OSP: Rashford & Kardashian - Language and Representation

 Marcus Rashford

Marcus Rashford is a former Manchester Utd and England footballer who has used social media and the internet to create a strong brand. He has been praised for his high-profile campaigns on food poverty (putting pressure on the government to provide free school meals in holidays during Covid-19) as well as homelessness and books for children. 

We need to study his website, social media and how he has created his Marcus Rashford brand. 

Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian is one of the most successful social media influencers of all time. She uses her social media presence to promote herself and her brands to her 350 million followers. Kardashian is highly sought after as a brand ambassador and is paid millions of dollars by companies to promote their products.

With Kim Kardashian, we need to study the influence of celebrities and how she has managed to build a billion dollar empire using social media and celebrity.


Language analysis

GLOW glossary words

Convergence: When two or more media forms can be accessed in one place or one device e.g Marcus Rashford’s website also links to his books, social media feeds and video content. 

Online engagement/dialogue: Communication online e.g between a celebrity and a fan. 

Endorsement: When a celebrity or influential figure recommends something to the public. 


Website conventions

Website key conventions include:

  • Logo/brand identity
  • Navigation – menus
  • Central image
  • Multimedia features – e.g. video 
  • Social media links / integration


Social media conventions

Social media key conventions include:
  • Logo/brand identity
  • Bio (personal details/information)
  • Profile image
  • Background/banner image
  • Images and video
  • Online engagement/audience interaction

Media Language: Genre and narrative

Marcus Rashford has created a strong personal brand that merges different genres – footballer, campaigner / activist, influencer, celebrity.

His online presence emphasises his working class background and how hard his mum worked as a single parent. This creates a narrative of success against the odds. He then uses this to drive his campaigning work on food poverty and reading.

Kardashian, in contrast, is far more focused on fashion, wealth and celebrity. She herself said she wanted to be famous more than anything.

Representations

Marcus Rashford’s online presence offers a real mix of representations – some reinforcing stereotypes of masculinity, footballers and race/ethnicity but others subverting them. He also looks to challenge stereotypes regarding poverty, benefits and social class.

Kim Kardashian could be viewed as an empowering businesswoman – building a billion dollar empire. But she also reinforces negative stereotypes regarding female appearance and the importance of celebrity.

Use Daniel Chandler’s representation theory of CAGE to analyse representations in the media. Here's an example for Marcus Rashford’s online presence:

  • C – Class (social class – working class people)
  • A – Age (youth)
  • G – Gender (masculinity)
  • E – Ethnicity (black British)


OSP: Language and Representation Blog Tasks

Work through the following tasks to cover the Language and Representation key concepts for our OSP CSPs:

Language

1) Make two lists - one of website conventions used on Marcus Rashford and Kim Kardashian's official website and one of social media conventions found on their Instagram pages. 

Marcus Rashford website conventions: Logo/Brand Idenity, Menus, unconventional non-centred images, multimedia: gifs.

Marcus Rashford social media conventions: profile Image, Images and videos, Online engagement, brand identity, sponsorships.

Kim Kardashian website conventions: Logo/ Brand Identity, Menus, Central image, multimedia features: video, social media links/ integration.

Kim Kardashian social media conventions: profile Image, Bio, Brand Identity, images and videos, online engagement.

2) How does Marcus Rashford's website and social media promote his brand? Give at least three examples of different pages / posts / images from his website or social media

His posts on social media featuring his football uniform promote his brand, his contacts on his website promote his brand and his book club on his website promote his brand. 

3) How does Kim Kardashian's website and social media promote her brand? Give at least three examples of different pages / posts / images from her brand websites or social media. 

4) How does Marcus Rashford's online presence use the narrative of his childhood upbringing to create a positive brand identity?

Marcus Rashford's 

5) How does Kim Kardashian's website and social media promote other media products or websites using the Kardashian brand (e.g. Keeping Up With The Kardashians TV show)? 


Representations

1) How does Marcus Rashford use different aspects of mise-en-scene (e.g. clothes/costume/ settings/locations) to create representations of himself on his website and social media? 

He wears a formal suit on his offical wesbite in a low-angle shot to communicate ideas of professionalism and power in order to appeal to brand deals. He also has pictures of him in sportswear, this represents his character at its core, connoting a hard-working and dedicated spirit. His casual wear on his book implies he's relatable and that what he's achieved can be achieved by anyone with enough effort poured into it.

2) What examples can you find of website pages, social media posts or aspects of his brand that create a positive representation of Marcus Rashford? You may wish to comment on his discussion of family or his campaigns - his page on the FareShare campaign website may help with this question.

Marcus's partnership with Fareshare and his generous donations which aided 21 million families in a time of need paints a charitable image of Marcus Rashford and pushes him further into a positive light in line with his activism.

3) How does Marcus Rashford's online presence challenge stereotypes? Think about gender (masculinity), race/ethnicity, social class or football here. 

Marcus Rashford challenges stereotypes through his online presence by using his platform to advocate for social change, which subverts traditional football masculinity by showing a political and socially conscious side. His work on child food poverty challenges class stereotypes by highlighting his own background and pushing for policy change, while his stance against racist abuse tackles racial stereotypes within sport. 

4)  What representation of celebrity is created by Kim Kardashian's website and social media? How are audience encouraged to view celebrity? 

Her website and social media encourage audiences to view celebrity by fostering a sense of parasocial intimacy, making the audience feel connected through shared moments and behind-the-scenes glimpses that blur the lines between a performer and a friend. This relationship is then used to encourage the audience to imitate her lifestyle, which includes purchasing the products and brands she endorses and uses. 

5) What gender stereotypes are reinforced or challenged in Kim Kardashian's online presence? 

Kim Kardashian reinforces gender stereotypes of women and the beauty industry through her emphasis on body modifications and makeup in her social media presence but she simultaneously subverts gender stereotypes by presenting as a successful businesswoman with her SKIMS brand in a historically male-dominated field.


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