Category: Communications & Media

HOW TO START A DE-CARBONISED FASHION LABEL IN 2023

CamelliaLeave a comment

Concept

My digital artifact Reborn Australia focuses on the decarbonisation of the fashion industry by examining the distribution of goods. Combining academic research, analysis of fashion brands and political parties, my research is dedicated to developing a business plan for a fashion label in 2023 that strives to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Throughout my investigation, I explore the distinction between sustainability and decarbonisation in the industry and the future of fashion concerning AR and VR technologies and its alignment with the Anthropocene. In this report, I delve into the methodology of my digital artifact, which involves researching partial approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GGEs), analysing my findings, and taking action through my presence on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter. Throughout these digital platforms, I aim to contribute to direct action by creating content based on research and engaging in media communication and distribution.

Research

Decarbonisation refers to the deliberate shift towards a low-carbon or carbon-free economy by reducing greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions, aiming to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 (IPCC, 2018). Within the fashion industry, decarbonisation efforts entail reducing reliance on fossil fuels, improving energy efficiency, and encouraging widespread adoption of renewable energy sources. This involves transforming various aspects of the fashion supply chain including production processes, material sourcing, transportation and waste management to minimise carbon emissions throughout the entire lifecycle of fashion products (Fashion For Good, 2023). By embracing decarbonisation practices and implementing innovative technologies the fashion sector can play a crucial role in reaching net-zero by 2050, especially for new business owners within this sector. 

Think tanks are research institutes that research on government and businesses (Moore, 2019).  The UN Climate Change is a think tank that has initiated a climate action work program, convening fashion stakeholders to develop a coherent and unified position. The Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action was founded in 2018 to map out the route to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, having 99 apparel brands and manufacturers participating. Fashion has made some progress in reporting on its climate commitments in the last two years, according to the United Nations Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action and CDP, which released its 2023 progress report two months ago. It’s reported that the industry needs “faster acceleration of actions and scaled collaboration”, meaning fashion brands need to engage more efficiently with more suppliers and with each other to reduce supply chain emissions to halve emissions by 2030. Yet, just as no one government, organisation or person can drive the climate process alone no single business can drive sectorial change either. The transition to a net-zero economy is not easy and unprecedented levels of collaboration both within and outside the industry are essential. Convening and fostering climate action, particularly within the manufacturing supply chain space is very critical in driving decarbonisation within the fashion industry at a large scale. This includes collaborating more with suppliers and engaging the entire ecosystem, from cotton farmers to textile machinery producers. 

The Australian Government is acting on waste and the textile lifecycle of items funding the National Clothing Product Stewardship Scheme which aims to reduce the amount of clothing sent to landfill. However, there isn’t much funding towards the supply chain process other than “making electric vehicles more accessible”.  To accelerate the transition towards a decarbonised fashion industry, governments need to establish clear and ambitious policy frameworks. This requires fashion corporate leaders to actively engage in public discussions and political debates. It’s encouraged for brands to collaborate on supplier initiatives and utilise their collective purchase power to drive climate action (UNFCC, 2023).  

Another crucial element within the fashion industry is the misrepresentation of sustainability known as greenwashing. This is a significant issue that undermines efforts towards decarbonisation. Many brands claim to be sustainable without implementing substantial practices addressing carbon emissions. Sustainability encompasses a broader range of concerns, including economic, social and environmental aspects, while decarbonisation specifically focuses on reducing GHG emissions (Moore, C. 2023). Misleading sustainable practices may be framed as using organic or recycled materials while neglecting carbon-intensive processes or transportation, this can mislead consumers and divert attention from decarbonisation efforts (Adamkeiwicz, J. 2022). This limitation becomes particularly significant in an industry known for its substantial carbon footprint  Decarbonisation should be prioritised as a targeted strategy to achieve net-zero emissions. This involves transitioning to renewable energy sources, reducing the carbon footprint throughout the supply chain and offering low-carbon products and services. 

Analysis

“The Anthropocene Epoch is an unofficial unit of geologic time, used to describe the most recent period in Earth’s history when human activity started to have a significant impact on the planet’s climate and ecosystems

 
National Geographic

The argument revolving around the Anthropocene is that humans are responsible for the change in living conditions currently experienced by all life forms on the planet in ways that are not foreseeable long into the future but are observed in the geological record (Moore, C. 2022). This reflects that it’s up to humans to apply the evidence of research to analyse to drive direct action in new ways within the distribution of products. From research undertaken within the fashion industry and a reflection from futurist Simon Holmes’ innovative study (2023) there are examples of initiatives to decarbonise and help achieve net-zero emissions.

  1. Transitioning to renewable energy sources: This involves sourcing renewable electricity for manufacturing facilities, stores and offices, and on-site energy generation e.g. solar or wind power. 
  2. Reducing emissions in the supply chain: Collaborating with suppliers and manufacturers to implement energy-efficient like reducing waste, and minimising water and energy consumption.
  3. Circular principles: Reusing, recycling and upcycling of materials to reduce demand for new production. For example, incorporate recycled materials into new designs and reduce reliance on resource-intensive materials. 
  4. Collaborating and sharing knowledge: Among brands, designers, researchers and policymakers. By working together, sharing the best practices and collectively addressing challenges. 
  5. Optimising transportation: Using fuel-efficient vehicles, minimising distance between distribution centres/stores. This can significantly decrease the environmental impact of distribution activities(McKinnon, 2010).  Patagonia does this by using less carbon-intensive fuels to reduce emissions (Patagonia, 2022).
  6. Promoting local and sustainable sourcing: To reduce the carbon footprint of supply chains, retailers can prioritise sourcing products locally and from suppliers (Gereffi, 2020). Jillian Boustred has been Australian Made since 2015 with 100% of garments made and sold in Sydney and strives for local pick and delivery services (Jillian Boustred, 2023).   

