Postdigital Worlds 2023
Third-Year Students Conference
27th March 2023
11:30am - 5pm
Hyperspace Studio, Delia Derbyshire
BA (Hons) Media & Communications
School of Media and Performing Arts
Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Coventry University
Postdigital Worlds Conference 2023
Postdigital Worlds Conference 2023 hosts the BA (Hons) Media & Communications Final Year student research projects into global cities, Barcelona, Prague, Paris, Rome and Madrid.
Working through themes of the tourist gaze, gentrification, global mobility, and nostalgia, the research presented seeks to critically evaluate our developing relationship to place, space and identity in a Postdigital World.
The findings presented from international fieldwork projects seek to explore how our perception and conceptualisation of the “local,” “national,” and “global” is impacted by digital forms of media and communication.
The Postdigital Worlds Conference is part of the FAH Degree Show 2023.
Schedule:
11:30 Registration desk opens, tea/ coffee
12:00 Conference opening by Professor Gary Hall, Director of Centre for Postdigital Cultures (CPC)
12:20 Dr Donatella Maraschin, Course Director, BA (Hons) Media & Communications
12:30 Group 1: Madrid
13:15 Group 2: Prague
14:00 Break
14:30 Group 3: Barcelona
15:15 Group 4: Paris
16:00 Group 5: Rome
16:45 Daniel Thomas, Module Leader, 380MAPA
Postdigital Worlds
17:00 Close
Dr donatella maraschin
course director, ba (hons) media & communications, coventry university
We are delighted to host this conference to honour the achievements of our third-year students. The Media and Communications course at Coventry University offers students the opportunity to develop a thorough understanding of the role that media play in society as well as a creative and professional practice.
The work that the students are presenting today exemplifies this blend of theory and practice that characterises the course’s very essence while also showcasing the critical thinking and creative abilities of our students.
The resilience, courage, and tenacity these students displayed during the most difficult circumstances is commendable, and we have complete faith in their ability to move forward toward their dreams and goals.
Professor Gary hall
Director of Postdigital Cultures Research Centre, Coventry University
Gary Hall is a cultural theorist working in the areas of art, politics and technology. He is Professor of Media and Performing Arts in the Faculty of Arts & Humanities at Coventry University, UK, where he is director of the postdigital arts and humanities research centre/studio, The Post Office (a disruptive iteration of the Centre for Disruptive Media). He is author of The Inhumanist Manifesto (Techne Lab, 2017), Pirate Philosophy (MIT Press, 2016), The Uberfication of the University (Minnesota UP, 2016), Digitize This Book! (Minnesota UP, 2008), and Culture in Bits (Continuum, 2002). He is also co-author of Públicos Fantasma – La Naturaleza Política Del Libro – La Red (Taller de Ediciones Económicas, 2016) and Open Education (Rowman and Littlefield International, 2014), and co-editor of Experimenting (Fordham UP, 2007) and New Cultural Studies: Adventures in Theory (Edinburgh UP, 2006).
Humanities Commons:
https://hcommons.org/members/garyhall/
group 1: madrid
We have explored the tourist gaze and gentrification for our project through the postdigital artefact that is social media. As social media has impacted the experience of tourists when travelling to a new place, we created an Instagram to curate and document our journey. Within our presentation, we aim to showcase our understanding of the theoretical frameworks of tourist gaze and gentrification and how we applied this understanding during our fieldwork in Madrid, where we familiarised ourselves with postdigital solutions such as Google Translate and social media.
As a group, we will briefly touch upon related topics such as the destinations we felt encouraged to visit based on the existing travel documentation of Madrid that we found online by other recreational travel bloggers, the planning and process of creating content, the memorable interactions, and reactions we witnessed while out on our research project.
Masooma
Zahra Shah; Eirini Skarmoutsou ; Freya Glenton ; Beatrice Bergaudaite ; AgneGaldikaite
; Emilija Metlovaite ; Kristof Poloskeigroup 2: prague
We are Group Prague, navigating Prague from the early 1970s, when Prague was under communist rule by the Soviet Union, up to the present day with the Czech Republic being a democracy. The themes covered in today’s presentation include Retro City and Nostalgia, Gentrification, and Tourist Gaze in Prague with case studies looking at Soviet Nostalgia, Virtual Tourism on Social Media and Local Businesses and Globalisation.
