Okay so for this week we are going to be talking about auto-ethnography. To begin I want to establish an account of the media niche that I am investigating. I am looking in to the world of food photography, However specifically within the meat culture.
So it has been several weeks now since I started this project, and I must admit, I have encountered a couple of epiphanies from my collection of autoethnographic data.
- The first epiphany that I have encountered, Is associated with the concept of hashtags. For my digital artefact, I have created an Instagram profile. The reason I chose this platform, was simply because I find Instagram to be the most influential in platform for photography. At the core of my artefact, photography is an important element that I captivate. However going back to the concept of hashtags, and my epiphanies regarding them. It seems as if whilst growing a Instagram profile. The use of hashtags are very important. By using hashtags, they “essentially are a way to group together content around a certain topic, making it easy for people to find content that interests them. As you can see from the image below, I use several hashtags to promote a post”.
- The second epiphany that I have encountered, the world of food photography is one of the largest growing cultures on any social network. The combination of meat and photography specifically is somewhat non-existent. I guess when you look at a lot of profiles the ingredient of meat is genuinely included however not the main focus. I don’t want to express an ego, by saying that I am the only person on Instagram who is taking professional photos of meat lol, However I haven’t quite come across any other profile that specifically publishes professional imagery of meat.
- I have Immensely grown my following in the couple of weeks that I have started this project, And the third epiphany that I have encountered, is in regards to audience demographics. The common user that I have noticed that interacts with my profile, Would be members of the meat industry in itself. Such as butchers, or restaurant owners, butcher shop owners, chefs, cooks. So predominantly figures who are associated in the food culture. It’s comforting to see my content reach people who are in the industry of food, and butchery.
From my collected research on this particular niche. One of the challenges that I believe it faces, and what I am facing whilst doing this research. Is the food culture is a giant, but the meat culture is a very small and selective culture. Meet is ethically a controversial topic. There aren’t a lot of people who follow or support the meat industry, so I believe one of the challenges of this project is that of an ethical question. One of the ways I think I can tackle this, is by doing extensive research into meat and ethics And somehow find a way to incorporate it more predominantly in my artefact, and persona.
I think there Are a lot of dimensions to my persona, and I think seeking out connections and, perhaps connecting with professionals in the industry, would be another benefit to gaining insight and overview to my research.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Macready, H., 2022. How to Use Hashtags in 2022: A Guide for Every Network. [online] Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. Available at: <https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-use-hashtags/> [Accessed 28 September 2022].
Dana Cetojevic 
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