Applying these strategies requires a comprehensive and integrated approach, involving stakeholders at every stage of the fashion chain. Supply chains generate 60% of all carbon emissions globally, therefore addressing supply chains is an essential step in achieving net zero (UN, 2020). This involves developing new technologies that are environmentally sustainable and have a low carbon footprint like energy storage solutions, utilising electric vehicles and more efficient processes. Upon other research, I discovered that most brands were not actively engaged in innovation in distribution. To address this gap, I decided to contact international fashion brands including ZARA, Mango, H&M, Cotton On and Brie Leon as well as the NSW Labor Party and Wollongong representative Alison Byrnes. The NSW Labor Party is contributing to Australia’s first National Electric Vehicle Strategy, to reduce emissions to accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles. Unfortunately, I have yet to receive a response from most brands except Cotton On who informed me that they are unable to allocate time to answer my question. Zara, on the other hand, forwarded me a link to their website which did not provide any specific information regarding reducing GGEs within their supply chain. There is a lack of responsiveness and transparency from these entities regarding their efforts in sustainable distribution practices. This highlights the need for greater accountability from fashion brands in addressing environmental concerns and adopting innovative strategies to reduce carbon emissions. 

The future of fashion in particular about other new technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) holds significant potential in the context of addressing climate change. It’s been argued that AR and VR can revolutionise the fashion industry by offering innovative solutions  (Herz, 2019). About cyberpunk novums, which are new and futuristic elements often depicted in cyberpunk media, virtual realities can bring these realities to life. For example, fashion brands could use AR and VR to create virtual fitting rooms without physical garments. This aligns with the cybernetics vision of human power over chance, as consumers have more control and convenience in their shopping experience (Moore, 2020).

Action

References

Adamkiewicz, J., Kochanska, E., Adamkiewicz, I. and Łukasik, R.M. (2022). Greenwashing and sustainable fashion industry. Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry, 38(100710). doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogsc.2022.100710.

Australia Fashion Council (n.d.). Clothing Product Stewardship. [online] AFC. Available at: https://ausfashioncouncil.com/program/product-stewardship/.

Australian Government (2023). Climate change, energy, environment and adaptation. [online] Pmc.gov.au. Available at: https://www.pmc.gov.au/domestic-policy/climate-change-energy-environment-and-adaptation.

Boustred, J. (2023). Our Australian Made Journal. [online] Jillian Boustred. Available at: https://jillianboustred.com/pages/our-australian-made-journal#:~:text=Jillian%20Boustred%20has%20been%20Australian [Accessed 4 Jun. 2023].

Gereffi, G. (2020). What does the COVID-19 pandemic teach us about global value chains? The case of medical supplies. Journal of International Business Policy, [online] 3(3). doi:https://doi.org/10.1057/s42214-020-00062-w.

Hartley J. (2010) Paradigm shifters: tricksters and cultural science. Cultural Science Journal, Vol.3 (Issue 1), pp. -. https://doi.org/10.5334/csci.29

Herz, M. and Rauschnabel, P.A. (2019). Understanding the diffusion of virtual reality glasses: The role of media, fashion and technology. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 138, pp.228–242. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2018.09.008.

Holmes, S. (2023). Simon Holmes à Court Innovate 2023 Full Presentation. [online] http://www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66Y2fXN6g0c [Accessed 4 Jun. 2023].

IPCC (2018). Global Warming of 1.5 oC. [online] IPCC. Available at: https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/.

Mckinnon, A. (2010). Environmental sustainability: A new priority for logistics managers. [online] Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285511281_Environmental_sustainability_A_new_priority_for_logistics_managers.

Moore, C. (2019). BCM325 Future Cultures – Operations Research and Think Tanks: Part One. [online] http://www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsPFQeg9JlQ.

Moore, C. (2020). BCM325 Future Cultures: Cyberculture Series (3 of 4) – Cyberpunk. [online] http://www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2JfAnJuU98.

Moore, C. (2022). Anthropocene. [online] http://www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQacwpj2WHA [Accessed 4 Jun. 2023].

Moore, C. (2023). Title: Decarbonisation and the Role of Media and Communication Industries. [online] Google Docs. Available at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11zbftAU9QMPuZ1bz3_weAf_nSkn3aghxi–wDb5gE2Y/edit#heading=h.28w8pk9lvtta [Accessed 4 Jun. 2023].

National Geographic Society (2022). Anthropocene | National Geographic Society. [online] education.nationalgeographic.org. Available at: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/anthropocene/.

Patagonia (2022). Supply Chain Environmental Responsibility Program – Patagonia. [online] http://www.patagonia.com. Available at: https://www.patagonia.com/our-footprint/supply-chain-environmental-responsibility-program.html.

PCC. (2018). Global Warming of 1.5 Degrees Celsius. An IPCC Special Report. Retrieved from https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/

Rubenstein , D. (2018). The David Rubenstein Show: Jeff Bezos. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3NBQcAqyu4.

The Climate Council (2021). Climate Council Online Book Club #5 \\ Climate Council. [online] http://www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQYCkSOTlEk&t=2s [Accessed 4 Jun. 2023].

UN Climate Change (2023). Fashion for Climate Action. [online] http://www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUUh226SmaU&t=1s [Accessed 4 Jun. 2023].

UNFCCC (2023a). FASHION INDUSTRY CHARTER FOR CLIMATE ACTION Global Climate Action. [online] Available at: https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/230329%20BLS23055%20UCC%20Climate%20Action%202023%20v06.pdf.

