1. @lportwoodstacer
#Fw13
#a1
HOW
WE
TALK
ABOUT
MEDIA
REFUSAL
POPULAR
FRAMES
FOR
UNDERSTANDING
RESISTANCE
TO
SOCIAL
MEDIA
PLATFORMS
IN
EVERYDAY
LIFE
LAURA
PORTWOOD-­‐STACER
NEW
YORK
UNIVERSITY

2. WHAT
IS
MEDIA
REFUSAL?
Ac#ve
and
conscious
disavowal
of
a
media
technology,
pla7orm,
or
brand
A
choice
not
to
par#cipate
in
a
par#cular
mode
of
communica#on
Non-­‐use
+
resistant
mo/va/on
=
refusal

3. twiFer.com/Quit_FB_Info
WHERE
ARE
DISCOURSES
OF
MEDIA
REFUSAL?
Everyday
conversa#on
Journalis#c
coverage
(newspapers,
magazines,
blogs)
Within
social
media
pla7orms
themselves

4. huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/04/quiZng-­‐facebook_n_2410071.html
MANY
POSSIBLE
FRAMES
FOR
MEDIA
REFUSAL
No
single
frame
will
explain
every
individual
instance
of
refusal
Some
frames
seem
to
be
preferred
in
popular
discourse
How
do
these
frames
guide
us
in
making
sense
of
resistance
to
social
media?
Why
these
frames?

5. techaddic`on.ca/video_game_addic`on_treatment.html
“ADDICTION”
Refusal
is
offered
as
a
technique
for
resis#ng
media
addic#on
Abs#nence
is
presented
as
an
individualized
solu#on
to
user
pathology
(like
drug
use)
Experts
can
help;
don’t
stop
consuming
–
consume
differently!

6. na`onaldayofunplugging.com
ASCETICISM
Refusal
is
offered
as
an
ethical
technique
for
improving
the
self
Abs#nence
is
a
means
of
personal
and
cultural
purifica#on
Surveil,
scru#nize,
and
control
yourself!

7. “PRODUCTIVITY”
Social
media
par#cipa#on
is
framed
as
a
distrac#on
from
produc#ve
pursuits
Refusal
allows
one
to
make
“beSer”
use
of
one’s
#me,
engaged
in
remunera#ve
or
crea#ve
labor
What
kinds
of
produc#vity
does
this
frame
conceal?

8. quicacebookday.com
ACTIVISM
Refusal
can
be
a
kind
of
“propaganda
by
deed”
(anarchist
tac#c)
An#-­‐consump#on
as
ac#vism
relies
on
a
shared
understanding
of
the
poli#cal
and
ethical
mo#va#ons
behind
refusal
If
people
don’t
know
why
you’re
refusing,
is
refusal
effec#ve
as
ac#vism?

9. FURTHER
READING
FLOW
TV
(online)
“How
we
talk
about
media
refusal,
part
1:
Addic#on”
“How
we
talk
about
media
refusal,
part
2:
Asce#cism”
“How
we
talk
about
media
refusal,
part
3:
Aesthe#cs”
NEW
MEDIA
&
SOCIETY
“Media
refusal
and
conspicuous
non-­‐consump#on:
The
performa#ve
and
poli#cal
dimensions
of
Facebook
absten#on”