BCM313 REFLECTION

I must admit, BCM313: The Future of Work taught me many things. I felt myself actually wanting to attend the classes and due to the structured and professional layout of the subject found that I was almost letting myself down if I missed a class, fearing I would miss an important learning moment or interesting story told by my peers, or even a simple discussion.

Firstly, I’d like to begin with saying that I have never felt more comfortable in a 300-level subject than I did in this. The premise of actually being treated like an adult whilst in class is something I have the utmost respect for (and lacking in some classes), so for that I’d like to thank you Kate and Giverny for making the space so incredibly open and inviting.

Aside from the core “Narrative Listening” practices described through the examples of Michael White, and values and beliefs displayed through “The Absent but Implicit”, I specifically learned the practice of noticing my values and beliefs in relation to the workplace, and how the others around me may share the same or the opposite views. This is something I had not previously considered, nor had I ever noticed how they impact the way in which I go about my decisions, especially in the workplace. I was able to come to the realisation that almost every choice I have made, especially at work, has been due to how I personally not professionally would act in a particular situation. I also found it particular interesting hearing others share their stories about their personal values and beliefs when dealing with scenarios at work, some of them about standing up for what they believe in openly, which is something I was incredibly inspired by.

Secondly, I think that BCM313 has taught me awareness of those around me, both in classes at University and in the workplace. We have the potentially to be kind, compassionate people who look out for others and lift each other up however we are ultimately all so involved with our own lives we hardly stop to uplift each other and communally reach our goals. If anything, I learned most prevalently to simply take a step back in all situations. Take a step back and listen. Take a step back and analyse the situation. How can I contribute? What can I realistically do to change this situation so it benefits all people positively?

The ability for someone to actively listen and recognise The Absent but Implicit meaning of the stories surrounding us is something BCM313 opened my eyes to. This concept links back into the idea of really listening when people are telling their stories to ensure we can find their underlying values and beliefs, or simply just their untapped thoughts and emotions. The way I go about things as an individual is determined by a specific value, and other people may have another, that is okay. We ultimately need to respect that different people go about situations different to how we would go about things, and that isn’t made clear enough throughout society today.

GEORGIAXMERCEDES – CONTEXTUAL ESSAY

GEORGIAXMERCEDES

METHODOLOGY 

My digital artefact started with the concept of creating a digital portfolio that I could use to present my work to potential employees in the future. The idea seemed incredibly important to me as I knew I could theoretically use it in future employment opportunities with social media portfolios being an emerging paradigm. “Social media serves as an effective medium and stage for enabling collaborative communication between the users and the businesses.” (Dwivedi & Ilavarasan & Rathore , 2016)

I used my strong interest in content creations as inspiration for artefact. The notion of creating content on a professional basis for a brand is something I would like to achieve in the future. “Ideally, produsers in a community of produsage participate as is appropriate to their personal skills, interests, and knowledges; such participation further changes as current points of focus for the produsage project change”. (Bruns, 2007). I chose Instagram as I feel it is the best way to display a collation of images in a professional way. Getting started, I decided it was best to position myself in the mindset of a small content creation business. “Social media have made it very easy for entrepreneurs to reach potential customers and tell them about their products. They also provide a solid platform for them to advertise, promote and deliver their ideas and products.” (Alkhowaiter, 2016). From a content creation perspective, this could not be more helpful in using Instagram as my platform for distributing and displaying my content creation and allowed me to see I could use this platform successfully.

The social utility for this artefact allowed me to using the artefact as a digital portfolio when I graduate and display my work on a professional level. Due to this professional appearance I was aiming for, I decided that it was best to create a separate account away from my personal life to begin my work. This way the work has the ability to stand on its own. Social media is very prevalent in this day and age so it is important that employers see the best side put forward. “But it is not these spaces alone which have driven the rise of userled content creation approaches: just as crucial has been the emergence of a new generation of users who have the skills, abilities, and above all the interest and enthusiasm to use them.” (Bruns, 2007). It was ideal throughout my artefact I use all my skills, abilities and interest to progress at a professional level whilst creating for my artefact.

I took on the role as a content creator for my artefact which can be defined as “Simply put, content creators are artists” (Ingalls, 2017). This artefact allowed me to begin work as a content creator, an artist, creating, collecting and displaying content online in a professional and social context. Overall, I aimed to put forward the most professional front forward, which I admit is an aspect I struggled with as it was hard to not picture myself trying to be an “influencer” and aim to be a content creator.

