Discussion for 11/1/11

Based on our conversation in class yesterday, I'm going to put discussion questions based on the readings here on the blog. You can use them to guide your reading. Feel free to respond via Twitter or in the comments here, or to jot your responses down in preparation for class discussion next week.

 

Dobson, "The 'grotesque body' in young women's self presentation on MySpace"

  • What is the distinction between "sexualization" and "heterosexualization" for Dobson?
  • Can you think of examples of "grotesque" female self presentations from your own experiences and observations?
  • Do you think these grotesque representations work in the subversive ways Dobson speculates they might?

 

Dobson, “The Representation of Female Friendships on Young Women’s MySpace Profiles”

  • Does Dobson's account of female-centered social worlds resonate with your own experiences and observations?
  • How do the girls in Dobson's study construct themselves against "bad female others"? Does this phenomenon work to reinforce traditional "negative stereotypes" of women?

 

Banet-Weiser, “Branding the post-feminist self: Girls’ video production and youtube”

  • How does Banet-Weiser define "post-feminist" subjectivity?
  • In what ways might the activity of "self-branding" be less empowering than popular discourse generally asks us to believe?
  • How do comments and feedback on social network sites (like Youtube) work as disciplinary mechanisms?

 

Hasinoff, “Sexting as Media Production: Re-thinking Dominant Ideas about Teen Girls and Sexuality Online”

  • Why does Hasinoff think it's important to shift the discourse about teen sexting from one of victimization and moral panic, to one of girls' media production?

 

Gross, “Somewhere There’s a Place for Us: Sexual Minorities and the Internet”

McKenna & Bargh, “Coming Out in the Age of the Internet”

  • Why do both articles argue that social media is of especial significance to gay people and other sexual minorities?
  • How does active participation in niche social networking affect gay individuals' sense of identity, according to McKenna & Bargh?