UNFCCC (2023b). New Report: Fashion Industry Needs to Make Climate Action a Top Trend. [online] Unfccc.int. Available at: https://unfccc.int/news/new-report-fashion-industry-needs-to-make-climate-action-a-top-trend.

unfccc (2018). About the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action | UNFCCC. [online] Unfccc.int. Available at: https://unfccc.int/climate-action/sectoral-engagement/global-climate-action-in-fashion/about-the-fashion-industry-charter-for-climate-action.

United Nations (2020). UNLOCKING THE GLOBAL PATHWAYS TO RESILIENCE, GROWTH, AND SUSTAINABILITY FOR 2030 REIMAGINING THE AGENDA. [online] Available at: https://www.accenture.com/content/dam/accenture/final/accenture-com/document/Accenture-UNGC-CEO-Study-Supply-Chain-Feature.pdf#zoom=40 [Accessed 4 Jun. 2023].

TWEETING FROM TOMORROW

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Audio Summary:

As mentioned in my first live-tweeting reflection blog post, live-tweeting is a useful practice when learning to understand concepts and ideas in the process of relating them to a film. This process enabled me to better understand theories and concepts I wasn’t familiar with. I learnt to better evaluate and connect ideas in the film and apply them to topics such as artificial intelligence, futurists, cyborgs, cyberspace and paradigm shifts.  

Science fiction is the telescope when looking into future cultures, inviting us to consider the likelihood of our choices and interactions contributing to the possible and the probable. Throughout analysing the following sci-fi films I was able to speculate what the future may look like from the viewpoint of dystopian and utopian societies. 

Her (2013) 

When exploring artificial intelligence (AI) in the film Her the interesting real-world-like setting was a fascinating point of the sci-fi screening. This was also reflected in the much human-like AI Samantha, so much so that in this world it is normal to have romantic connections/relationships with AI systems. 

Professor Spyros Makridakis reflects on what the role of humans will be when computers and robots could perform better than humans, emotionally or physically. We’re seeing this in AI with its ability to learn and adapt without predetermined decisions. Her highlights this while exploring the complexity of human relationships. 

Arrival (2016)

During the mind-bending screening of Arrival, one of my first observations of the film was the main character Louise and her crucial role as a futurist as she shapes the understanding of the future and the potential impact it has on human society.

 

“The Illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn” 

–       Alvin Toffler 

Louise performs throughout the film as she learns to communicate through an unspoken imagery language with non-human creatures. 

Through transhumanism, technology enhances human intellect to perceive time in a non-linear manner. This additionally sparks uproar within society through government responses. This observation leads to the conversation of climate change and the study of the Anthropocene. It directly connects humanity to the past and the future in ways that individuals find uncomfortable or difficult to comprehend. This is identified in the film through feelings of discomfort around the idea of alien lifeforms existing and coming to Earth. 

The alien’s arrival on Earth is a response to the destruction of their own planet’s ecosystem, which was caused by their activity. This suggests that the Anthropocene is a phenomenon that transcends Earth and affects the wider universe. 

Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

In this film, Alita’s character serves as a powerful example of the cyborg’s ability to facilitate new possibilities for self-expression and exploration. Haraway took on the idea of the cyborg to rethink what it means to be human describing it as “A Cyborg Manifesto” (1985). This criticises binary understandings of the world (male/female, machine/human, dead/alive) to understand the reality of our world. Haraway employed the cyborg as a heuristic metaphor to overcome these binary distinctions. The cyborg concept reflects the potential for technology to enable new perspectives on identity and experience.

Alita: Battle Angel had me realise that cyborgs are as important for thinking about the future as many other concepts. It represents how far we have come with technology, and how much further we have to go. Marshall McLuhan summarises how technologies are an extension of ourselves, understanding that we are already cyborgs is the first step in understanding the concept. 

Ready Player One (2018) 

During the screening of Ready Player One, cyberspace is explored as an electronic medium or as we know it a virtual world that’s used to further online communication. The film features an interactive and virtual environment to participate in through headwear.

The film portrays a drastic dystopian society that is desperate to leave the destructed physical world for a polished virtual one. The discussion around the escape from destruction relates to the Anthropocene and my digital artefact Reborn Australia. Igniting the idea of a metaverse may help us reach Net-Zero, such as fashion as a game and virtual reality experience. 

Reflecting on the idea of commercial exploitation and economic growth in cyberspace could create new opportunities. This is seen within Facebook’s Meta investment in virtual reality exemplifying the potential for endless economic expansion within the virtual domain. 

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) 

The media paradigm shift is upon us, the recent and very successful film Everything Everywhere All At Once demonstrates a shift away from representational media towards a new paradigm. From representation media where political systems are in charge of their production, society is now facing a media paradigm shift towards open participatory production, circulation and reproduction of media content often seen on social media.

This paradigm shift raises new concerns for younger generations living with the potential pitfalls of an unregulated digital landscape. This can be seen as The Overview Effect whilst seeing the world from a radically different view. This effect leading to the shift comes from the infinite amount of ‘stuff’ we’re now exposed to, often explained as the TikTok rabbit hole or the bagel in the film. 

By utilising pre-planning and Chatgpt I was able to take time to construct analytical tweets and put more time into engaging in conversation with other tweets. By using my notes and summarising notes on Chatgpt to relate key concepts I was able to develop more content and additional ideas relating to the film. Overall, I found analysing the film through these concepts made me understand them more clearly and find hidden meanings in the screenings.

References

Flight, T. (2022). Why Everything Everywhere All At Once Hits So Hard. [online] http://www.youtube.com.[Accessed 19 May 2023].

