Tinder and humanitarian hook-ups: the erotics of social media racism

In March 2014, at the height of the popularity of the hook-up application Tinder, The Guardian published the “Seven Shades of Cliché” of user profiles claiming that Humanitarians of Tinder are the “creepiest ticket yet to laidsville.” Humanitarians of Tinder are Tinder users (a hook-up application) who have selected to present images of themselves in humanitarian or volunteer settings outside of the West (or Global North, developed world). With a Tumblr devoted to this subgroup of Tinder users, and mainstream media outlets including The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Huffington Post, Yahoo News, and the feminist blog Jezebel following this story, Humanitarians of Tinder evoke dialogue about the intersections of sexiness and racialized benevolence. This article takes seriously Humanitarians of Tinder to think through the connections between social media hook-ups, racial affect, feminist studies humanitarianism, and racisms in development. It asks: why do people use humanitarian photos to generate hook-ups on social media? How does holding an African baby make someone “hot”?     

Body Talk: Body Image Commentary on Queerty.com

ABSTRACT

In this study, we conducted a content analysis of 243 photographic images of men published on the gay male-oriented blog Queerty.com. We also analyzed 435 user-generated comments from a randomly selected 1-year sample. Focusing on images’ body types, we found that the range of body types featured on the blog was quite narrow—the vast majority of images had very low levels of body fat and very high levels of muscularity. Users’ body image–related comments typically endorsed and celebrated images; critiques of images were comparatively rare. Perspectives from objectification theory and social comparison theory suggest that the images and commentary found on the blog likely reinforce unhealthy body image in gay male communities.     

An Investigation of Content and Media Images in Gay Men's Magazines

ABSTRACT

This study provides an analysis of gay men's magazines, examining both the content and advertisements. Four magazine titles were selected, including The Advocate, Genre, Instinct, and Out, each targeting gay men as its target audience. These magazines were coded for both article content and advertisement content. In the advertisement analysis, both the type of advertisement and characteristics of the men depicted within the advertisement when present. The results mirror previous research findings relating to the portrayal of women, including the objectification of specific body parts and the high community standards set by the images depicted. These findings were reinforced by both the advertisements and content analyzed to include a high degree of importance being placed on having the right body type. Implications for further research are discussed.     

Media framing of trolling and online abuse: silencing strategies,symbolic violence,and victim blaming

This article draws on British newspaper reports in order to demonstrate that trolling, and the media’s subsequent framing of trolling, involves “silencing strategies.” It is important to examine how trolling is discussed within the media to understand how it might frame public opinion, debate, and action, and implicitly victim blame. The article presents findings on the forms of (online) abuse and behaviours related to trolling in media reports, including rape threats, death threats, and body shaming. It also explores the media portrayal of victims of trolling, and the advice given concerning how to respond to trolls. To comply with the message to women, which is propagated in media and popular discourses: “do not feed the troll” means that “symbolic violence” is exercised with the complicity of the victim(s) of trolling, which has broader implications.     

Constructing risk and responsibility: a gender,race, and class analysis of news representations of adolescent sexuality

Teen sexuality has been portrayed as dangerous (i.e., risk of pregnancy, STIs, sexual victimization for girls) yet pervasive in a growing post-feminist culture of sexualization. Adolescents are tasked with negotiating the difficult terrain of desire and danger as adults persistently construct contradictory discourses and panics around teen sexuality. This study examines a sample of online news media through a feminist intersectional lens, considering race, class, gender, and sexuality as mutually imbricated within dynamics of power, to analyze how contemporary news articles on teen sexuality construct adolescent sexuality at the intersection of neoliberalism and the sexual double standard. Our analysis revealed three particular moral panics around risk for girls: (1) pregnancy and STIs; (2) engagements in sexualization; and (3) sexual victimization. We illuminate how the sexual double standard and neoliberal notions of accountability reinstate and reproduce gendered, raced, and classed representations of adolescent sexualities.     

Visibility patterns of gendered ageism in the media buzz: a study of the representation of gender and age over three decades

Abstract

The mainstream media provides a constant flow of visual images of men and women, whether it is via newscasts, billboards, magazines, or television. In media research, these different media types are usually investigated separately. The aim of this study is to analyse the accumulated gender representation of all images that we passively or actively take part in, here defined as “the media buzz.” To capture the representation of gender and age in the media buzz, this study focuses on images from one day in the most circulated media within Sweden: news, feature stories, fiction, and advertising. The empirical data is drawn from three different decades—1994, 2004, and 2014. Overall, the study indicates there to be a general male/female balance in terms of numbers. However, when turning older, both men and women become almost invisible, even though older men are more visible than older women. Older persons rarely reach the news and they are more likely to be found in advertising and feature material. The work presented here suggests that the structures of visibility and the clusters of gender-age representation in the media foster stereotyping. The media buzz not only contributes to ageism, but is also still distinctly gendered.     

