Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

Fall 11-30-2022

Faculty Advisor(s)

Dr. Jocelyn Buckner

Abstract

Political events have always been influenced by the media, but social media has provided a much stronger influence than the typical newspaper or radio. Users of social media accounts (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, etc.) have the opportunity to share whatever they want, to whoever they want, whenever they want. While social media has given immense opportunity for artists and creators alike, it has also given way for creators to participate in uninformed performance, whether intended or not, with their content. Are social media consumers considering whether content, specifically political content, is actually true or are they accepting it at face value? Political events are being exacerbated by the influence of uninformed performance. From broadcasted political debates, twitter feuds, and family dinners, “controversial” political topics are causing tears in the fabric which has held this nation together. Social media is, moment to moment, shaping the political agenda and contributing to a society filled with emotionally driven misinformation. I am proposing the application of a dramaturgical perspective for consumers when approaching political social media. Dramaturgy is the theatrical study of how theater text or work contributes to the world we live in and how we can analyze theatre to give integrity to the authenticity of the story. I am curious if using a dramaturgical lens in social media consumption will help promote analysis of information, furthering informed performance, and providing a space for compromise. In my project I will be using my skills as a theatre artist to dramaturgically analyze political content which was clearly influenced by social media. I hope that my project simply showcases how using a dramaturgical mindset can help media users successfully navigate informed and uninformed political content while also giving creators an example of how to devise informed performance.

Comments

Presented at the Fall 2022 Student Scholar Symposium at Chapman University.

This research was conducted as a senior thesis project for the B.A. Theatre Studies Degree at Chapman University.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

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