Although my artefact is solely for personal use in a professional context, and aims to act as a digital portfolio, I also wanted to create a feed that was satisfying to my audience to give them a purpose to follow my account. The overall account does not have a limited or set demographic and can appeal to all ages and genders. I also liked that Instagram is a platform that allows open communication, where others can contact me if they ever seek help with their own content creation.

The use of social media to portray a professional portfolio, which the introduction of social media, is something that is becoming incredibly necessary. Several employers already ask for documentation of your previous work, especially in the creative industry, and the ability to have it accessible in a digital space is quite handy. Here is an example of a multi-faceted social media portfolio that spreads across multiple platform.

Kyle Heiner, Social Media Portfolio

EVENT ONE – IDEATION

Lack of engagement and focus

The process began through editing pre-existing photos on my iPhone XS Max. I initially tried to edit the images using Adobe Lightroom as I wanted to learn and challenge myself more however found I would gravitate back to VSCO Cam as it was more familiar and I was more experienced using VSCO. The overall process of finding images and editing them was easy however the execution was something I struggled with. When to post and what to post on my Instagram feed were common aspects I began questioning. Although I knew the only way to interrogate this was to post, I still found myself creatively blocked and fairly indecisive, resulting in uploading edited images to then delete them a few hours later if the engagement was low. This was incredibly harmful to my feedback loop as it wasn’t allowing all users to interact. In reflecting on this initial step, I feel as though my indecisiveness was also incredibly damaging on my ability to judge the correct and successful times to post.

The notion of indecisiveness was something I knew I needed to let go of in order to progress. To overcome this, I found myself talking to my fellow BCM302 peers and gain some feedback on how I could combat this tendency. Several people suggested using scheduling and planning apps to assess my layout before it was posted to Instagram.

Initial Instagram Layout and Setup –

Above are the initial images I posted on my feed. With the first few images I decided to remain consistent with the colour pink, to ensure the images flowed and look aesthetic. This ended up being an aspect that I struggled with, as I felt limited in the content I was creating and posting due to the theme. This was an incredibly important learning moment as I came to the realisation to create content that was professional and successful it would require careful consideration and planning (once again with the planning aspect coming up). I finally gravitated towards VSCO to also plan my layout as it also has this function available and allowed me to plan how the most effect and aesthetic layout for my feed before posting the actual photo.

EVENT TWO – REFRAME

Sticking to my goal and finding inspiration to progress.

In the middle of the semester, around week seven, I came to the realisation this situation wasn’t working. I wasn’t happy with the direction I was progressing with or the content I was creating. I really felt like it wasn’t what I was aiming to portray. In discussion with my BCM peers, they encourage me that it would be ideal to start my feed again.

Below was the new feed I created.

 

Going forward I had to keep in mind that “unlike an Influencer, whose power is directly correlated to the number of ears they have at their disposal, a Content Creator may prove hugely valuable to a brand despite having little prior engagement.” (Breindel, 2018). I was in no way attempting to be an influencer, therefor my basic level of engagement is irrelevant to the content I am posting.  I used this as inspiration to keep moving forward and stick with my original idea, regardless of wanting to switch.

After seeing many others in their curated seminars talk about the use of hashtags, I decided to try including them in some of posts. Alternatively, this brought little to no additional followers or likes to my account. As the content I was posting isn’t a “niche” it was hard to find hashtags that weren’t overpopulated. I also began geotagging all posts at this stage. I would repeatedly have the same 16 people liking my photos and was gaining very little new followers even though I was posting regularly.

I then made the decision to promote one of my posts. This cost me $10 USD and lasted over 14 days. This was very successful in terms of gaining likes, as I had around 300+ from the promotion itself however only 24 profile visits. I initially thought promoting my post would bring more traction to the account than it actually did.

 

After realising that my engagement wasn’t growing, I decided to focus on genuinely creating better content that I would be proud to show potential employers. This decision  was an incredibly helpful learning moment for me as I found that I should be focusing on showcasing my abilities as oppose to worrying about the number of likes/followers. The important part was to gain feedback on my content and progress further. I also found inspiration to progress forward by searching for others in the industry, “My passion for content creation continues to grow each day. I am driven by the goal of painting your products in the ideal light, and capturing what makes it different to your competitors.” (Shield, 2019).

EVENT THREE – ITERATION

Acceptance, becoming content with my feed and layout.

After talking casually to my peers throughout a project curated seminar, throughout discussion I was given some useful tips that really helped me progress further. Tammy suggested that I should try to “colour coordinate and stick with one colour” on my feed to make it more aesthetically appealing. This feedback really resinated with me as an aesthetically pleasing feed always has some colour coordination going on. After this I began looking for inspiration on YouTube.

