Group items matching "gender" in title, tags, annotations or url - Digital Ethnography

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אשר סבידסנקי צלם | Asher Svidensky Photography - 1 views

shared by flrdorothy on 18 Apr 14 - No Cached

flrdorothy on 18 Apr 14

This is the site of the photographer from the BBC News piece on "A 13-year-old eagle huntress in Mongolia." His own account is completely different from the BBC article. He is not, as BBC portrayed him, an ethnographer who stumbled onto a cultural shift in gendered activities-he is a storyteller who went looking for an unusual story, and made it happen. "I had gone looking for my eagle huntress. . .I was amazed by her comfort and ease as she began handling the grand eagle for the first time in her life." I have the same question I asked on the bookmark for the BBC article; why was it important to the BBC to represent this story as ethnography?

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">This is the site of the photographer from the BBC News piece on "A 13-year-old eagle huntress in Mongolia." His own account is completely different from the BBC article. He is not, as BBC portrayed him, an ethnographer who stumbled onto a cultural shift in gendered activities-he is a storyteller who went looking for an unusual story, and made it happen. "I had gone looking for my eagle huntress. . .I was amazed by her comfort and ease as she began handling the grand eagle for the first time in her life." I have the same question I asked on the bookmark for the BBC article; why was it important to the BBC to represent this story as ethnography?</div>

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Kyle McDaniel on 18 Apr 14

I am not familiar with Svidensky's work so thanks for passing this along. Regarding the story of the eagle huntress: it's clear that many of the photographer's images are "posed" or, at least, were made during the "magic hour." What are the implications for this type of "portraiture?" Some of the images are supposedly "candid" (and some not), but I would question the degree to which Svidensky directed his informant's position/direction for the camera. Assuming the photographer's purpose was documentation, are there overarching ethical implications for this type of visual storytelling?

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">I am not familiar with Svidensky's work so thanks for passing this along. Regarding the story of the eagle huntress: it's clear that many of the photographer's images are "posed" or, at least, were made during the "magic hour." What are the implications for this type of "portraiture?" Some of the images are supposedly "candid" (and some not), but I would question the degree to which Svidensky directed his informant's position/direction for the camera. Assuming the photographer's purpose was documentation, are there overarching ethical implications for this type of visual storytelling?</div>

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emknott on 23 Apr 14

I think perhaps, I read it differently. In the article he uses phrases like: " I also photographed him during sunset, on horseback, proudly holding on to his golden eagle."--This reads to me like he knows that it's posed and he isn't making any excuses for it. "I tried coming up with new ways of photographing the eagle hunters." This is when he talking about previous documentation that had been done. "photography session" Again, I read this as the photos being obviously posed. But that's just out I read it. If the article had been lacking phrases like this, then I would have to question the ethical implications.

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">I think perhaps, I read it differently. In the article he uses phrases like: " I also photographed him during sunset, on horseback, proudly holding on to his golden eagle."--This reads to me like he knows that it's posed and he isn't making any excuses for it. "I tried coming up with new ways of photographing the eagle hunters." This is when he talking about previous documentation that had been done. "photography session" Again, I read this as the photos being obviously posed. But that's just out I read it. If the article had been lacking phrases like this, then I would have to question the ethical implications.</div>

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Kyle McDaniel on 24 Apr 14

Agreed - and even without the quotes, a casual observer could tell that these images are posed. However, I think portraiture-as-documentary photography raises some intriguing methodological questions/concerns. Considering the original piece was published through a (well-respected) international media organization, my guess is that some interesting conversations occurred during editorial meetings regarding the nature of Svidensky's work. Maybe this example points to the blurring lines between traditional news photography and pictures made for ethnographic purposes?

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">Agreed - and even without the quotes, a casual observer could tell that these images are posed. However, I think portraiture-as-documentary photography raises some intriguing methodological questions/concerns. Considering the original piece was published through a (well-respected) international media organization, my guess is that some interesting conversations occurred during editorial meetings regarding the nature of Svidensky's work. Maybe this example points to the blurring lines between traditional news photography and pictures made for ethnographic purposes?</div>

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emknott on 24 Apr 14

Quite possibly. And if that is the case, it is certainly evident in the two contrasting articles we have here. But I also wonder if we're not watching a paradigm shift to the photo-essay style that Svidensky is making use of. With the rising popularity of sites like Buzzfeed, I wonder if--in order to bring more interest to his work--he's utilizing that same style in hopes of being more "readable" for the masses. What will be interesting, though, is if we see a similar shift to the photo-essay from the sites that push traditional news photography.

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">Quite possibly. And if that is the case, it is certainly evident in the two contrasting articles we have here. But I also wonder if we're not watching a paradigm shift to the photo-essay style that Svidensky is making use of. With the rising popularity of sites like Buzzfeed, I wonder if--in order to bring more interest to his work--he's utilizing that same style in hopes of being more "readable" for the masses. What will be interesting, though, is if we see a similar shift to the photo-essay from the sites that push traditional news photography.</div>

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Sociology in Fantasia - Reason.com - 0 views

reason.com/...sociology-in-fantasia sociology online communities gaming gender racism digital digital culture

shared by David Martin on 10 May 14 - No Cached

Players tend to reproduce many offline behaviors online, no matter how fantastic, imaginative, and unearthly the game world might be. Sometimes the results are pretty bleak. "Instead of an escape from the drudgeries of the physical world," Yee writes, "many online gamers describe their gameplay as an unpaid second job."
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Some put in extensive hours at often unrewarding work ("grinding" being the well-suited in-game descriptor of choice), submitting themselves to "increasing amounts of centralized command, discipline, and obedience," Yee notes in a chapter with the sad title of "The Labor of Fun." While individual players may explore in a leisurely, ludic way, an MMO's complexity, challenges, and rewards elicit demanding practices from those who would take the game more seriously.
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Racism is another grim import from the real world. Online gaming has seen the rise of "gold farming," whereby users rapidly play a game to a successful level in order to sell the results to other players not willing to invest the time. In short, players outsource the grinding. A skilled gold farmer can simultaneously take a game character to a very high level on one computer while churning out valuable magic items on another. Proteus Paradox doesn't dwell on the economics of gold farming, but notes that most gold farmers are Chinese-and also that other players tend to dislike them. Anti-Chinese racism surfaces in hostile in-game interactions and in YouTube rants.
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And then there are the ever-elusive lady gamers. Proteus outlines how male players denigrate, harass, and drive off female players.
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But Yee offers two twists to this sadly familiar story. First, women report wanting to play for many of the same reasons men do-achievement, social interaction, and immersion-going against essentialist expectations of gender behavior difference. And second, MMOs offer a pedagogical benefit of sorts to male gamers who play under female avatars.
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David Martin on 10 May 14

For those interesting in online communities, gaming or otherwise, you may find this article and the related book interesting.

<div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">For those interesting in online communities, gaming or otherwise, you may find this article and the related book interesting.</div>

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