Expanding on my latest blog post (https://kyrasblog.design.blog/2021/10/11/analysing-my-observations/ ) I am going to go into depth on my epiphanies that I have come across as these are key research and personal experience confirmations to my digital artefact.
Why am I attracted or drawn to certain content creators’ pages?
Looking and reflecting on my emotions using the 3 dimensions that I broke it down with in my previous post: subject matter, visual composition and emotion allows a personal evaluation on what makes me attracted to that page. This epiphany led me into a research methodology of reflexivity. “Reflexivity involves the process of an ongoing mutual shaping between the researcher and the research” (Attia & Edge, 2017) This is depicted through my breakdown of my emotions or feelings to help me ‘shape’ a conclusion. Reflecting on this epiphany through reflexivity has helped me understand why feeling and emotion are central to reflexive processes, colouring the perception of self, others and social world. Reflexivity as an adaptive and emergent methodology reduces the likelihood of the researcher’s bias. Because I am consciously stepping back from action in order to theorise what is taking place.
What type of persona attracts me.
Upon the research of the 5 dimensions of public persona I took interest in the first dimension comprising ‘ ‘publicness’ – “from a small public of close and intimate friends to a massive global public audience” (Moore, Lee & Barbour, 2017) which is enabled by the act of sharing. What you share and how you share it begins to make up the persona of one’s online presence. In regards to the personas that I am attracted to through observation, which are relatable and transparent more than those who kept their persona to strictly business. In further research following the dimension of publicness; the mediatised dimension of persona or “an expression of self” through transparency and relatability is the optimal public exposure and persona which I in turn shifted my concerns to within my own digital artefact as I wanted to adopt this feature and portray that persona because of my attractions towards it.
Consistency in content creation is key.
One of the most important things I realised within this journey was consistency is fundamental to the audience. observed and understood through my own work and others that content consistency establishes credibility within your niche simultaneously building trust within your viewers or audience’s mind, strengthening your page’s reputation. A theory called ‘Uses and gratifications theory‘ which is a way of measuring within the social media world. The theory is based on ‘that individuals seek out media that fulfil their needs and leads to ultimate gratification’ (Lariscy, Tinkham, & Sweetser, 2011). Researching this theory I found that it is directly related to my epiphany of content creation consistency. I need to create content to meet my audiences needs and their wants to see art creation, painting, and the artistic process behind the final product. Which is what creates the like, share and follow interaction loop. My content is what will create the fulfilment in ‘gratification and joy’ for the audience member.
References
Attia M & Edge J, “Be(com)ing a reflexive researcher: A developmental approach to research methodology”, Open review of educational research, vol.4 , no.1.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23265507.2017.1300068
Whiting, A. and Williams, D 2013, “Why people use social media: a uses and gratifications approach”, Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, vol.16, no. 4, pp.362–369.
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/QMR-06-2013-0041/full/html
Moore, C, Lee K & Barbour, K 2017, “Five Dimensions of Online Persona”, Persona Studies, vol. 3, no.1
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317558972_Five_Dimensions_of_Online_Persona
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