Left to right: intoximood, intoximag, elixaxjane, ebonyyshield

After this very helpful feedback I decided to restructure my feed, this required deleting majority of the original images I had allowing me to begin with a clean canvas. This was incredibly stressful as I felt pressured to get it right however I do believe it worked out in my favour.

A publication by Telefonica Research was incredibly helpful in allowing me to determine how to go about making images more visually appealing. This being “simplicity of the scene, visual balance, and the rule of thirds” (Obrador & Schmidt-Hackenberg & Oliver, 2010). I used this information particularly to assist in creating better quality content that my users could engage with more. This was hard as I began posting several images at once and feared for my lack of timing and consistency with my posts and the affect it would have on the amount of likes and feedback I received from my users.

Thankfully, this ended up working in my favour. I changed the way I was editing photos and spent a whole day creating content for my feed. I introduced a new theme which was very orange/yellow toned images and made sure all the images flowed in a way that made the feed more aesthetically pleasing to look at (Thanks to Tammy’s feedback!)

I began creating content in which I liked better and putting more time and effort into my content creation. I also began tagging the brands on my account in hopes to gain some traction and exposure. On the photo below, all featured brands that I tagged liked my photo and one even commented.

 

I ended up promoting a second post to bring in some more engagement within the final stages of my artefact as I had created new content. This was unsuccessful and can be described as a waste of money.

Although my followers did not increase throughout the process, I still maintained likes and engagement with both my followers and my users, inclusive of the brands I was tagging with is good exposure. My average likes increased from 16 likes to around 30 per photo, my users also began commenting on my posts saying they liked the content which was a satisfying result overall.

Below are my final feed layout, views and impressions.

References:

Alkhowaiter, W 2016, The Power of Instagram in Building Small Businesses, Qassim University, Available at: https://hal.inria.fr/hal-01702216/document [Accessed 25^th October]

Briendel, A 2018, The difference between content creators and influencers explained, Resource Magazine, Available at:http://resourcemagonline.com/2018/06/the-differences-between-content-creators-and-influencers-explained/90967/ [Accessed 25^th October]

Bruns, A 2007, The Future Is User-Led: The Path towards Widespread Produsage, Queensland University of Technology, Available at: http://snurb.info/files/The%20Future%20Is%20User-Led%20(PerthDAC%202007).pdf [Accessed 23^rd October]

Bruns, A 2009, From Prosumer to Produser: Understanding User-Led Content Creation, Queensland University of Technology, Available at: http://eprints.qut.edu.au/27370/ [Accessed 23^rd October]

Dwivedi, Y & Ilavarasan, P & Rathore, A 2016, Social media content and product co-creation: an emerging paradigm, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Available at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JEIM-06-2015-0047/full/pdf?title=social-media-content-and-product-co-creation-an-emerging-paradigm [Accessed 25^th October]

Hargittai, E 2002, Second-Level Digital Divide: Differences in People’s Online Skills, Princeton University, Available at: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/87e1/c49591ec422460c35cb3c202a8ed58625d75.pdf?_ga=2.172080099.1531281412.1572518189-634834333.1572518189 [Accessed 23^rd October]

Heiner, K 2018, Social media portfolio, SquareSpace, Available at: https://georgiamercedesvandevorst.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/ad709-kyleheinersocialmediaportfolio.pdf [Accessed 23^rd October]

Ingalls, J 2018, How to differentiate social media influencers and content creators, Dash Hudson, Available at: https://blog.dashhudson.com/influencer-marketing-content-creator-social-media-strategy-brand-marketing/ [Accessed 25^th October]

Obrador, P & Schmidt-Hackenberg, L & Oliver, N 2010, The role of image composition in image aesthetics, Telefonica Research, Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224201618_The_role_of_image_composition_in_image_aesthetics [Accessed 26^th October]

Sheild, E 2019, Content Creation, Available at: https://www.ebonyshield.com.au/content-creation [Accessed 26^th October]

vom Brocke, J & Jaakonmäki, R & Müller, O 2017, The Impact of Content, Context, and Creator on User Engagement in Social Media Marketing, ScholarSpace, Available at: https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/41289/paper0140.pdf [Accessed 26^th October]

 

 

 

 

BCM322 Contextual Essay

Link to digital artefact – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yXmXKyaC6M

For the final assessment task, it was my intention to both and identify and highlight the importance of an issue that is prevalent throughout almost all hobby forums and communities on social media, thus being hate. The purpose of the video was to emphasise the capability for all users to express their thoughts and opinions freely with no moderation, regardless if the intent it may have been presented with. Throughout YouTube “Beauty videos represent a popular category of channels on YouTube, garnering millions of subscribers and lucrative sponsorship opportunities” (Choi & Behm-Morawitz, 2017). I focused predominantly on the beauty community as identifying how hate comments specifically operate in this space was unbelievably eye opening.

