Johanna Blakley: Social media and the end of gender

譯者: Wang-Ju Tsai 審譯者: Adrienne Lin

I'm going to make an argument today

我今天要講的題目

that may seem a little bit crazy:

聼起來有些瘋狂：

social media and the end of gender.

社會媒體和性別區分的終結。

Let me connect the dots.

讓我把之間的關係解釋一下

I'm going to argue today

我今天要來闡述

that the social media applications

讓我們又愛又恨的

that we all know and love, or love to hate,

社交應用程式

are actually going to help free us

實際上能讓我們

from some of the absurd assumptions

從固有、荒謬的

that we have as a society about gender.

性別差異的假設中解放。

I think that social media

我甚至認爲

is actually going to help us dismantle

社會媒體能幫我們

some of the silly and demeaning stereotypes

破除一些在現有媒體和廣告裏

that we see in media and advertising

充斥、圍繞在性別上的

about gender.

既有概念。

If you hadn't noticed,

如果你還沒注意到，

our media climate generally provides

在當今的媒體氛圍裏所呈現的

a very distorted mirror

我們的生活和性別

of our lives and of our gender,

跟實際是有很大的差異的。

and I think that's going to change.

我認爲這將會改變。

Now most media companies --

大部分的媒體公司

television, radio, publishing, games, you name it --

像電視、廣播、出版社、遊戲等

they use very rigid segmentation methods

在了解他們的觀衆聽衆上

in order to understand their audiences.

使用的還是很僵化的區分方法。

It's old-school demographics.

是舊有的人口學

They come up with these very restrictive labels to define us.

他們用這些很僵化的標籤來定義我們

Now the crazy thing

更瘋狂的是

is that media companies believe

媒體公司相信

that if you fall within a certain demographic category

你要是屬於某個群體

then you are predictable in certain ways --

那麽你的行爲也是可以預測的。

you have certain taste,

你會有某些特定品味

that you like certain things.

會喜歡某些事物。

And so the bizarre result of this

這樣的推論就導致了這個奇怪的結果：

is that most of our popular culture

大部分當今的流行文化

is actually based on these presumptions

都是建立在這樣的

about our demographics.

人口分類學上的假設上。

Age demographics:

年紀分類學：

the 18 to 49 demo

18到49歲的年齡層

has had a huge impact

對我國大衆媒體的規劃

on all mass media programming in this country

有重大影響。

since the 1960s,

從1960年開始

when the baby boomers were still young.

當嬰兒潮世代還年輕的時候就如此了。

Now they've aged out of that demographic,

現在嬰兒潮的世代已經超過這個年齡層

but it's still the case

但是大家的做法還是沒變

that powerful ratings companies like Nielson

像尼爾森等較大的市調公司

don't even take into account

甚至不把年紀大於54嵗的人

viewers of television shows over age 54.

列入電視市調的對象。

In our media environment,

在當今的媒體大環境裏

it's as if they don't even exist.

這些人被當作是不存在的。

Now, if you watch "Mad Men," like I do --

你如果跟我一樣在看“廣告狂人”

it's a popular TV show in the States --

這個在美國很受歡迎的連續劇

Dr. Faye Miller does something called psychographics,

米勒博士在做一些“心理圖”的東西

which first came about in the 1960s,

這產生於1960年左右

where you create these complex psychological profiles

你去對消費者勾勒出

of consumers.

描述複雜的心理檔案。

But psychographics really haven't had a huge impact on the media business.

但是心理圖並沒有對媒體業產生重大的影響

It's really just been basic demographics.

只是停留在基礎的人口分類學上而已。

So I'm at the Norman Lear Center at USC,

我在南加大的Norman Lear中心

and we've done a lot of research over the last seven, eight years

在過去的七八年裏我們做了很多

on demographics

有關人口分類學的研究

and how they affect media and entertainment

還有其對這國家或外國娛樂媒體

in this country and abroad.

所產生的影響。

And in the last three years,

在最近的3年裏

we've been looking specifically at social media to see what has changed,

我們特別研究了社會媒體的改變

and we've discovered some very interesting things.

