Title of Project:
Revolution in Fashion Publication: the struggle between analogue and digital.
Brief Description of Project:
I intend to use my main Masters project to explore how fashion publications are being influenced by advancing technology currently and predict how this influence will manifest itself in the near future. From my research, I hope to develop an innovative form of fashion publication with the hope of taking the relationship between fashion publications and information technology to the next level.
I have chosen this particular area of research as it follows on from my undergraduate dissertation “Paper VS Web: What does the future hold for traditional paper publications as the internet takes a predominant hold on our daily lives?”. My dissertation focused on the effects of internet self-publishing and the popularity of social networking sites on traditional paper publications. Research for the dissertation was based on Marshall McLuhan’s late 1960s work on the “Extensions of Man”. McLuhan’s predictions that technological development of man’s communicative extensions/tools would lead to a “global village” became the backbone to my dissertation’s conclusion. In the dissertation’s conclusion, I suggested that the internet would become an increasingly reliable cultural medium but something that we would have to learn to embrace in a different way to the printed publication. As nothing will rid man’s ability to use his legs for basic transport, no new technology will ever completely rid civilisation of the simple printed publication. New technology could enable the printed publication to grow and develop into an entity completely removed from its original intention. The Internet’s predominant hold on our lives could even encourage the printed publication to become the most creative, physical art-form in society.
Since the submission of my dissertation in January 2007, information technology has developed even further to accommodate the internet’s influence in our daily lives. Mobile devices, such as iPhones, have grown increasingly sophisticated, internet connections have become faster and personal computers have become more affordable. It has never been easier to access and contribute to the internet. The past time of internet blogging has exploded leading to fashion blogs becoming a huge commodity and a reliable form of fashion publication in their own right. However, despite this continued and rising popularity of internet publishing, printed fashion publications are still going strong evident in the introduction of Love magazine in 2009 and the rapid sell-out of it’s first issue. It seems that, despite the convenience, affordability and increasing reliability of internet publishing, people still crave the physicality of the printed publication. This poses a dilemma in terms of fashion publishing as relevant as the debate of high street fashion versus couture. Should we, as fashion followers, use the ephemeral, limitless arena of the internet to keep ourselves updated with continual fashion news and trends posted by bloggers that know what the average fashion lover wants rather than reacting to demands of advertisers treating our reading as we would a throw away Primark purchase? Or do we continue to invest in expensive yet beautifully designed printed fashion publications created by the influential players of the fashion industry treating our reading, in this instance, in the same way we would cherish a classic Chanel suit?
Faced with recession and environmental issues, both fashion publications and readers must consider the effect of their choices thus design ethics are central to the development of an innovative form of fashion publication for this project. With regards to both recession and environmental issues, the idea of recycle and reuse will also be a key factor in my research and project development as well as issues surrounding collectibility versus desposibility. I am also interested in how collage and detournement can influence the development of an innovative form of fashion publication. As we are currently caught between analogue and digital media, magazines versus blogs, surely the next logical step would be to combine the two? During research in semester one, I came across an online BBC video demonstrating the use of integrated mini screens in a paper magazine. The mini screens were being used in advertising but could also be recorded over providing opportunities for reuse and for the reader to introduce their own content to the magazine also providing opportunities for collectibility and recyclability.
When I initially researched this topic for my undergraduate dissertation, I found that there were not many academic resources I could use to inform my research. From my reading over the first semester of my Masters I have been more successful in finding academic resources and have found some key texts from which I can continue to develop upon McLuhan’s theories. “Digital Shock: Confronting the New Reality” by Herve Fischer looks at the relationship between humans and digital technology comparing the importance of the “digital revolution” to that of the discovery of fire suggesting the rise of digital media affects all aspects of human life. “The Legacy of McLuhan” presents essays and discussions on McLuhan’s theories in light of digital technological advancement of the last two decades. Both these texts have acted as good starting points in my research but I hope to build upon these with additional academic research as well as primary research.
I hope to arrange an internship to help inform my primary research. Alongside my internship, I intend to utilise the opinions of readers of both printed magazines and blogs to analyse the relationship between people and both forms of publication. I will do this through questionnaires and focus groups. Additionally to this, I hope to take inspiration from blogs and online fashion publications as well as using newspaper and magazine articles for research.
From this research, I shall compile a thorough investigation that shall lead to the development of an innovative and interactive fashion publication. I hope that the final outcome will help to take the relationship between fashion publications and information technology to the next level.
Thank you so much for the link. It's fantastic! I've had a quick listen throuhg and think it will be very beneficial to my research. Thanks again.
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