These videos published by beauty gurus on YouTube are designed to make them appear different to brands, “Guru’s will appear different to brands since [their work is not such much finished pieces but rather as improvised drafts] since brands usually upload polished, professional content” (Riboni, 2017). It is because of this there is wide room for error and critique, therefor the comment sections seem to be where users express their opinions, regardless of the intent.

The video I created is a collection of YouTubers’ reading out their reactions to hate comments. I decided to use the original audio to highlight the notion that these comments are being seen by real people, those in which the prejudiced comments are being directed at. The video begins with very basic level, petty comments which I thought I would include to show that these comments are very common on almost all videos and disregarded. Throughout the editing process, I remixed the comments I had sought out on YouTube to ensure they escalate. As the video progresses, the comments gradually become harsher and advance to become borderline hate speech. This decision was made to ensure the video told a story that highlighted the intensification of these comments as the video progresses.

I made the decision for the collective reading out of the comments to stand on their own and included no other material, the aim for this was to ensure the striking comments have the ability to shock the audience whilst also raising awareness. The video is arranged to almost be portrayed in a storytelling way, as my overall goal was to focus on highlighting the importance of the conversations taking place in these forums.

MediaSmarts outlines these conversations on the internet through “understand the internet to have become a place where “hate groups and movements have adapted, created websites, forums and social network profiles” that results in the way conversations operate and users interact with each other through prejudiced speech. Several YouTubers’ have expressed their opinions on mental health in the beauty community on YouTube, one of them being Manny Mua, who I have chosen to include in my video reading out these hate comments. Manny has previously discussed his struggle with anxiety and depression openly on his channel and therefor users are aware of the issue however he still receives hate throughout the comments on almost all videos posted.

I felt it was important to raise awareness that society should become aware of the necessary steps to be taken to ensure this type of conversation that is taking place in hobby forums throughout YouTube should be moderated in some way.

References:

Behm-Morawitz E & Choi G 2017, Giving a new makeover to STEAM: Establishing YouTube beauty gurus as digital literacy educators through messages and effects on viewers, Computers in Human Behaviour, Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563217301917 [Accessed 26th October]

MediaSmarts 2019, Deconstructing hate online, Available at: http://mediasmarts.ca/online-hate/deconstructing-online-hate [Accessed 26th October]

Peraza L 2019, We Need to Talk: YouTube and Mental Health Within the Beauty Community, UC Riverside, Available at: https://escholarship.org/content/qt8fc0c5qn/qt8fc0c5qn.pdf [Accessed 26th October]

Riboni G 2017, Between professionalism and amateurshup: makeup discourse on YouTube, Language Cultures Journal, Available at: https://www.ledonline.it/index.php/LCM-Journal/article/view/1170/930 [Accessed 26th October]

Sands M 2019, Youtube’s ‘Borderline Content’ is a hate speech quagmire, Forbes, Available at :https://www.forbes.com/sites/masonsands/2019/06/09/youtubes-borderline-content-is-a-hate-speech-quagmire/#593d1b3a6299 [Accessed 26th October]

Sit and Just Listen

We all share different values and beliefs, this is not a concept that we are unfamiliar with. These values and beliefs ultimately shape the way we act and how we compose ourselves, especially in a professional setting. Before beginning the narrative interview, I had preconceived ideas on how I thought I’d shared similar values and beliefs to my interviewee and to a certain extent, I still share the same values. Alternatively, the narrative interview allowed me to assess how the development of professional values have been shaped through past experiences.

Throughout the interview process, I was worried how my interviewee would react to my questions. Not because of the questions I was asking, but because of the fact the interviewee was my dad. I was afraid it was going to be a burden and awkward as my dad is in no way a serious person and is always joking. I previously made the executive decision to interview my dad because of the fact we do share incredibly similar personality traits (we are both very stubborn) I decided it would be ideal to go into the interview and just listen. The tactic proved very useful as it stopped me from completing a sentence for him, or prompt the conversation in a certain direction. I simply lead by asking him to walk me through his job history, beginning with when he left high school.