Haraway, D. J. (1991). A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century [PDF].

Makridakis, S. (2017). The forthcoming Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution: Its impact on society and firms. Futures, [online] 90(90), pp.46–60.

Moore, C. (2019a). BCM325 Future Cultures: Cyberculture Series (2 of 4) – Cyborg. [online] http://www.youtube.com. [accessed 19 May 2023]

Moore, C. (2019b). BCM325 Future Cultures: Cyberculture Series (2 of 4) – Cyborg. [online] http://www.youtube.com. [accessed 19 May 2023]

Moore, C. (2019c). BCM325 Future Cultures: The Futures of Content – Paradigm Shift. [online] http://www.youtube.com. [accessed 19 May 2023]

Moore, C. (2019d). BCM325 Futurists. [online] http://www.youtube.com. [Accessed 19 May 2023].

HELLO BANANAS!

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The game Hello Bananas was created by Elizabeth Tegart,  Riley Slowgrove and I Camellia Bizimovski. The first step in creating our game was brainstorming names to get our creative juices flowing, which would end up acting as the backbone of our overall theme and brand identity of our game. As a group we decided to go with the name I came up with “Hello Bananas!”. Before reaching the final rules and mechanics of the game I entered prompts to CHATGPT which explained rules that contradicted each other and included too many mechanics.

This gave us a base for our concept and inspired us to come up with the final rules, mechanics and creative card types for Hello Bananas. I agree with Sigart (2008) when he explains that mechanics affect the player experience, challenges and emotions, so we wanted the mechanics to be enjoyable without too many rules and restrictions which would leave no room for interpretation and creativity between players. Through ideating and prototyping as a group we collectively decided on the aspects of the game we enjoyed and didn’t enjoy and used those points to make our game better.

Game Rules & Playtesting

After prototyping and deciding on the mechanics of the game in the preparation for our pitch we divided up research responsibilities to effectively present our material in the time given. I focused on the marketplace of Hello Bananas including its position in the industry, its audience, price point and comparable products and experience. This included its marketing strategy based on research and also contributing to the gameplay timeline relating to the three-act structure framework.

Background Research

I drew inspiration from several different games for Hello Bananas looking at how these games utilised different mechanics, elements, layouts, narrative and their pros and cons. I looked into other games to find appropriate mechanics and elements to make our idea work combining games like Cards Against Humanity, Apples To Apples and Taboo with a fun theme about the jungle, bananas and monkeys.

My most prominent form of game inspiration was the adult game Cards Against Humanity (2009), a collaborative card game where players complete fill-in-the-blank statements with cards that have printed words or phrases typically deemed offensive, risqué or politically incorrect (Board Game Geek). All games of inspiration involved players answering prompts or trying to get others to guess a word or phrase. I wanted Hello Bananas to set itself apart from these similar games with its unique card types such as the:

  • ’Wild Banana Card’
  • ‘Dirty Banana Card’
  • ‘Sabotage Card’
  • ‘Cheeky Monkey Card’

I thought the mechanic of cards provided ways to construct events and actions to occur in the game, such as the randomised element of change that may make it more difficult to conduct specific actions (Moore, C. 2020).

When creating a marketing plan I looked at the type of audience that Hello Bananas was trying to reach I looked at similar games and how they started out. When looking at Cards Against Humanity as a competitor it’s essential to discuss that Cards began life as a Kickstarter campaign. This is what I created when explaining why Hello Bananas will be successful in the party game industry.

When looking at the three act structure (Tidball, 2011). The narrative of the game helps emerge every player and build tension and excitement. This ancient Greek framework for designing compelling game play helps create a structure and planned narrative. This tool helped our group design the game to be more mechanically sound.  

World Building

Group work can be challenging and require coordinating efforts and sharing responsibilities among multiple people. An element I would have liked to be more incorporated in our pitch was our game world and narrative. Using Marie-Laure Ryan’s ontological rules in her book The Routledge Companion to Imaginary World (2018) I constructed the fictional world present in the game ‘Hello Bananas’ with its own set of ontological rules, which define the nature of the game.

1.      Alethic value: Possible world based on the actual world but with added fictional elements.

2.      Inventory of individuals: The game features fictional characters such as smiling monkeys which players play the role of themselves.

3.      Property of common individuals: Characters follow the same properties as real-life counterparts like social interactions and behaviours. However, they may also display exaggerated traits to add entertainment value.

4.      Kinds of natural species: The games feature both real-world and fictional species, such as monkeys and talking bananas.

5.      Kinds of natural (physical) law: The game adheres to the physical laws of the actual world, with some creative liberties taken to create scenarios that are entertaining and challenging for players.

6.      Technology: the game doesn’t rely on any technology or advancements beyond what is available in the actual world.

7.      Cosmology: The World of “Hello Bananas” is a single world, without parallel universes.

8.      Time: The game is set in the present day, but scenarios presented in the cards can be historical, future or mythical.

9.      Space/geography: The game is not tied to any particular location or geography. The scenarios take place in any setting.

10.    Logic: The game follows a set of logical rules for determining the winner of each round, however, occasional violations of logic can occur for comedic effect such as a talking banana asking a player a question.

The process of creating “Hello Bananas” has helped to assist me in my individual project, particularly in the area of understanding the target audience. I aim to delve deeper into the intended audience and their preferences. Through this development, I have discovered that studying games with a similar audience can provide valuable insights into market trends and how other developers have effectively engaged their target audience.