Is It Facebook Official? Coming Out and Passing Strategies of Young Adult Gay Men on Social Media

The rapid proliferation of social media, mobile applications, and Internet technologies has shifted a wide variety of social interaction from physical spaces to an online environment. Drawing from 42 semistructured, in-depth interviews with gay college-aged men between the ages of 18 and 27, this article explores these changing patterns of social interaction among gay men. I discuss three strategies of identity management college-aged gay men use to disclose or conceal their sexual identity to others. The first group of men, “Out and Proud,” uses Facebook as a way to celebrate and reaffirm their sexual identity, in addition to actively coming out to others on the social media Web site. The second group, “Out and Discreet,” uses Facebook to indirectly come out to some of their friends while hiding this information from others. The men in the last group I identify, “Facebook Closeted,” actively manage their online profiles to ensure their sexual identity is not exposed. Facebook is both transformative and risky for college-aged gay men, as it represents a new platform for them to come out as gay to friends and family, as well as other areas of their lives where they must actively manage the presentation of their sexual identity.     

甘南藏族自治州男性人口生命表和死亡分析

本文用Brass曾生子女存活比估算儿童死亡率的方法和Gompertz死亡率定律等方法对甘南藏族自治州的“五普”男性人口的死亡和生存原始数据作了进一步的修匀和校正。在此基础上。我们用Farlle死亡概率法编制出了甘南藏族自治州男性人口的简略生命表．并通过生命表的结果分析了甘南州男性人口的死亡水平、死亡模式和死亡的性别格局。     

Visibility That Demystifies: Gays,Gender, and Sex on Television

A content analysis of 98 episodes of primetime entertainment programs on commercial broadcast and cable television stations from the 2005–2006 season showed that gay characters on television were more likely to be shown in sexual situations than straight characters, and women were more likely to be shown in same-sex sexual situations than men. In addition, gay characters were more likely to be depicted as sexually active on cable television than they were on commercial broadcast television, and they were more likely to be relegated to guest star status on commercial broadcast television than on cable television. The study also showed that gay characters made up 7.5% of all the characters studied. This study discusses the implications of these findings for gay and straight audiences.     

The faces of local TV news in America: youth,whiteness, and gender disparities in station publicity photos

TV news is a visual medium that requires its on-air journalists to look good, but a history of lawsuits and survey research suggests that this burden is spread unevenly. Critics charge that women are expected to look younger and sexier, and minority broadcasters are held to a White standard of beauty. This project investigated the reality behind those complaints by examining the faces of on-air journalists working for local stations in the US according to race, gender, and attractiveness. The resulting content analysis of more than 400 online publicity photos suggests that a certain look dominates for men and for women and that the range of appearance standards is wider for men than women.     

Between a Rock and a Slippery Slope: Negotiating the Intersections of Religion and Sexuality on Network Television's The Book of Daniel

This article analyzes the television series The Book of Daniel, a program that shows in full relief the ways that current discourses of religion and sexuality converge to produce a particular type of gay subject. This subject, primarily male, might be understood as bound through an innate identity and commitment to the sanctity and reproduction of heteronormative institutions such as the church and state, which renders him assimilable into the social order. As homosexuality, per se, is no longer “outside” the normative order, the program constructs an unstable, nonbinary, and nonheteronormative other who is best understood as queer.     

Sexual Messages in Black and White: A discourse analysis of Essence and Cosmo

The research presented employed critical discourse analysis to examine advice columns on sex and women's sexual freedom as expressed in two popular women's magazines, Essence and Cosmopolitan, over a three-year period. Essence has a Black female audience, Cosmo a predominantly White female audience. Critical discourse analysis is concerned with language as a primary force for the production and reproduction of ideology and belief systems that come to be accepted as common sense. The study asked whether and to what extent sex talk in these two magazines mirrored tenets of sexual liberation as set forth by “second-wave feminism.” Findings showed that while both magazines reinforced women's right to sexual pleasure and to ask for what they wanted, Essence came closest to mirroring the tenets of women's liberation by advocating women's right to say no to men's bad behavior and to be their own persons. By contrast, Cosmo advised women to be innovative in exciting and keeping their men and to be more flexible in managing men's less than desirable behavior.     

Rhythms of moving in and between digital media: a study on video diaries of young people with physical disabilities

This article develops a new framework for analysing digital media use and access by drawing on the concepts of ‘rhythm’ and ‘wayfaring.’ It unravels how young people with physical disabilities move in and between digital media devices, online sites and activities in an embodied and rhythmic way that happens at a fast or slow pace. The framework is used to analyse the video diaries of three male secondary school students with physical disabilities on their use of digital media at home. We propose methodological advances in studying digital media use as dynamic movement and provide alternative insights on digital inequalities.     