I was incredibly thankful that through his storytelling experience, my decision to just listen allowed me to determine the underlying beliefs and values as they unfolded. Even more so when I went back and looked over all the information I gathered and reflected.

The overall process of interviewing my dad was almost enlightening to a certain extent, it highlighted a very common theme around conflict in the workplace that my dad always seems to handle in the same way. An aspect that has always made my curious was my dad’s ability to leave a workplace when he is unhappy with it, something that takes a lot of courage to do. The aspect of leaving the workplace so confidently without a back up plan didn’t resinate with me as well as I thought it would, as for a typical university student “quitting and finding a new job” is not something that we are comfortable doing. This core value of confidence/courage in the workplace allowed me to present my findings in a way that highlighted both the courageous aspect and also the flight risk aspect(for lack of better word) of my dad’s workplace timeline.

However, this value of confidence and reassurance is something that I admire. The ability to be strong and always trust in yourself and how you feel is an incredibly valuable tool. The overall experience opened my eyes on our ability to go about certain situations stems from our core values. I went into the interview expecting for it to reveal values and beliefs almost identical to mine due to my preconceived notion of how similar we are yet we did turn out to have ultimately different views, especially in relation to the workplace. This absent yet implicit value that was revealed to me throughout the interview allowed me to realise that I would not have handled the same situations in the same way.

It really made me think about how we each go about assessing other people’s choices, especially in a professional setting. If we keep in mind that our values and beliefs are what guide us to make decisions, maybe it has the potential to made us less judgemental if we keep this in mind. It might convince us that others make choices based on their values and beliefs and we ultimately should respect that, everyone’s journey is different.

 

 

BETA REVIEWS

BETA review #1 – HOLLYXMORAN: HOLLY’S BETA

Firstly, Holly did an amazing job in taking my previous feedback into consideration, I’m genuinely flattered that I was able to produce some ideas that were able to help with the continuation of her digital artefact I feel like a proud mum. In saying this I’ve chosen to review her Beta.

Holly has done incredibly well in terms of reaching goals that she had set down throughout her pitch, she implemented the changes well and was consistent with reaching her targets. I’ve been a follower of Holly’s since the pitch and have enjoyed seeing how her content has grown. I do think it’s really important for Holly to remain positive throughout the duration of her DA as it seems she is incredibly hard on herself about her consistency. Although consistency is quite successful it’s important for her to just push forward.

I admire Holly for looking into her analytics to define what her followers wanted to see although I would have loved to see screenshots for more insight. They proved to be quite helpful in determining the followers preferred to see food related posts on her feed which means moving forward she knows this type of posts will gain traction. Holly stayed on track to her methodology and utility from her pitch, ensuring she posted a balance of food and fitness which was successful as it seemed she has followers that enjoy both aspects on her feed.

In terms of moving forward, it almost seems like Holly enjoys the food aspect of her Instagram more and is somewhat uninspired when it comes to the fitness content. I think it would be ideal to go on an inspirational binge of fitness accounts and looking for inspiration! Maybe small videos at the gym trying new workouts, boomerangs and fun photo editing apps could be helpful in gaining some inspiration back and working fitness related posts into her feed.

BETA review #2: BOMBSHELL HAIR CREATIONS: ASHLAN’S BETA

Ashlan’s digital artefact was a continuation of a instagram she had worked on previously. Although she was unsuccessful in growing her following as she had hoped, she did an excellent job managing the layout. The development of the Bombshell Hair Creations Instagram has been quite successful as Ashlan has done an excellent job constructing the feed to make it structured with a carefully planned layout. The instagram has a very aesthetically pleasing feed to browse therefor which ultimately have a positive effect on drawing in more followers.

With the main goal being to grow her following, Ashlan is planning to do a giveaway which we increase both clients in store and followers on the instagram account which will be a useful way to gain more traction and business. It would be ideal for Ashlan to post a photo for the giveaway, with the rules being something along the lines of “tag three friends to enter, all must be following bombshell hair creations for successful entry” etc. That way it would encourage people to tag their friends which would hopefully come from the same area as the existing clients.

Ashlan is very prevalent on growing an organic following and therefor wants to maintain a following within the surrounding area to the business. It may be beneficial for Ashlan to collaborate with other surrounding brands, such as beauty salon’s or tanning business for formal packages! This way those who are in the area following other brands could learn about Bombshell hair creations and follow.

