Abstract
Scholars often view authenticity as a set of stable characteristics that communicators translate to audiences. However, in an increasingly mediated and technologically fragmented world, communicators often face challenges when cultivating identification with audiences. Inaccurate media representation, stereotypes, and information overload can prevent audiences from identifying with communicators who seek to create authentic connections. Thus, a central question guides this project: How does a communicator create and communicate authenticity in a hypermediated world? This paper seeks to answer this question by focusing on how Puerto Rican entertainer Roberto Ocasio, known professionally as Bad Bunny, navigates this difficult communication situation. Ocasio’s ability to find massive success in the entertainment/media industry demonstrates a nuanced understanding of authenticity and provides a template for communicating with diverse audiences across a variety of media. We argue Bad Bunny represents a hyperfluid authenticity which allows a communicator to continuously adapt their persona, image, and identity while still remaining true to their “self.” Utilizing the method of Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis, we demonstrate how Bad Bunny cultivates a hyperfluid authenticity by examining his mediated representation in music, fashion, and performance. Bad Bunny’s various modes of discourse offer an opportunity for scholars to investigate how hyperfluid authenticity functions and the various communicative elements it requires. This project seeks to provide an explanation of not only how Bad Bunny negotiates the various challenges communicators face, but also how hyperfluid authenticity might offer a new understanding of what authenticity means to audiences today.
Presenters
Analee PazAssociate Professor, Communication + Fine Performing Arts, Texas A&M International University, Texas, United States Tyler Welsh
Assistant Professor, Media & Communication, Stephen F. Austin State University, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Authenticity, Representation, Bad Bunny, Multimodal Text, Close Reading, Identification
Digital Media
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