TWEETING THE FUTURE

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Live-tweeting is creating a series of tweets during the real-time event of where you are. Through the live-tweeting experience, I learnt to evaluate the overall concepts of the films and apply them to ideas around cyberculture, future thinking, and operations research on my Twitter account. I will be providing a critical self-reflection on my ability to do this effectively during the screenings.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Whilst watching 2001: A Space Odyssey there was an interesting point about human evolution as the film starts with apes in the wild. The first depiction of technology is the apes and the use of animal bones as tools. Themes of evolution and technology are made evident throughout the entire film.

Many forms of technologies are featured in the 1968 science fiction film that reflects today’s ‘tools’. I found this interesting as the theme of science fiction means interpreting the past and orienting the present relating to animal bones as tools. 

Westworld (1978) 

During the screening of Westworld, my first reactions reflected on the same concept of the past being important when predicting the future. I then identified the juxtaposition between the settings in the future explained as ‘vacations’ are all set in the past including human-like robots, the western vacation being the theme of the film. 

I created an image using AI of the alternative kinds of imagined robots represented in the film, reflecting on how robots in the film have a realistic appearance rather than bionic. 

Other tweets that stand out are about the morals of murdering robots for fun and concerns about how well the robots act as humans emotionally. Ultimately reflecting upon if these machines have rights like humans as they gain consciousness.

This quote by Wendall Bell relates to this conversation 

Increasingly, people are coming to realise that they must take responsibility for the future, both for their own individual futures and collectively, for the shared future of all humankind”

Blade Runner (1982) 

1982’s Blade Runner explores notions of the Earth’s having a dramatic impact from the effects of humans. This is an example of the Anthropocene. 

“The Anthropocene Epoch is an unofficial unit of geologic time, used to describe the most recent period in Earth’s history when human activity started to have a significant impact on the planet’s climate and ecosystems”

 National Geographic

The film touches on many themes relevant to our current ecological crisis and how human activities are transforming the planet.

The film’s representation of the future can also be an extension of the social, political, and cultural anxieties prevalent during WW1, WW2 and the Cold War. This is through advertisements in the screening reflecting a future in which humanity has similarly lost its way.

Ghost In A Shell (1996) 

Ghost In A Shell made me question what makes someone human versus artificial intelligence. Operations research is explained by Herman Kahn as problem-solving techniques that help people make decisions about future events. Characters such as the ‘Puppet Master’ make difficult choices based on limited information like seeking to merge with human consciousness.  

The Matrix (1999) 

Analysing The Matrix prompted ideas on possible and probable futures, this can also be explained as “strange or even unnatural”. This is also associated with the cyberpunk genre that reflects a futuristic setting focusing on humans meeting machines, this is often seen with the human-made ‘agents’ in the film.  

Many moments of religious symbolism and cultural references explore a wide range of themes and ideas. Another example is the ‘Oracle’ and her representation as an advanced predictive algorithm, seen as characterised similarly to a clairvoyant. 

More on the learning & research experience: 

References 

Bell, W. 2003. Making People Responsible: The Possible, the Probable, and the Preferable. Journal of Social Issues. Vol 42. Issue 3. 

Kahn, H. 1960, On Thermonuclear War. Princeton. University Press.

Kicker, D. Wendell Bell and Oliver W. Markley: Two Futurists’ Views of the Preferable, the Possible and the Probable. Harvard University. 

McFarlane, A. 2021. Cyberpunk Culture and Psychology: Seeing Through the Mirrorshades. Taylor & Francis Group.

Moore, C. 2022, Anthropocene, BCM325, University of Wollongong.

Moore, C. 2019, Multiple Futures, BCM325, University of Wollongong. 

Sterling, B. 1996. A Short History of the Internet. F&SF Science Column.

FEEDBACK LOOPS & SELF EVALUATION

CamelliaLeave a comment

I undertook peer commentary on various pitches very similar to my own digital artefact. Throughout this process it allowed me to reflect upon my own digital artefact plans and how I will move forward in my research and content production. This practice is part of social research or autoethnography allowing others to see the perspectives and ideas of other information processes, which provided a reflection upon myself and my own project. From my experience giving feedback in the past I’ve learnt that it’s about taking the time to analyse then give suggestions on where they can do better and giving them a resource to do so (S. DeFranzo, 2022). 

Emilia project is the investigation of the innovative ways the beauty industry is taking to reduce its environmental impact and how individuals can integrate more decarbonising hacks into their own beauty habits.

While researching different sources to help Emilia I found additional materials that will help me in my own research such as the climate transition action plan that focuses on a range of different brands and what they are doing in many different areas to decarbonise. I also suggested operational research organisation the Environmental and Study Energy Study Institute (EESI) and their social media campaign of #CodeRed4Climate, which made me reflect on the ways I could implement a campaign within my own digital artefact for Reborn.

Acadia research project focuses on decarbonisation in the fashion industry. 

Assessing Acadia’s approach to the same topic as me allowed myself to think more closely about my own research and it also allowed me to share with her examples and sources I will be using for my own research. She also made me reflect upon my feedback loop and operations research which are problem solving techniques that help people make decisions about future events. I will be doing this through analysing data from my target audience of those who purchase clothing and fast fashion organisations. 

Gabrielle’s research project topic is the decarbonisation of cosmetic companies and products.  

The process of examining Gabrielle’s pitch allowed me to think from other perspectives relating to future cultures reflecting on my engagement with the subject materials and how that will help me frame my thinking around my project a bit better. She talks about implementing aspects of cyberculture and cybernetics and how that helped her build a framework behind her research. This facilitated my utilisation of complex systems, such as ChatGPT to help me draw out ideas and information for my audience. 

