As stated in my pitch and in my media niche blog, my Digital artefact will focus on how engaging with calming content helps to reduce anxiety.
Utilising the various features on all three platforms of Instagram, Tik Tok, and WordPress, I can create an interactive experience for my audience to engage in calming content of their own, whilst I also continue to engage in the media niche through engagement with other content creators and content online. Instagram and TikTok are used as mainstream media, where I will be posting regularly as shown in my timeline. These platforms allow me to use mapping methods of observing participation through story, views, and likes, providing feedback into what content is favourable. Whilst WordPress will be used to document the surfboard art process, for each surfboard.
“Paradigms are used as a way of viewing the world…. and a framework from which to understand the human experience”(Kuhn, 1962). By creating a field site, I can set up research methods and determine a paradigm approach of how I view and understand my audience through analytical frameworks. This field of Inquiry allows me to establish an analytical framework in which my Digital Artefact is based around. These analytical frameworks are psychoanalysis, disability and accessibility, and Sensitive content, as I am attentive and compassionate towards my audience. It is important that I establish this sensitivity throughout this project, as Anxiety can be a sensitive topic for individuals. Another reason I am focused on keeping content creative, fun, and light-hearted, to help and not cause harm.
Through this participatory observation method I will use field notes which will be methodological notes concerning my role, influence, relationship, and sampling procedures (Catherine.d, 2002). Observing and writing as I go.
I will bring it all together in the end by comparing my own observations with background research into anxiety coping methods and the influence creative and calming content has on stress.
References:
Dawson Catherine (2002) How to Carry Out Participant Observation, in Practical Research Methods A User-Friendly Guide to Mastering Research Techniques and Projects, HowTo Books: Oxford.File
DeCarlo, Mattew (2018) ‘6.2 Paradigms, theories, and how they shape a researcher’s approach’, Scientific Inquiry in Social Work, https://scientificinquiryinsocialwork.pressbooks.com/chapter/6-2-paradigms-theories-and-how-they-shape-a-researchers-approach/
T's Timeline 
Taryn, it’s clear that you are very passionate and enthusiastic about helping people with anxiety and stress. It will be very rewarding for you to discover more about your media niche. The quality and consistency throughout your pitch and blog post were great making it very easy to watch, listen to and read. Your use of subject materials such as readings via Moodle was used soundly throughout the written post but it would have been nice to see more individual research as well. Throughout the pitch and blog post, you explained your media niche thoroughly to a broader audience. Your field site is great with many aspects, this could have been used to dive deeper into your process and background research methods. This would further help you in explaining how you will be identifying epiphanies, keeping track of them, and analysing data (screenshots, journal, audio, video, etc.). It would be interesting to focus on particular artists and Instagram/TikTok accounts that are really successful within this media niche. A business that I think would be interesting for you to investigate is the Just A Girl Project – https://thejustgirlproject.com/blogs/news?ltclid=bf692bd3-7bb9-4acf-885d-57cb0ff4070c . Which is a mental health association based in the US that sells merch, prints, creates podcast episodes, blog posts, and Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok content that is extremely visually appealing, successful, and helpful around mental health. Additionally, this article would also be really interesting for you which explains the rise of anxiety over the past 100 years, social media being one of the biggest causes (something else to research/think about) – https://www.cbtbaltimore.com/the-rise-of-anxiety-over-the-past-100-years/ .
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Hey Taryn,
Just watching and reading your ideas, I got a clear image of the direction you are taking. Which i think is a good sign. I think that this will be a really exciting project to produce, especially with the creative engagement that you seem to be hinting at. It was very clear that you are very sensitive around mental health which is vital in your media niche.
However, I wonder how you will collect your observation, what actions you will be doing and why that is significant? Autoethnographies are a personal research and I am interested to see your own experiences within this field site and media niche. I also was wondering how exactly you will be using your paradigms to direct your research.
I think a the research that you undertake in regards to your media niche will assist in the further development of your Blog, and ensuring that you are creating content that audiences will engage with.
All the best, i am excited to see how this project develops!!!
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Heya Taryn 🙂
As someone who suffers with Anxiety, I love the concept of your DA and feel you have well articulated your intentions for your content. I can tell through your video that you are very passionate on the topic which is fantastic considering the sensitivity of the topic. As your research is in regards to mental health, it will be very important for you to not only avoid the harm of others and to keep confidentiality, but to also look after yourself in the process as you do your research. While you will be curating calming content, you may need to complete research on outer sources regarding the importance of calming devices for anxiety that may be more heavy in terms of investigation of the mental impacts. While you are the researcher, you are still a ‘participant’ and should take harm to yourself into account as much as the harm of others. I’m sure you’ll be taking this into account but thought it was worth mentioning as I would hate for you to be triggered during your research 🙂
Your video and blog post are very well structured and it is very clear that you are engaging with the course content. You’ve explained your niche well and have a decent field site and timeline however it would be great to see more specifics on how you will be conducting your research in terms of interacting with the community. You’ll be creating content which adds to the community but how will you be gaining research in terms of being a participant (such as making comments or posts on other forums/pages etc)
This is a brilliant DA and Pitch and I can’t wait to follow your journey, maybe you’ll be able to help me with my anxiety haha 🙂 Best of luck and take care ❤
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