我們發現了一些有趣的現象。

All the people who participate in social media networks

所有使用社交媒體網路的人，

belong to the same old demographic categories

過去媒體和廣告公司爲了分析研究

that media companies and advertisers

所用的分類系統

have used in order to understand them.

也還可以套用在他們的身上。

But those categories mean even less now

但是這些分類的意義跟以前比起來

than they did before,

顯得更不重要。

because with online networking tools,

因爲這些線上的社交工具

it's much easier for us

讓我們更輕易地

to escape some of our demographic boxes.

能跳脫人口分類的框架。

We're able to connect with people quite freely

我們能自由地跟其他人聯係

and to redefine ourselves online.

還能重新定義我們在網上的身份。

And we can lie about our age online, too, pretty easily.

我們也能輕易的謊報年齡。

We can also connect with people

我們能和志同道合的人們

based on our very specific interests.

互相聯繫。

We don't need a media company

我們再也不需要媒體公司

to help do this for us.

來幫我們。

So the traditional media companies, of course,

所以這些傳統的媒體公司理所當然地

are paying very close attention to these online communities.

緊密地在注意著這些網上的群體。

They know this is the mass audience of the future;

他們知道這將是未來的目標群衆

they need to figure it out.

他們必須了解這些人。

But they're having a hard time doing it

但是這些人不像以前那麽容易了解

because they're still trying to use demographics in order to understand them,

原因在於媒體公司還是用以前的分類來分析

because that's how ad rates are still determined.

因爲這是決定廣告費用的標準。

When they're monitoring your clickstream --

當他們監視你的點擊率

and you know they are --

你也知道你是被監視的

they have a really hard time

他們很難去分析出

figuring out your age, your gender and your income.

你的年齡、性別和收入。

They can make some educated guesses.

他們據以往經驗也許能猜出些端倪

But they get a lot more information

但是他們得到的資訊

about what you do online,

大部分是關於你爲何上網

what you like, what interests you.

你喜歡什麽、對什麽有興趣

That's easier for them to find out than who you are.

這比你是誰還容易猜到

And even though that's still sort of creepy,

雖然這聽起來讓人覺得怪怪的

there is an upside

但是有人監視你的興趣

to having your taste monitored.

還是有些好處的。

Suddenly our taste is being respected

突然間我們的喜好品味

in a way that it hasn't been before.

得到了前所未有的重視。

It had been presumed before.

在這之前都是別人幫我們設定好了。

So when you look online at the way people aggregate,

你現在要是看看網路上人們聚集的原因

they don't aggregate

這不是因爲大家

around age, gender and income.

有相同的年齡、性別或收入。

They aggregate around the things they love,

大家聚在一起是因爲

the things that they like,

有相同的嗜好。

and if you think about it, shared interests and values

你如果再想想，

are a far more powerful aggregator of human beings

相同的嗜好，這個聚集人們的因素

than demographic categories.

比起年齡來是要強許多的。

I'd much rather know

我會比較想去知道

whether you like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"

你喜不喜歡"捉鬼者巴菲(Buffy the Vampire Slayer)”

rather than how old you are.

而不是你今年幾嵗。

That would tell me something more substantial about you.

這比年紀還帶來更多的資訊。

Now there's something else that we've discovered about social media

我們還發現社會媒體

that's actually quite surprising.

一個驚人之處

It turns out that women

那就是女人

are really driving the social media revolution.

正在帶領著社會媒體革命。

If you look at the statistics --

你如果看看統計數字

these are worldwide statistics --

這些是世界的統計數字

in every single age category,

在每一個年齡層裏

women actually outnumber men

使用社交網路科技的女人

in their use of social networking technologies.

都比男人要來得多。

And then if you look at the amount of time

你要是再看看

that they spend on these sites,

她們花在這些網站的時間

they truly dominate the social media space,

女人真的主導了社會媒體的使用

which is a space that's having a huge impact

而社會媒體進一步又對傳統媒體

on old media.

有重大的影響。

The question is: what sort of impact

所以問題是，這對我們的文化

is this going to have on our culture,

會帶來什麽樣的衝擊

and what's it going to mean for women?