When giving myself a critical self-evaluation of my peer commentary efforts, I not only learned about their chosen areas of research and how it relates to the Anthropocene being the time in which humans have had such a substantial impact on the planet. I also learnt how different students undertake the same assessment and the value of conducting thorough background research. It allowed me to reflect on how to produce content that is interesting and easiy digestible while also aiding in my research journey. 

Listen for a cybernetic perspective on good feedback: 

References

Bateson, G. 1972, Cybernetics and human knowing: A journal on the unity of knowledge. New York. Chandler Publishing Company. 

Ellis, C. Adams, T.E. Bochner, A.P. 2011. Autoethnography: An Overview. Forum: Qualitative Social Research. Vol. 12. https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-12.1.1589

Read, D.W. Gessler, N. 1996 Cyberculture Encyclopedia of Cultural Anthropology. Vol. 1 pg. 306-308. Henry Holt & Co. Sponsored by Human Relations Area Files Yale University 

AN EXPLODING GAME EXPERIENCE

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When thinking about a good game experience I reflect on what keeps you engaged and excited. When I have played games in the past I am less interested in complicated rules and built-up strategy, and I become more focused on social, less serious and fun competition. After playing various board games I took a closer look into my game experience of the party game Exploding Kittens and conduct an autoethnographic analysis

Overview

Title: Exploding Kittens

Year of release: 2015

Genre: Party game, card game

Target audience: Children, families (7+)

Publisher: The Oatmeal Webcomic

Designer: Matthew Inman

Mechanics

Game mechanics are used to describe how players interact with rules such as the game’s goals, player actions and strategies. The types of mechanics in Exploding Kittens include:

Turns: a segment of the game predefined actions which all games require.

Actions: things that can players can do in a turn. The basis of Exploding Kittens is to strategically use your cards and make moves that allow you to sabotage players, as any player can ultimately end the game with one wrong move (having a kitten explode) without having a ‘diffuse card’.

Cards: decks provide game designers ways to construct ways for events and actions to occur in a game. The ‘diffuse cards’ in Exploding Kittens are removed from the deck to be handed out evenly then the rest of the cards are distributed equally to each player and the game moves around the circle as you make moves catered to your randomised cards. Cards can be randomised to add elements of change to a game; make it more difficult or add specific actions. 

The leading element in the game is chance, improved by a well-shuffled deck. One person in my group of players had played the game before and explained the rules, the rest of us were getting confused with the various uses of cards so we decided it would be easier to start playing and learn the rules as we go. I quickly behaved in a way that was greatly influenced by other guessing card games I had played in the past such as Uno, Cheat, Monopoly Deal and so on. Because I was familiar with this recognisable mechanic I picked up the rules and essence of the game fairly quickly.

Special Cards

Outside of the thirteen different card types, there are five ‘special cards’ included in the deck which act as a special treat in helping you win the game.

Attack: end your turn and force the next player to take two turns.

Nope: stop the action of another card

Skip: end your turn without drawing a card

Shuffle: shuffle the draw pile

See the future: privately view the top three cards of the deck

These cards keep players on their toes and add elements of uncertainty to the game of Exploding Kittens

Analysis

When distinguishing the elements of a game Roger Caillois argues that all games exist on a spectrum between ‘Paidia’ and ‘Ludus’. ‘Paidia’ means playful and imaginative play and ‘Ludus’ acts as the more formal and rule-based play. Exploding Kittens sits in the middle of this spectrum, with a further sway towards ‘Paidia’ as it requires you to get strategic and creative with what and how you play your cards.

When thinking about how we understand games as a system of rules also known as iudology, we risk not seeing the way games tell a story as Gregory Bateson sees this as communicating about communications. As we played a second time we started to change the rules for better playing, such as putting down 2x attack cards at once and picking up a card as a turn after giving a person a card. These actions weren’t in the rules but we’re made for a better play. This communicates that the changes we naturally made reflected our human nature by creating new challenges for the game to be more strategic and exciting.

More Analysis:

References

Egenfeldt-Nielsen, S., Heide Smith, J., & Pajares Tosca, S. (2016). What is a game? In Understanding video games: The essential introduction (3rd ed., pp. 15-29). Routledge.

Mitchell, R. W. (1993). Bateson’s concept of “metacommunication” in play. In S. Chaiklin & J. Lave (Eds.), Understanding practice: Perspectives on activity and context (pp. 287-309). Cambridge University Press.

Sicart, M. (2011). Defining game mechanics. In C. Bateman & R. Boon (Eds.), Game analytics: Maximizing the value of player data (pp. 13-36). Springer.

REPORTING FROM THE KIOSK

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Project Summary

The suburb of North Wollongong, NSW has a large active beach community which I capture along with food, juices, smoothies, staff, sunrises and more. I work for The Diggies Group and create content and strategy across 3 businesses. As my digital artifact, I decided to focus on North Beach Kiosk as it’s the business I work the most on in its development and decisions of content along with guidance from the marketing team. Through working as a marketing assistant I have established many skills by learning and discovering what I’m good at and enjoy. North Beach Kiosk lives on the platforms of Instagram and Facebook. I spend most of my time on my phone and laptop on these platforms creating content at home, outside and at the office. After countless discussions with the Diggies team, it’s become evident that information-producing technologies such as social media shape businesses and their reputation which heavily influences my work practices in this environment. This evolving ecology and social and technological advances are continuing to change rapidly (Wall, T. 2022). I can see this as engagement levels of certain content can change within months. This is seen at the beginning of my time working when aesthetically pleasing photos had the most engagement, then stories, then reels and now trending songs attached to reels (Tien, S. 2022). This is part of an emergent future network that progresses quickly and I have realised it’s essential for marketing professionals to have to keep up with these changes.

