Manny’s initial research interests

As I contemplate what my final paper/project will look like, I am struggling with narrowing my thoughts down to a specific topic. I guess this is normal as research usually evolves along with our knowledge on a subject area. After progressing through the first module, the technology that I want to look at in more detail is the usage of video production and broadcasting in indigenous cultures. Although I am still in the infancy stages, I want to direct my attention to the implications that media has had on indigenous cultures, especially identity preservation. The Ginsburg (2002) article really opened my eyes to the power that technology had on the Northern Canadian Inuit and Australian Aboriginal communities. I have outlined a few articles that may be pertinent to my research interest.

1) Expanding Health Literacy: Indigenous youth creating videos.

This article begins by assessing the four aspects of health that are central to indigenous cultures; mental, physical, spiritual and emotional well being. A holistic view of health is achieved through interdependence and balance between these four characteristics. Although taken from a health perspective, this article outlines the many advantages a community can reap by allowing their youth to record interactions between them and their elders.

2) Community-based Indigenous Digital Storytelling with Elders and Youth

This article stuck out to me write away as Sylvia Moore is one of the co-authors, a name that I became familiar with in my last MET class. Sylvia claims that digital recordings of storytelling not only preserve cultural artifacts but also serve as an important tool to bring community together and produce something that they can benefit from. She stresses the importance of making digital videos so that a future generation of indigenous people can use technology to sustain their indigenous world views.

3) Television, Nation, and Indigenous Media

Similar to the Ginsburg article, this paper analyzes the impact of Australian aboriginal culture in media and how it clashed with the pre-formed national culture. It takes an in depth look at the role that media plays in building national identity and citizenship. Broadcasting videos allowed aboriginals a portal through which they could narrate their culture and embed it into Australia’s national identity.

4) Video communication roadblocks facing remote indigenous communities

This article investigates the broadband capabilities of remote indigenous communities and their usage of the Internet. As the title suggests, there are technical and social roadblocks in place that can be overcome if the right tools and policies are put into place.

I look forward to narrowing my research interests and l’m sure it will morph into something I never expected.