Ashlan has stayed on track with her trajectories and it seems as though it has been beneficial for the business and her feed. Overall I would have loved to hear more about the consistency of posts and what types of posts have had the ability to do well in the past, however she covered most aspects I wanted to hear in her beta very well!

 

 

 

 

BCM302 BETA

 BETA;   INSTAGRAM ;

My digital artefact idea was to create a digital portfolio/content feed that demonstrates my artistic capabilities for future employers to view. I have stuck with my original idea although am struggling with my feedback loop with users. I received initial feedback from my family and peers that said it was a great idea that I could use in the future however I am struggling with engagement on my account as it is ultimately for personal use, therefor users are struggling to find a reason to engage with my content.

Due to the fact that I am using this Instagram for a personal portfolio, I am struggling to get users to really engage with my content, therefor have definitely struggling with getting feedback directly from my followers. However have managed to have conversations with both my peers and families about how they feel to give me some idea of where I am sitting.

I have expanded my horizons by using several external apps such as boomerang, plann for planning my feed and using more professional photo editing apps such as Adobe Lightroom which has been a learning process but beneficial as I prefer the way my content has been turning out from using these apps. I have also been testing different forms of hashtags to see if they will draw users in.

After asking my family and friends for feedback, they suggested I could reach out to more brands to collaborate and potentially promote my posts, which I have just done to increase my reach, stay tuned for the results! (Wishing I had done this earlier).

Moving forward I would love more feedback throughout the project curated seminars in class that could be beneficial to how I could increase my following. I am waiting to hear back from two small brands that I have reached out to collaborate with as it would be a great opportunity and chance for exposure for both parties.

The Absent but Implicit, disguised as self-doubt

Self-doubt can result in a variety of coping strategies and behaviours, depending on the particular circumstances and beliefs of the individual experiencing doubt (Arkin, Lynch, Oleson, Poehlman, Yost, 2000). It is notorious for being the little devil on our shoulder that is consistently reminding us that we are scared of not proceeding. Self-doubt refers to how certain a person feels about important abilities (Hermann, Leonardelli, Arkin, 2002) and can considerably hinder our ability to complete personal or work-related goals to a certain standard.

Elan Morgan bravely discusses her struggle with self-doubt in her TED Talk and analyses it in regards to how it can have an effect on individuals and the way they tell stories though narrative. Elan talks about how certain circumstances result in individuals coming to the realisation that changes need to be made. Writing about her struggles allowed Elan to progress forward and move on from her self-doubt as she learned to “love it”. Elan talks of self-doubt as a great self-defence mechanism that lets us know when we are in real danger and has the ability to “keep our ego’s in check”.

Through narrative work, I practised the small steps exercise to identify if there were any distinctive steps or patterns that have enabled “unique outcomes” in regards to my experiences in the workplace. When analysing a particular situation I have found myself in the workplace, it would have never occurred to me directly that I felt the way I did because of self-doubt. It’s never something I would even consider as the beliefs and values I hold within the workplace have always resulted in my doing my best. I was able to identify that this was the underlying factor through the small steps exercise, although it was never something I would have considered to be one of my beliefs of values.

In terms of values and beliefs that I hold within the workplace, I always have the desire to do well and exceed what is expected (we can use the term strong work ethic however I’m trying to remain modest). I’ve noticed through reading about the absent but implicit that this stems from the desire to never disappoint those around me. I have worked at Dominos (yes, I make the pizzas!) for just over three and a half years now, and I’m still in the role I was when I started. I have of course, learned different aspects of the job throughout the years yet the opportunity to move to a higher role has never come up. This, combined with the fact I’ve been an employee for 3 years, and notoriously frowned at when I ask for time off as they seem to struggle when I’m not there, seems strange. And for the longest time it was something that I took so personally, and it was incredibly disheartening. I work as hard as I possibly can and hate the idea of letting my team down.

Story put short, they don’t see value in promoting people who they don’t see working at Dominos long term. As a result, it’d left me with copious amounts of self-doubt. I was left wondering if I wasn’t good enough, or didn’t work hard enough. It took a very long time to convince myself that I do work hard and it was not a reflection of my work performance. Elan states “Remember that self-doubt has nothing whatsoever to do with the actual measure of worth.” Referring back to Elan’s talk, self-doubt is a good signpost for letting us know what is important to us. This, in conjunction with analysing the absent but implicit, becomes incredibly important in the process of reviewing our narrative and reflecting on how our experiences affect us.

