. climber. Stevenage soft lad Jacob Hawley left his hometown behind a Producer: Eugene Murphy Wayne reflects on the many layers to Robin and Lucienne and, decade ago and has ascended Britain's social class system, Made for BBC7 and first broadcast in September 2003.
    [Show full text]
  • ISLAMOPHOBIA in NUMBERS • the Overwhelming Majority of European States Do Not Record Islamopho- Bic Incidents As a Separate Category of Hate Crime
    his is the third issue of the annual European Islamophobia Report (EIR) consisting of an overall evaluation of Islamophobia in Europe in the year 2017, as well as 33 country reports which include almost all EU member states and additional Tcountries such as Russia and Norway. This year’s EIR represents the work of 40 promi- EUROPEAN nent scholars and civil society activists from various European countries. The denial of the very existence of Islamophobia/anti-Muslim racism/anti-Muslim hate crime in Europe by many demonstrates the need for an appropriate effort and political ISLAMOPHOBIA will to tackle this normalized racism and its manifestations that are deeply entrenched in European societies, institutions, and states. This denial is not only the case for extremist groups on the political fringe of the soci- ety, but rather far-right discourses have moved to the center of political power. Conse- REPORT quently, it is not only right-wing extremist groups that rely on the means of Islamophobic propaganda and discourse - social democrats, liberals, leftists or conservatives are not immune to this form of racism. 2017 As a survey published by the FRA reveals 76% of Muslim respondents feel strongly at- tached to the country they live in, while 31% of those seeking work have been discrimi- nated against in the last five years. At the same time, only 12% of Muslims say they have reported cases of discrimination. Hence, we can say with certainty that the extent of ENES BAYRAKLI • FARID HAFEZ (Eds) discrimination Muslims face in Europe is much greater than the numbers revealed in any report on Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate crime in Europe.
    [Show full text]
  • Media Manipulation and Disinformation Online Alice Marwick and Rebecca Lewis CONTENTS
    Media Manipulation and Disinformation Online Alice Marwick and Rebecca Lewis CONTENTS Executive Summary ....................................................... 1 What Techniques Do Media Manipulators Use? ....... 33 Understanding Media Manipulation ............................ 2 Participatory Culture ........................................... 33 Who is Manipulating the Media? ................................. 4 Networks ............................................................. 34 Internet Trolls ......................................................... 4 Memes ................................................................. 35 Gamergaters .......................................................... 7 Bots ...................................................................... 36 Hate Groups and Ideologues ............................... 9 Strategic Amplification and Framing ................. 38 The Alt-Right ................................................... 9 Why is the Media Vulnerable? .................................... 40 The Manosphere .......................................... 13 Lack of Trust in Media ......................................... 40 Conspiracy Theorists ........................................... 17 Decline of Local News ........................................ 41 Influencers............................................................ 20 The Attention Economy ...................................... 42 Hyper-Partisan News Outlets ............................. 21 What are the Outcomes? ..........................................
    [Show full text]
  • Intersectionality, Inclusion, and the Extension of Cultural Hierarchies on Emma Watson’S Feminist Book Club, ‘Our Shared Shelf’
    . Volume 16, Issue 1 May 2019 Is ‘Everyone welcome’?: Intersectionality, inclusion, and the extension of cultural hierarchies on Emma Watson’s feminist book club, ‘Our shared shelf’ Melanie Ramdarshan Bold, University College London, UK Abstract: Emma Watson started Our Shared Shelf (OSS), a feminist book club, on Goodreads in 2016. Through her work on gender-equality, Watson has accumulated enough cultural capital to be viewed as a legitimate tastemaker in selecting books for a feminist audience, and fits into what Rehberg Sedo describes as the trusted other (Rehberg Sedo, 2004). However, this article argues that Watson creates cultural hierarchies, and extends her feminist brand, through her book choices and the way that she interacts with the OSS community. Despite attempts to diversify the bi-monthly book choices, there has been a preference towards English-language books written by cisgendered, middle-class, able-bodied, heterosexual, white women. Therefore, the list did not represent the international and intersectional nature of OSS: something several readers voice concern about. Additionally, this article examines how the readers’ relationship to their celebrity tastemaker reinforces hierarchies. Engaging in social media can be a performative act: users can construct an identity whilst engaging with social issues. However, there is a danger that a dominant narrative can influence identities and interpretations. Consequently, OSS replicates and upholds patterns of dominance and exclusion and is not an egalitarian space, despite
    [Show full text]