The ‘Race’ for Digital Equilibrium - Developing community-based digital media education for Black young people

Project Code: RDE-39756761

Project Description:

Digital media is shaping understanding of racialised groups and has become a dominant form of representation. The impacts of new media on racial stereotyping and racist ideas is little explored but crucial to how groups are understood and how they understand themselves. There is scant research on the impact of digital media on young people regards to race and racism. This research focuses on the impact of digital media on young African and African Caribbean people by taking a community-based approach. We are partnering with young engagement charity Supatrax to work with young Black people with three aims.

1. Examine Perceptions of Media Representations: Investigate community perceptions of media representations, particularly regarding race, age and ethnicity, through qualitative research methods such as interviews and focus groups with young people engaged with Supatrax.
2. Develop Culturally Relevant Educational Materials: In collaboration with the young people and staff at Supatrax, develop culturally relevant educational materials and resources that address the specific media literacy needs of African and African Caribbean young people.
3. Implement and Evaluate Media Literacy Interventions: Implement media literacy interventions via Supatrax and evaluate the effectiveness in empowering individuals to critically analyse and challenge racially biased media representations

We plan for the materials and intervention that we use to be shared and used widely with other organisations working in the sector with young Black people and there will be specific recommendations for policy makers arising from the project.

Anticipated Findings:

The project will contribute to knowledge by developing:

• Understandings of how young Black people interpret digital media: the study aims to provide valuable insights into the nature and impact of racially biased media representations. This is vital given the increasing importance of digital media.
• Enhanced Digital Inclusion and Participation: By identifying and addressing barriers to access and participation in online spaces, the research is expected to facilitate greater engagement with digital media platforms for young Black people.
• Tailored Media Education: The PhD research is expected to result in the development of tailored workshops/program specifically designed for Black communities in the UK. This will equip individuals with the critical skills necessary to analyse and challenge racially biased media representations encountered in online and new media platforms. This can be shared and used widely across the sector, benefitting not only those in the project but a much wider audience. There will also be specific policy implications outlined in the research and shared with key stakeholders.
• Empowerment through Community-Based Media Production: The PhD project seeks to empower Black communities by facilitating their active participation in media production, particularly via the charity Supatrax. By establishing collaborative initiatives for community-based media creation, the study anticipates fostering greater representation and visibility of diverse narratives, countering negative stereotypes perpetuated by mainstream media. Again this is an approach we will be recommended is shared across the sector.

Contact (and Director of Studies for this project): Dr Kehinde Andrews, Kehinde.Andrews@bcu.ac.uk

How to apply:

To apply for this project, visit the 'How to Apply' section on the Social Sciences PhD course page.