Learning Analysis

Utility and planning is a collaborative process that is undertaken each week. I plan posts for the week on certain days, each weekly plan is influenced by what we want to focus on and promote. Examples of focus over the past few months have been the UCI Road World Championships cycling event, school holidays, merchandise, community events, staff hiring and new menu items. I complete monthly reports reflecting upon key activities, significant learnings, communication strategies, sales, subscribers, trends, engagement rate and online feedback. These monthly reports are then used as a reference point moving forward in strategies and weekly focus points which change the approach to certain plans. This is often referred to as insights which are information that comes through research and data analysis that can be directly actioned to a business action plan (Karnowski, M. 2021). These insights aren’t always research but directly external from my boss or managers that request certain content or topics, it is then up to me to get creative with my approach in the production. I often look for inspiration from other creative cafes and restaurants liked by my boss or previous content from before my employment.

Creating Moments

Over the past few months, there have been many learning moments when creating content for different focuses. At the start of the university break we launched a Mexican-themed event at the Kiosk, I noticed through Instagram analytics that the artwork promoting the event had the most interaction of click-throughs and shares. After the event trial we brought the event back during the UCI cycling event, I collaborated with our graphic designer to create another artwork for socials as this worked previously when gaining audience attention. Through this process, I learnt that by trialling events you learn from them when creating the event promotion again or for future events.

After a loss in interaction, I noticed that happy faces among staff and customers gain a lot more engagement with followers. The sense of community is appreciated and valued online, especially in Wollongong. This has been made evident through comments and likes as people talk about how good a staff member makes their morning coffee and others like a picture when seeing their friends or family being posted enjoying a smoothie or burger. I’ve learnt that this positive vibe is very captivating on social media and makes people want to be a part of the community that North Beach Kiosk brings to Wollongong.

Promotion planning was extensive among our team leading up to the UCI cycling event that came to Wollongong in September 2022. I did this by taking photos of the cycling community at North Wollongong Beach, celebrating world bicycle day by collaborating with UCI (Wollongong 2022) and offering free coffee from 6-9 am and a video reel leading up to the event to encourage a positive attitude. It was planned that the promotion wouldn’t be as essential during the event as it would naturally be very busy; however, we weren’t busy due to the road closures. This altered our plans and I turned to reel promotion as this is the most popular form of content in terms of engagement for our audience. The video reels included how to access the Kiosk, updates on the races and our positive energy.

Reflective Themes

The constant transition of popular trends and types of content is a pattern I’ve seen very quickly at work. It demonstrates the infinite amount of information and different creative work methods. A trend that comes to mind is the timing of posts, this results in me posting at 6-7 pm most nights. The traditional model of 9 to 5 labour and permanent tasks and goals is no longer relevant in my job. Emergent future networks and the evolving ecology of technology are associated with the development of new forms of work, this analogy is commonly identified as liquid labour. I would have never thought at the start of my degree that I was going to be working outdoors every day and not in an office.

Within future networks is the speculation of future networks which explores the fictitious prediction of new future technologies (Yastrebova, 2019). Imagining what the future of social media progression might be like and what my job could turn into in the next 20 years is a method of design fiction. This methodology investigates design decisions that make the unreal seem real in a soon environment.

These themes are seen in cyberpunk and also clean and aesthetic alternatives with less ‘’stuff’ and visual chaos. This is something I think about for my future in work where communication and promotion to others through technology are critical in the marketing practice. It is a topic that will continue to progress and I will learn from in various ways throughout my career.

ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK

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The analytical framework I have used to shape my analyses has framed how I’ve gathered information. Over the past few weeks, I have investigated negotiated texts across various video games through the three concepts of feminism, content analysis and history. 

Graphic using canva.com

Feminism

Feminism is the first aspect of my analytical framework. It’s an obstacle to understand feminism completely in its diversity and in its differences. The familiar definition of feminism under a basic notion is gender equality.

Throughout my digital artefact I explore the depictions of women in video games which sits with the broader representation of women in culture. Ready Player Two by Shira Chess (2017) demonstrates how video games are more than play, they are also projections of cultural assumptions about who women are. These assumptions get normalised and are made into material politics reflected in digital games (Davisson, A. 2019). 

Content Analysis  

Content analysis is the second aspect of my analytical framework which guides me in my study of gender inequality in modern games (Lynch, T. 2016). I look at the media of para texts surrounding games video game journalism, subreddits, advertising and the content in the game itself. I have used the perspective of conferred texts and scholarly research in my investigation. 

Throughout my digital artefact I examine the clothing characters wear, the tasks affiliated with playing and the narrative. An example includes The Sims game and its virtual reality with a version of yourself as your character, behaviours are dictated by how well players take care of their Sim. Super Mario has a default male character that includes a narrative of saving Princess Peach. In Super Mario Odyssey 2017 for the switch console, Mario appears to prevent a forced marriage between Princess Peach and Bowser. It’s argued that it is a questionable stereotype of a woman saved by a man seen in many Disney films such as Rapunzel, Cinderella and Snow White.

@feministgamergirl

Super Mario Bros #feministgamestudies #feministgamer #gamemediastudies #gamemedia #gamemediaindustries #supermariobros #damselindistress

♬ original sound – feministgamergirl
Digital Artifact using TikTok

“A video game is a game we play thanks to an audiovisual apparatus and which can be based on a story.”

Esposito. 2005

History

History is the third element of my analytical framework in which I explore early stereotypes, women in gaming in the 1980s/90s, the idealisation of women gamers in the early 2000s and the problematic advertising that has followed. Video games are universal in modern culture, and understanding its history allows further understanding of their implications within the context of feminism. Video game history reveals new perspectives on the ways video games have affected mainstream culture. 

