Human Reflections
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Featured The Evolution of a Social Practice: Fairytale Narration from "Mother - Goose" and "Aunt Lena" to YouTube and Spotify
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Stavroula Sotiropoulou
Fairytale narration in Greece is widely considered as a stable, long-lasting social – cultural practice, despite the revolutionary changes that happened during the 20th century in the field of Media Technology. The evolution from Premodern to Modern and Postmodern Era has only affected the means of this social-cultural practice and caused its adaptability to rapid changes. More specifically, we will focus on the transition from grandparents’ fairytale narration next to the fireplace, especially in agricultural regions, to the narration through the post-war Greek National Radio with the legendary Aunt Lena (Antigoni Metaxa) and Lilipoupoli. Then we will continue with television fairytale narration, firstly with Aunt Lena in the beginning of the 1970’s and a little later with the “Paramythas” Nikos Pilavios and finally to the “Internet Era”, with the narration of fairytales on YouTube and Spotify. Our goal is to feature the differences and weak spots from the archetypical form of this practice to its recent forms.
Gender Roles and Power Relations in Poultry Production in Kenya
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jessica Ndubi
Poultry is a well-known livestock enterprise in Kenya where various gender categories play a role in its production activities. The enterprise has earned recognition in the economy because it provides readily harvestable animal protein (meat and eggs) and revenue. The objective of this study was therefore to assess the role of the various gender categories as well as their power relations in poultry production in Kenya. Data were collected using qualitative methods such as key informants and focus group discussions. Data were also collected quantitatively using a survey that covered 394 households. This data was analysed using SPSS version 20 software. The main findings indicate that women dominated decisions pertaining to poultry production as well as performing most of the activities compared with men, girls and boys. They also had more access to poultry production resources such as credit, market and extension services than the other gender categories. However, men controlled land which is the most important production resource in poultry. The study recommends that since poultry is predominately a women enterprise, agricultural technologies, innovations and management practices pertaining to poultry production need to be gender responsive and therefore be tailor made to target the needs and perspectives women for increased productive.
Instagram and Eating Disorders: An Empirical Study of the Effects of Instagram on Disordered Eating Habits Among Young Adults View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jee Young Chung, Katherine Wayles, Alexis Campbell
This study uses the Tripartite Model of Influence to determine the relationship between Instagram usage and self-esteem, as family, friends, and media contribute to the growth and development of a young woman’s body image perception and relationship with food. Specifically, the goal of this paper is to examine the relationships among Instagram usage (i.e., relationships on Instagram - family, friends, celebrities, influencers, and brands, social media behaviors, and amount of time spend), self-esteem, cognitive eating disorder, disordered eating behavior, and body dissatisfaction among young women. While many studies have examined the relationship between body dissatisfaction/eating disorder and social media use, especially focusing on the amount of media consumed, the current study attempts to identify specific activities and behaviors associated with feelings of low self-esteem or poor body image. It is important to determine exactly what behaviors and social media engagements contribute to disordered relationships with food, assessing a user’s pre-existing weight/body concerns in relation to the amount and type of media they consume. The online survey among 387 young women shows that cognitive eating disorders and physical appearance comparison are affected by Instagram usage, including access frequency, relationships, and behaviors. Further implications are discussed.
