Week 4: What we measure matters.
Welcome to week 4. This week we will be looking at how we can measure narrative change. We will be expanding out ideas about measuring impact and exploring why it is important not only to measure the impact of stories but also the impact of storytellers. But just to kick us off, I have included a link to an interesting article about Bruce Pascoe's book Dark Emu, and the different ways we can think about measuring impact.
This article in the conversation shows how we can measure impact in multiple ways.
All
Claire Marshall: Acknowledgement and Welcome to week 4
(5 mins)
Erica Rosenthal: Measuring Narrative Change
(29 mins)
Norma Rae clip sequence created by Shawn Van Valkenburgh, Project Associate at the Norman Lear Center.
I have edited the video for brevity but you can watch the whole thing here.
Below are a selection of reports from the Media Impact Project. Please take a read of at least one.
Erica Rosenthal
Erica Rosenthal is the Director of Research at the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center. She came to the Lear Center in 2011 and led research for the Hollywood, Health & Society program for more than seven years. Currently, she oversees the Lear Center's and the Media Impact Project's portfolio of research focused on understanding media narratives and studying their impact on audiences' knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. She has a PhD in social psychology from Claremont Graduate University and 20 years of experience studying the impact of media and communication initiatives on health and public interest issues. Her graduate research examined the barriers emotional messages pose to media literacy, and the central role of trust.
Action
Have a read of one of the reports above. They make for fascinating reading.
Deb Verhoeven: Finding the Story in Data
(28 mins)
Here is a link to Deb's website where you can find her work
Deb Verhoeven
An agitator, commentator and critic Professor Deb Verhoeven is a leading proponent of the Digital Humanities. Her recent research has addressed how we can use the tools of big data, networks and an understanding of digital infrastructure to shed light on power relationships and inequities.
Her recent research has addressed the way innovative data techniques can be used to intervene and redress structures of domination (rather than just describe them).
She is one of several lead researchers on a major multi-national, multi-disciplinary Gender Equity Policies study. She is director of the Kinomatics Project an interdisciplinary study that collects, analyses and represents data about the creative industries.
Deb is the Canada 150 Research Chair of Gender and Culture Informatics at the University of Alberta.
Action
Deb makes the point that we have a commonly accepted story of adding historically marginalised folk into situations as a solution to equity. She asks, "What if we looked at subtraction instead?" Try and imagine a network you are involved in. It could be a work, social, political. Think if there was a figure in that network whose removal would make an impact or difference. Or is a better strategy to compel them to share their power?
Equity
Ana Tiwary:
(28 mins)
Note: This interview is audio only
Ana Tiwary
Ana Tiwary (she/her) runs the production company indiVisual films that specialises in multicultural stories. Ana was born in India, holds a Masters in Film from the US, and has lived/worked in many different parts of the world. She has Masters degrees in Film and English Literature and has studied Environmental Filmmaking. From Bollywood films to National Geographic Channel, Ana has a wealth of experience working across factual as well as features. She has produced over 25 documentaries for ABC TV and other networks. In 2021, she produced the first Asian Australian rom-com ‘Rhapsody of Love’. Ana created the Diversity in Australian Media community 13 years ago and is an advocate for equity, social justice and safe spaces. She has an exciting slate of diverse projects working primarily with women of colour. Ana is currently the Acting Executive Director at the Australian Directors’ Guild
Action
In your team’s area of affinity or expertise, identify an org that has collected stats that are NOT intersectional and email or social media request them for intersectional stats. What response did you receive?
Climate
Wayne Denning:
(20 mins)
16 years ago, proud Birri and Guugu Yimidhirr man Wayne Denning saw an opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of his fellow First Nations Australians. After more than a decade of working on landmark Australian government policies in Native Title and Land Rights, Wayne’s vision put storytelling and creativity front and centre with the goal of changing hearts and minds on a grand scale. Carbon Creative was born.
Claire O'Rourke:
(28 mins)
I decided many years ago that I would use my skills to help create the world we want to see. I’m passionate about working with communities to ensure we have a heathy, clean environment, rights and equality for all. I’m a skilled campaigner, strategist and love working with entrepreneurial people with shared values who want to change the world.
I’m curious about the potential of technology to connect people with compelling stories that inspire people to act. I’m fascinated by the culture of organisations and the critical role leadership plays in social change.
Action:
Select an idea from the ‘garden of ideas’ and then using the ‘Heart head hands – campfire ideas’ guide, input the idea into the template to create a transformative idea, insight or proposition.
And if you feel inspired, create some more Climate-fied loglines/descriptions of existing shows /series/films/books - to share at the lab .
Bonus
If link doesn't work here is a pdf of Garden of Ideas.