It was 1980 when Roberta Williams, a soft-spoken individual with little coding and design experience designed Mystery House, the first ever computer game with graphics. The game signifies where spatial and temporal orientations merge involving the daily practices of life into what becomes familiar, comfortable and accessible (Nooney, L. 2013).

My analytical framework acts as a base for my second and third concepts as I examine the content within video games, how it has changed over time and how history has influenced that timeline. My framework informs my digital artefact as I go through the three concepts when talking about each game. The information flows well in my content as they connect, adding to a bigger picture of customising a study of females in video games.

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PARTICIPATORY MEDIA CULTURE

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My digital artefact is in the form of TikTok videos that will be summarised into a final video essay. Using the analytical framework of feminism, history and content analysis I have been researching highly successful games and using TikTok to generate videos in an easily digestible way for my audience. Professor Joost Raessens identifies two different analytical frameworks in his text Computer Games as Participatory Media Culture (2005), both supporting user participation. The techniques and types of participation will be explored and applied to my game media text.

Multimediality

Multimediality is the first technique of participation and it refers to the combination of various media types such as text, audio, images or animation. My digital artefact features a series of TikTok videos with gameplay footage, images, audio and my face talking to the camera summarising my findings for the week. Ultimately, these videos will come to form a visual essay which will be posted to YouTube and then on my blog with accompanying text. 

Graphic using canva.com

Virtuality 

Virtuality is the experience of code having a spatial dimension. It’s described as representational features that allow humans to directly participate in a different reality through technology in real-time (Karhulahti, V. 2015). Virtuality can be recognised as the online space where my content is shared and also the use of space or framing to create a new space. This includes TikTok and YouTube for my videos, WordPress for my blog and Twitter for sharing and discussion. These virtual spaces provide my audience with information for them to engage directly. 

“These virtual worlds become social structures with economics and history”

Fernández-Vara, C. 2019

Interactivity 

Cameron describes interactivity as “the ability to intervene in a meaningful way within the representation itself, not to read it differently” (1995, pg. 33). Within my media text, my audience can interact with my content through likes, comments and is shared on YouTube, WordPress, Twitter and TikTok. This includes my voice, personality and my experience in real-time.

Connectivity 

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Connectivity is playing to discuss ideas, knowledge and game components between each other through the internet (Raessen, 2005, pg. 374). Through my online presence across multiple platforms including TikTok and Twitter, I am connecting with an audience who shares an interest in feminist game studies. Through the analyses of the games Super Mario Bros, Grand Theft Auto, The Sims and Child of Light I am making a connection between each of them through my analytical framework. I do this by looking at their production team, content, advertising, Reddits and history in a feminist light.

Interpretation, Reconfiguration & Construction

LETS ANALYSE & REFLECT

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This week I engaged in various pitches and provided feedback across different topics different to mine. Throughout this process it allowed me to reflect on my project and pitch influencing how I’ll continue my research from now onwards. The practice of peer review is social research which helps me to assess other people’s findings that can reflect on myself and my work.

Brianna’s research project is the investigation of why cinematic adaptations of popular video games usually fail within society.

This pitch helped me re-think my approach to my topic by looking at the promotion and timing of the release of games. This could play a factor in the success or failure of a game within my feministic approach. I was able to give Brianna some good feedback regarding her digital artefact and pitch. I mentioned what she did well and provided her with further research for the aspects that needed further justification such as her methodology and the audience of her digital artefact. I additionally provided her with an option of analysing para texts through Tiktok, as I’ve seen this topic frequently on the platform which is where I’ll be posting my videos.

@cinema.joe

Reply to @unsungheromedia #greenscreen The top 10 Video Game movie adaptations. Theres been a lot of bad ones…#ITriedItIPrimedIt #fyp #foryou

♬ original sound – Cinema.Joe

Sophie’s research project focuses on playing games from a non-gamer perspective and documenting her experience of each game through her digital artefact.

Assessing Sophie’s approach allowed me to think more closely about the aesthetic of my digital artefact and how the name of it will attract a certain audience such as her ‘Fresh Gaming’ style. It also made me think about why I chose the games I did with a feministic outlook and if this was influenced by media due to myself also not being an avid gamer. I suggested to Sophie look at how her post-structuralism framework crosses over a historical framework. The games she investigated fit in with people’s lives. I suggested she looks at the source Game After (2014) which investigates the cultural afterlife of games. I additionally linked her to a blog post I found helpful when looking at Twitter for a feedback loop.

Mia’s research project is the analysis of the marketing and advertising of much-loved childhood games for generation Z.

The process of examining Mia’s pitch allowed me to think from a different perspective within my research. Mia is analysing the marketing of her loved games growing up, I recognised that my research process wasn’t as personal. I want to conduct my research by trying the games I analyse myself, this combined with my previous knowledge will present a more well-studied perception. I was able to give Mia a range of suggested material such as a source that explains Nostalgia and the concept of how it’s “the dominant motif of remembrance, as companies market nostalgia led purchasing and consumption” (Swalwell, M. 2007). I further linked an example of how Nintendo uses nostalgia as part of their marketing and has done this for many decades. Analysing this pitch made me reflect on my organisation of time management across the production of my artefact and how I may need to alter this in correspondence to my other assessments across subjects.

Rivera, J. 2017, Super Nintendo Nostalgia Image

Overall, the method of commenting and assessing these pitches allowed me to reflect upon my project. The process allowed me to see the different ways game media industries can be applied to a range of different topics. Peer commentary and critical self-reflection help reveal knowledge that can be hidden by personal influence. Exploring other research projects has assisted me in thinking more critically about my research.

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