The “absent but implicit” was originally coined by Michael White, who described the term to be the understanding that in the expression of any experience of life, there is a discernment we make between the expressed experience and other experiences that have already been given meaning (Carey, Russel, Walther, 2008). White implies that in order to make sense of certain experiences, we set them apart from others in which have pre-existing meanings to ourselves. However, the absent but implicit becomes prevalent when we practise exercises such as the small step process, where our underlying values and beliefs become prominent through the stories we tell. The whole idea highlights the idea that we are subconsciously impacted by the values and beliefs that we hold. I have always held the belief that I never want to disappoint those around me and have always been conscious of this value and take pride in my work. Although I never realised that it would result in self-doubt from circumstances beyond my control.

This overall situation made me think about self-doubt in regards to the future of work. If the workplace is becoming more casualised, especially in regards to University students, how will individuals begin to feel, or better yet, already feel, in regards to not feeling secure about work. Will others feel the same through the lack of ability to move up through hierarchy in the future of work? It seems as though for students specifically, there is a generalised consensus (at least in BCM313 anyway) that we all need to work casually to support ourselves as students. As the workforce is shifting and becoming less of a 9-5 dynamic, and those who aren’t students are working casually also, will there be any jobs left for students? And how will this result on our overall self-esteem/self-doubt when it comes to stability in the workplace?

References:

Arkin, R & Lynch, M & Oleson, K & Poehlman, K & Yost, J 2000, Subjective Overachievement: Individual Differences in Self-Doubt and concern with performance, The Ohio State University, Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-6494.00104 (Accessed 7th September)

 

Carey, M & Russel, S & Walther, S 2008, The absent but implicit – a map to support therapeutic enquiry, Narrative Practices, Available at: http://narrativepractices.com.au/attach/pdf/The_absent_but_implicit_-_A_map.pdf (Accessed 7th September)

 

Denborough, D 2018, Some reflections on the legacies of Michael White: An Australian perspective, Dulwich Centre, Available at: https://dulwichcentre.com.au/michael-white-archive/michael-white-legacies/ (Accessed 7th September)

 

Hermann, A & Leonardelli, G & Arkin, R 2002, Self-Doubt and Self-Esteem: A Threat From Within, A The Ohio State University, Available at:

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0146167202286010 (Accessed 7th September)

 

Morgan, E 2012, The power of personal narrative, TED TALK, Available at: https://elanmorgan.com/blog/2012/6/19/tedx-talks-elan-morgans-self-doubt-and-the-power-of-personal.html (Accessed 7th September)

 

 

Peer Review One

ASHLAN; PITCH; BOMBSHELL HAIR CREATIONS

Hi Ashlan! I think you have done a good job finding a niche topic that you are interested in, hence why you have continued it through several years. It is always basic instinct to stick with what you know and in this case it seems to have paid off! I love your aesthetic and feed so far.

I quite like the fact you are going to challenge yourself by attempting to create a website, as you are pushing the boundaries and are going to learn very useful techniques that will help you if you plan to work in the social media marketing industry! I am sure there are so many tools online that will make this process easier for you! I’m sure there are also so many people within this class that could help you if you get stuck so be sure to use the contacts we have all around us 😉

In my personal opinion, I would probably recommend that you don’t buy fake followers as for a business they could not be beneficial to helping your business grow. For example, having bots won’t draw in any business within your area which you mentioned is one of your main target ideas. As much as we like to think they are beneficial, for a small business I personally don’t see how it could benefit! Although on the contrary, if business is blooming and this is not one of your end goals, it could be beneficial in creating the appearance of an already very successful and established brand!

Moving forward I definitely think you should engage with your followers need and identify what they need/want our of a visit on any of social media accounts. Watch closely on how they interact with posts like you suggested of course but also ask them directly! Ask them what they want to see/what kinds of photos they prefer etc etc. It will be so beneficial for you in the long run especially in terms of your feedback loop!

Here is an interesting essay that perhaps you could use as external research to help you with identifying your audience’s needs on social media. It also discusses the difference between showing them what you think they want to see and what they actually want to see! https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/10878571111161507/full/html

I am so excited to see all your social media accounts come together at the end of the project and goodluck!

HOLLY; PITCH; HOLLYXMORAN

Hey Holly! I am so excited to follow your journey and how you will present your take on balance! It is something that is so hard to maintain throughout everyday and I like that you have taken something close and personal to you as a challenge for your digital artefact. Let me start by saying that I love that you have laid out a path of clearly defined goals for the future in terms of your project! It’s refreshing to see a direct purpose that involved things like networking and showing your journey. Your utility

I think you should definitely look into scheduling posts on Instagram with apps like Buffer, as it will help you regulate your feed and make your posts more regular. I also agree that it will be super beneficial for you to look into what content your audience wants to see! Whether it be fitness related/food related, you could possibly conduct some Instagram polls and get people to vote?