這對女人又代表了什麽意義？

If the case is that social media

如果說社會媒體

is dominating old media

會主導傳統媒體

and women are dominating social media,

而女人又會主導社會媒體的話，

then does that mean that women

這是不是意味著說

are going to take over global media?

女人會接管全球的媒體呢？

Are we suddenly going to see

我們是不是將會

a lot more female characters in cartoons

在卡通、遊戲、或電視節目裏

and in games and on TV shows?

看到更多的女性角色的出現呢？

Will the next big-budget blockbuster movies

下一部好萊塢的超級大製作

actually be chick flicks?

會不會是女性電影呢？

Could this be possible,

未來我們的媒體

that suddenly our media landscape

是不是有可能

will become a feminist landscape?

變得更有女性主義呢？

Well, I actually don't think that's going to be the case.

我並不這樣認爲。

I think that media companies are going to hire a lot more women,

我認爲媒體公司將會雇用更多的女性員工

because they realize this is important for their business,

因爲他們了解這對公司是重要的。

and I think that women

我也認爲

are also going to continue to dominate

女性會繼續主導

the social media sphere.

社會媒體。

But I think women are actually going to be -- ironically enough --

很諷刺地，我也認爲

responsible for driving a stake through the heart

女性會帶起一陣軟性

of cheesy genre categories

輕薄俗的片種

like the "chick flick"

像是女性影片

and all these other genre categories

或其他這一類的影片

that presume that certain demographic groups

那種由人口分類學假設的

like certain things --

某個年齡層會喜歡某種類型的影片

that Hispanics like certain things,

像拉丁裔的人喜歡某些事物

that young people like certain things.

年輕人喜歡某些事物。

This is far too simplistic.

這樣的推論還是太簡單化了。

The future entertainment media that we're going to see

將來的媒體會是

is going to be very data-driven,

十分資料導向的

and it's going to be based on the information

將會是基於

that we ascertain from taste communities online,

我們調查線上社群的喜好品味來設計的

where women are really driving the action.

而這裡會由女性來主導。

So you may be asking, well why is it important

你可能會問，爲什麽知道

that I know what entertains people?

什麽帶給人們歡樂是重要的？

Why should I know this?

爲什麽我需要知道這些？

Of course, old media companies and advertisers

當然，傳統的媒體和廣告公司

need to know this.

需要知道這些。

But my argument is that,

但是我的理論是

if you want to understand the global village,

你如果想了解地球村

it's probably a good idea that you figure out

你最好要去知道

what they're passionate about, what amuses them,

他們喜歡什麽，對什麽感興趣

what they choose to do in their free time.

有空時作什麽消遣。

This is a very important thing to know about people.

這對了解人們來説是很重要的。

I've spent most of my professional life

我大部分的職業生涯

researching media and entertainment

都花在了解媒體和娛樂

and its impact on people's lives.

還有他們對人們生活的影響。

And I do it not just because it's fun --

我之所以這麽做不止是因爲這很有趣

though actually, it is really fun --

事實上，這真的很有趣，

but also because

也還因爲

our research has shown over and over again

我們的研究一再顯示

that entertainment and play

娛樂和遊戲

have a huge impact on people's lives --

對人們的生活有深遠的影響

for instance, on their political beliefs

譬如說，對他們的政治理念

and on their health.

和他們的健康都有影響。

And so, if you have any interest in understanding the world,

再者，你如果對了解這世界有興趣

looking at how people amuse themselves

可以看看人們如何娛樂自己

is a really good way to start.

這是個很好的研究起點。

So imagine a media atmosphere

所以，想像一個媒體

that isn't dominated by lame stereotypes

不是被殘缺的

about gender

性別、或其他年齡層的

and other demographic characteristics.

刻板印象所主導。

Can you even imagine what that looks like?

你能想像那會是怎麽樣的一個情景嗎？

I can't wait to find out what it looks like.

我真是等不及去看那會是怎麽樣。

Thank you so much.

謝謝大家。

(Applause)

（掌聲）