Hermeneutic Phenomenology – interpretive textual meaning. Heidegger and Gadamers championed this research approach. Also Ricoeur. The meaning of Being, the Self and Self-Identity. An interesting point – attempting to watch a video remix without any prior knowledge or preconditions may be folly as to fully appreciate the ingenuity in the work requires a knowledge, awareness of the viewer having experienced or observed the source material in order to ‘get’ the meaning. This also implies that remixes potentially have a relatively short shelf-life, especially if they reference current affairs. On the other hand, it is easy to find out enough information or find the source material online and watch it in order to full appreciate the remix, if necessary.
What am I trying to find out? Why is it worth knowing? How will I go about doing this? What has been done so far? What will be achieved by Easter / Summer? Short background – setting the scene. A new generation of media activists are using political remix video to get their messages out to new audiences and ultimately act as a catalyst for social change. Tackling many of the big social issues of the day, including human rights violations, political and commercial corruption, social injustice, unethical and irresponsible behavior and business practices by corporations, attacks on freedom of expression and erosion of personal privacy, to name but a few. I am trying to fully understand the media content which may be categorized as Political Remix Video or Critical Remix Video and how it affects its viewers, the motivations behind its production and how acceptable the practice of making this work, the subject matter of which may often be considered unethical or immoral by certain interest groups, how acceptable it is in our societies. The implications of PRV on the original source material used in the remix and the companies or individuals who originated it and the differences of interpretation between Western and Eastern cultures – can a PRV still ‘work’ or have worth even if the viewer has never seen the source material before? Or is the meaning entirely lost in such cases? The conflict this causes in relation to the Phenomenological Reduction technique, where a work is meant to be observed without prior knowledge or context. These questions are worth answering because they will contribute to the discourse on media activism and its effects in a useful and productive way, allowing us to better understand how the construction of a piece of propaganda affects how the audience feels when they observe it. Collect work. Analyse it. Show to audiences. Analyse audience.