城市化与能源消费:动态关系计量与贡献度测算——基于甘肃省数据的实证分析

长期来看,甘肃省城市化水平与能源消费之间存在稳定同步上升的关系;而且这种长期同步上升关系在短期能够得到显著的修正;同时甘肃省城市化能Granger引起能源消费。虽然甘肃省城市化进程对能源消费的贡献作用比较小,但呈逐年增长趋势。因此调整城市化结构,提高城市能源的利用效率,降低对能源需求的增长程度是促进城市化与经济社会协调发展重要的途径。     

个体特征、就业状况及工作满意度对农民工参加社会保险的影响--基于福州、厦门的调查数据

本文基于福州、厦门两地农民工问卷调查数据,运用二元Logistic回归分析,从个体特征、就业状况和工作满意度三个方面对农民工是否参加社会保险及其影响因素进行实证分析。研究结果表明：教育程度、外出务工年限年限及是否拖欠工资对农民工参加社会保险具有显著的影响。年龄、工作性质、是否签订劳动合同、有无技能培训、更换工作次数对农民工参加社会保险作用显著且系数为正。性别、家庭外出务工人数、职业类型、月平均收入及对当前工作是否满意的影响并不显著。最后根据分析的结果提出相应建议。     

流动人口身份认同的现状及影响因素研究——基于我国106个城市的调查数据

本文基于我国106个城市的问卷调查数据,采用探索性因子分析法和多元回归分析法对我国流动人口身份认同的现状和影响因素进行分析。研究结果表明:有超过一半的流动人口实现了身份认同,但他们在认同愿望和内心认同上却表现出较大的差异性,其中内心认同要明显低于认同愿望。这说明流动人口的身份认同在现实中不是同质的和单一维度的,而是复杂的,并受到诸多因素的影响,其中制度支持、个体特征、社会资本和城市体验这四个维度对流动人口身份认同起着独特的、不可替代的作用。     

新疆移民问题研究——新中国成立后新疆人口迁移、定居及类型研究

运用＂社会行动-情境分析＂理论视角来分析新疆人口迁移、定居的理想类型,发现新疆人口迁移具有多元化、复杂性和历史传承性的特点,不能用单一人口迁移类型来解释。在新时期,新疆人口迁移类型面临新的转型,主动自愿移民会不断增加,这既体现了社会对人的主体性的关注与尊重,同时也说明社会的自由度在不断增强。面对新疆人口迁移问题,要因势利导,顺应人口迁移类型演变的趋势。     

Apostles and Zionists: The influence of religion on demographic change in rural Zimbabwe

Religion has acted as a brake on demographic transition in a number of historical and contemporary populations. In a study in two rural areas of Zimbabwe, we found substantial differences in recent demographic trends between Mission and Independent or `Spirit-type' churches. Birth rates are higher in some Spirit-type churches and, until recently, infant mortality was also higher. Recent increases in mortality were seen within Mission churches but not in Spirit-type churches. Missiological and ethnographic data indicate that differences in religious teaching on healthcare-seeking and sexual behaviour and differences in church regulation could explain this contrast in demographic patterns. More restrictive norms on alcohol consumption and extra-marital relationships in Spirit-type churches may limit the spread of HIV and thereby reduce its impact on mortality. These contrasting trends will influence the future religious and demographic profile of rural populations in Zimbabwe.     

非公经济发展与社会就业互动关系研究——基于云南省16个地州的面板数据分析

基于2003—2009年云南省16个地州非公经济产值和社会就业的面板数据,检验并测度了云南省非公经济发展与社会就业的互动关系。结果表明:(1)非公经济的发展产生了带动社会就业的效应,弹性值为7.6个百分点,然而由于云南省非公经济发展不足,其就业拉动效应不明显。(2)就空间差异来看,非公经济发展对云南省不同地州的就业效应存在三级梯度。聚类结果显示,以昆明、曲靖和红河为第一梯度的非公经济发展相对好的地区,其带动社会就业增长的作用显著高于第二、三梯度地区。针对云南省非公经济社会就业存在的主要问题,给出了对策。     

我国出生性别比失衡区域的识别、特点及成因——基于县(市)级层面的分析

本文采用地理信息系统(GIS)的空间分析技术,利用地理信息系统分析软件(ARCView GIS)、探索性空间分析技术软件(GeoDA)、社会科学统计软件包(SPSS)等软件,对1982年、1990年和2000年三次全国人口普查的县域截面数据进行了分析。通过空间分析,识别出我国高出生性别比聚集的热点区域,并进一步对其分布、演变特点和成因进行了较深入研究,试图找到热点区域分布及变化的规律性特点。在此基础上,提出了热点区治理和跨区域治理相结合的政策思路。