BCM241: What can we learn from observing the work of others?

For this week’s blog post, we are asked to review our peer’s pitch posts and indicated how we might learn by examining someone else’s work. By comparing and contrasting the work of others with our own, we can perform detailed and valuable analyses beyond our chosen niche. Observing others and the differences and similarities between us is precisely what autoethnographic research is all about. Below are the three pitches that I was assigned and a discussion of what they taught me.

The Sims 4 Experience – Tameyka Arellano

Tameyka has been active within discussions and communities in her media niche, already creating content and ideating for this DA, focussing on The Sims 4.

Post Content Tameyka Feedback Comment
Image: My Feedback For Tameyka


This pitch demonstrated an impressive amount of background knowledge to do with the game and outlined possible routes for autoethnographic research well. However, it would have benefitted from links and express reference to the subject materials or academic readings/sources specific to ethnography and niche media.
Giving feedback on this pitch helped me re-think my structural approach to the pitch, knowing that mine could have been clearer and more focused. Including more lecture material could have helped me come across more precisely. I also need to be more specific about my DA regarding what content I’ll be producing and how exactly I plan to engage in autoethnographic research.

GoobEpicSwag – Kyle Blayney

Kyle will be producing content on TikTok aimed toward ‘nihilistic zoomers’. He is already present in the ‘shitposting’ media niche but wants to continue experimenting through his content.

Post Content Kyle Feedback Comment
Image: My Feedback For Kyle

Kyle’s pitch is exceptionally in-tune with his particular audience base. The format, structure and tone of his video and blog post demonstrate his detailed understanding of the ‘shitposter’ persona and how to cater to his audience’s sense of humour.
With my own DA being platform-based, giving feedback on Kyle’s DA was valuable. I will need to think more closely about how photographers on Instagram convey persona and what exactly that persona involves for myself and my DA.

POV: My Therapist Podcast – Keely Proudfoot

Keely will be creating a women’s lifestyle podcast, sharing personal experiences in an effort to help herself and others.

Post Content Keely Feedback Comment
Image: My Feedback For Keely

Creating a DA based on introspective work for a subject about auto-ethnography is an absolutely genius idea. You are producing something that directly acts as a record of your own experience, which is the whole point. Keely also has a very detailed understanding of persona; however, unlike Kyle’s work, she will have to look at how to convey a persona without visual presence. This is a really interesting and helpful idea for my DA because most of my photography work doesn’t include me visually. My photographs can, however, serve as a representation of my perspective and experience. It’s got me thinking about how I can communicate my persona as a photographer by sharing my personal perspective in my work.

To summarise – we all create and act depending on our individual wells of knowledge. Observing other people’s work expands this well of knowledge and re-contextualises it in our own work. I found this exercise really valuable, and it’ll help me improve my own DA. I will be re-mapping a process of conveying personal persona through photography and doing research through observing others on social media to grow my understanding of this concept.

Make sure to follow all of these fantastic DA’s! Make sure you follow my Instagram account for this DA too.