We will explore the findings from our experience in Prague in this presentation, such as whether it is possible to feel like a local and have an authentic feeling of what everyday life is like in the city while visiting Prague as a tourist.
We will also investigate how the Communist era of the Czech Republic changed the national identity of the country and what the local perceptions and opinions of the city’s identity are like there today.
Jie Zhou; Zehao Sun; Stephanie Liney; Yeram Park; Loraine Mangalam; Kexin Zhang; Seungmin Jung
group 3: barcelona
As part of our research, each group member generated a research question on which we will be examining two frameworks known as tourist gaze and global mobility that we believe are critical to the development of Barcelona.
Each member of our team will present different case studies that are consistent with our research to understand how the two frameworks are relevant to Barcelona. These case studies will focus on significant places, buildings, and events that contribute to Barcelona’s tourist experience. As a result, we have been able to investigate various aspects of how the postdigital influences the way the city provides it’s experience.
Also, we are going to support our project by the establishment of some social media accounts, such as Instagram, TikTok and creation of website. This will allow our group to interact with members of the audience who are not present, and transmit the information gathered.
Vera Lucia Agostinho Nascimento Moniz; Joana Figueiredo; Hauana Santos Nascimento; Yuqian Shan; Steysi Naskova Zelimova; Wiam Zairi; Chenxuan LuoOur research project explores Paris fashion with a concept of the tourist gaze, retro and hipster culture. Paris is a city that is popular in the fashion industry, as famous fashion events have been held in the city. We focus on Paris Fashion Week from the perspective of tourists, especially looking at the impacts of consumerism contributing towards tourism. Our research also explores ideas of how nostalgia from tourists and Parisians affects the way that they view Paris and Parisian fashion.
We investigate the relationship between vintage markets and hipster culture by being applied to the Paris fashion industry. The research was conducted through interviews and visual ethnography, particularly photography. This research will approach not only the tourists’ ideas of the popularity of Paris fashion but also opinions of vintage markets and hipster culture through interviews.
Ademide Liam Banjoko; Laud Gyasi; Samuel Hopley; Jake Iliffe; Hoi Ng; Tsz Kan; Doyeon Kweon; Yujin Lee
group 4: paris
group 5: rome
Our group embarked on a thrilling journey to the city of Rome, with the aim of exploring its postdigital identity. As final year Media & Communications BA (hons) students, we approached the task with similar structures in mind but worked individually to observe Rome through our unique perspectives.
To achieve our research goals, we utilized both quantitative and qualitative research methods, which allowed us to gather a comprehensive understanding of the city. We interacted with locals and gained invaluable international experience.
We explored the city using different methods and techniques, broadening our horizons in the process. Additionally, we focused on relevant topics such as Covid 19, global tourism, and digitalization. The knowledge and insights we gained from these topics were invaluable and helped us better understand the city’s postdigital identity.
Jelizaveta Jermolajeva; Maria Mitul; Emmanuel Oluwadara Oyebamij; Zainab Adisa; Chenyang Wang; Shangyong YuDaniel Thomas
a message from the module leader of 380mapa postdigital worlds
Postdigital Worlds Conference presents the culmination of our students 3 years studying Media and Communications at Coventry University. These international projects highlight what we value as a course; curiosity, collaboration and creativity.
It has been a pleasure to watch our students take on the challenges posed by these projects and apply their three years of learning to their fieldwork and presentations. Whilst their time at Coventry is coming to an end, we have every confidence in their abilities to help shape a better (postdigital) world.
We hope you have enjoyed the research presented. Please join us in Ellen Terry’s The Mixer from 5PM to celebrate our students’ success and to raise a glass to their bright futures!
Special thanks to:
Craig goddard, tech and media support
Simon dickenson, ink well estates team at coventry university professor gary hall, centre for postdigital cultures
380mapa module team :
Daniel thomas, esme spurling and dr amira halperin