The media that I chose for this weeks analysis is a video titled J.K. Rowling | ContraPoints and discusses the anomaly that has been the discussion of J.K. Rowling in recent years. ContraPoints is created by Natalie Wynn, and boasts a large 1.55M followers on YouTube. It works to combat the far-right online and open conversation challenging social and political issues.

This piece of content was created in regard to the controversial comments that have been made by J.K. Rowling about trans women over the years. She has spoken about opposing gender recognition reform legislation in Scotland, and rightfully so, was met with criticism online. While these tweets started in 2019, she has continued with this narrative even now in 2022. This video by ContraPoints was made in 2021, so the context of this creation is still relevant. Natalie Wynn is a transgender woman, so the motivation behind this content may be personal, but also opens important discussion about these hurtful words from a loved author. This discussion is important, and Wynn uses her platforms to discuss this in a playful way.

This video is very direct in its argument about the transphobia from J.K Rowling. Wynn’s discourse about this social justice issue does it in a way that is not attacking, but well balances facts with empathy. There is not much to imply when it comes to this video, as Wynn is very direct about her critique of Rowling. However, this topic does bring up the issue of transgender identity is overshadowed by JK Rowling being cancelled.

Having this content in this form was very useful, as a lot of people are looking for more long form content online, and this video is very descriptive and entertaining. This video has a high production value, and uses the Harry Potter theme which is a great selling point for viewers. Wynn’s offers lots of details, and easily breaks down the tweets, as well her content is easy to digest, and doesn’t require prior knowledge of the issue to interact with it. This content was published on an already well received channel with a large audience.

This piece of media inspires me to create content that is clean, well written and just genuinely looks good. For my final content creation, this can be applied by good editing, organizing, and preparation for my podcast episode. This medium was very appropriate for this social change issue. Wynn does a great job of connecting different platforms (i.e. connecting twitter to youtube) and creates content in a way that is entertaining and informative.

Photo by Melike Benli

This zine was made in 2014, however the context in which it was created remains the same. The media is highly controlled by large corporations with deep pockets, and white men continue to write the narrative. This zine was created by The Opportunity Agenda, which is “a social justice communication lab” with an impressive website and good backing. They work to counter well funded agencies by fighting for policies that support and amplify the rights and voices of all. I think that their goals precisely align with what this zine is trying to do. 

This zine it particular is very specific in that it is fighting the dominant narrative. The social justice movement is pushing back against the notion that we are supposed to be dormant and simply accept the “close-mindedness, fear, and an unwillingness to question deeply held stereotypes and assumptions” that we see in society. This zine is a direct statement for sure, there is nothing implicit about their desire to fight the dominant narrative. 

This medium is an interesting one in my opinion, as zines are less highly consumed than podcasts or YouTube videos. I think that as zines are independent from commercial considerations, they can only serve a quite small audience, and the people who are consuming it likely share similar opinions and views of the world. This concept of resisting the dominant narrative is a topic that I think is very important for more than just the specific zine community to hear about. I don’t think that this publishing medium was very beneficial to the social change goals of its creator. I think that it was very well made, but doesn’t serve the purpose it was intended. This message is something that affects everyone, and I think that a less niche medium could have been used to spread this message even more. 

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Just a PSA for this assignment, I was very ill with the flu during this weeks class so my answers to this media analysis are entirely based off of my experience listening to the podcast as I missed the class where we were able to ask questions and have discussions. 

This podcast was published in June of 2021 so the historical contexts are very aligned with current events. The guest speaker, Grace Nosek, is a barred attorney in the US, thus many of her judgements throughout the podcast touch on both American and Canadian policy issues involving environmental politics. The podcast itself is ran through SFU and the guest is employed by UBC so there are likely academic standards that they must rise to. The goal of this podcast is to open discussions to what is really going on with the environmental crisis and what we can do on an individual level, but also holding large corporations responsible as well.

This piece of media is very critical to the contributions that the fossil fuel industry has made in regard to climate change. Nosek is very critical about the narrative that has been majorly controlled by the pockets of big corporations, and the support they have received from different government officials. This podcast is a very direct statement about the social change that is necessary when it comes to environmental policy and climate change. 

This piece of media was very effective for this topic in particular as it allowed the viewer to really hear the passion that Nosek has for this topic. Had this been in the form of a blog post or other written form of communication I think the intended impression would have been different for the viewer. By utilizing audio content Nosek was able to express more emotion into the topic. 

I think that this piece of media could have been better if it was published on a streaming service like Spotify or Apple Music. Although perhaps it was published to SoundCloud to avoid bias or to save money (I’m not entirely sure how podcast publishing works) I think that would make the podcast more accessible and more easily found. SoundCloud is a slightly more obscure platform that Spotify etc, and the feel they could have gotten more exposure for this podcast if it were on a different platform. Spotify has such specific algorithms and they have many different ways to promote media, if someone were to search up environmental podcasts, the algorithm could have pushed this podcast as a recommended listening. 

I do think that this publishing medium was a great choice for the social change goals of this creator. Podcasting is a great way to open discussion, and as mention above, gives the creators the opportunity for others to hear how passionate they are about a topic. 

Photo by George Milton from Pexels