You also mentioned networking with other Instagram accounts and brands! You could also reach out to the restaurants to collaborate with you. This is a fantastic idea as you can work together to reach more of an audience. Also ensure you’re utilising the benefits of hashtags and tagging brands as it is an extra way to reach more people and maybe get featured on some cool accounts. You could also reach out to personal trainers on instagram to potentially create some content in which they could broaden your horizons in terms of fitness! You could also take full advantage of IGTV and do workout videos to teach your audience techniques etc!

I would have loved to see more of the FIST principles throughout your pitch! I will be interested to see how you go with managing/editing your content in your beta and how it will align with your goal of creating awareness that it is okay to have balance. Overall I think documenting the process of your journey through your account and aiming to add value to the way other view their dieting habits it such a wholesome purpose and can’t wait to see how everything unfolds!

Georgia x

The Future of Work

It is undeniable that the concept of a workplace and career is progressing and changing, as demonstrated through the increase of casual work throughout the workplace.

Due to this changing landscape, it is clear that the definition of work has transformed also. This meaning that that work is a term loosely used to describe any action or physical labour, and can be used in relation to various forms of work such as paid, unpaid and physical work.

One thing that became distinctly prevalent to me throughout the first few weeks of BCM313, is how my work dynamic is so different to the work dynamic of my grandparents and even parents. The way in which we communicate and even the way in which we work has changed.

Casualisation is something that is widely talked about nowadays, and is an aspect that almost each and every individual is connected to. 40% of people aged 15-24 years old work in casual jobs (Australian Unions, 2019) meaning that casual work is extremely common amongst university students, close and personally related to us all. When we think about this in relation to how our parents, or even grandparents, tell stories about their previous work experiences.

The Guardian, 2018.

The landscape has obviously dramatically shifted, and one more thing that stood out to me throughout the past few weeks was the communication aspect. Social media has consistently played an important role throughout this, with the introduction of basic emailing, LinkedIn and now, Slack. This aspect of communication particularly stood out to me throughout the past few weeks. Even the way I personally communicate with my co-workers has been simplified to basic texts or occasionally a snapchat.

The way we learn about others in the workplace, as well as communicate with them, as fundamentally changed into a much more casual direction, much like the type of work itself. It is interesting to wonder where this will lead us in terms of work structure in the future and how it will shape.

Social media allows us to communicate, stay happy and engaged, especially at work where we spend more time than with our families working, sharing and interacting with individuals who are part of an organisation which changes every single day.” (Merrel-Miller, 2013). The future of work and how we communicate is constantly being shaped everything becoming just a little bit more casual.

References:

Anna 1970, Social media in the workplace, Professionals Australia, Available at: http://www.professionalsaustralia.org.au/blog/social-media-in-the-workplace-sound-management-the-key/

Australian Unions, Casual Workers Factsheet, Australian Unions, Available at: https://www.australianunions.org.au/casual_workers_factsheet (Accessed 14th August)

Herlle, M & Astray-Caneda, V 2011, The Impact of Social Media in the Workplace, Florida International University, Available at:https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1205&context=sferc (Accessed 13th August)

Merrel-Miller, J 2013, The power of social media for workplace communication and distribution, Workology, Available at: https://workology.com/social-media-enterprise-communciation/ (Accessed 14th August)

 

BCM302 PITCH

With the widespread uptake of social media, discourses and practices of self-branding have become a pervasive feature of social and economic life (Duffy, B & Pruchniewska, U & Scolere, L, 2018) . Instagram is known as a platform for personal expression, whether it be from a brand or personal account. With this and my future in mind, for my digital artefact I am aiming to create a digital portfolio via the platform.

Instagram is a way I can utilise my work as a brand, whilst also demonstrating my creative capabilities in a professional way. Not to forget that a digital portfolio also allows you to create a brand image online.

Through characteristics of the FIST principles, I plan to create content in which I have an interest in, photography and photo editing, whilst also being able to present the feed to potential employers, and spark interest in the general public on Instagram.

PITCH –

https://youtu.be/aX2rATP-tV4

REFERENCES-

Duffy, B & Pruchniewska, U & Scolere, L 2018,Constructing the Platform-Specific Self-Brand: The Labor of Social Media Promotion, Sage Journals, Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2056305118784768 (Accessed 12th August)