Paramedia is a cultural theory for studying digital interfaces.
Semiotics helps us to uncover the underlying meanings of media, and ultimately, how media messages shape culture.
Digital media demands a specific kind of semiotics — one that focuses on how messages are framed inside dynamic and interactive interfaces.
Interfaces are neutral in appearance, and all the time simpler and less visible. That is, exactly, the reason to study them: every interface has a goal, and effect on the user, and an effect on culture.
Based on textual studies, interface studies and analytics, this theory helps us to make meaning of the experiences that interfaces and their contents bring us.
Ultimately, it helps us to uncover the invisible forces that interfaces exert over us, daily, and that shape our culture.
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What do interfaces want?
Interfaces are not neutral. They are constantly leading us towards something — to watch a video, read a post, listen to a song or buy a product.
More importantly, interfaces are designed to provoke feelings and evoke emotions.
And lastly, the continuous use of interfaces creates what is "normal" when it comes to media usage.
I call paramedia the elements that help us to identify the content we want to consume, and make our decision whether or not to consume it.
The theory of paramedia blends critical discourse analysis, cultural analysis, marketing, service design, UX, UI, analytics and conversion optimization.
Based on the first interface widely available — the book — this conceptual framework includes cultural, interactive and attribution elements to it, making design work and qualitative or quantitative analysis easy, clear and relevant.
Every interface element that surrounds the content you are looking for influences your decision on whether or not to consume it.
The comments around a YouTube video, the number of likes on a Facebook post, the number of retweets or the verified badge on an Instagram profile — every surrounding element influences our interpretation of content.
That's the domain of paramedia.
Who? Why?
Paramedia studies offer Academic tools for qualitative analysis of interfaces, close readings and quantitative analysis and attribution, as well.
They are interesting for scholars, students and researchers in the field of digital culture, contemporary culture, screen culture, marketing, UX, UI, design and digital textual practice researchers.
Design thinkers and doers of all kinds may also benefit from the proposed structure.
Academic research referencing paramedia
The Ethos of Digital Environments: Technology, Literary Theory and Philosophy: Perspectives on the Non-Human in Literature and Culture
Editors Susanna Lindberg, Hanna-Riikka Roine
Routledge, 2021
Literacy Sponsorship and Official Paratexts: Promoting Character Literacy through the For the Strength of Youth Booklets (1965-2011)
DS Malinconico - 2020 - nsuworks.nova.edu
On the dynamic interaction between peritext and epitext: Punch magazine as a case study
Tyrkkö, Jukka, Räikkönen, Jenni. 2020 (English)In: The Dynamics of Text and Framing Phenomena: Historical approaches to paratext and metadiscourse in English / [ed] Matti Peikola, Birte Bös, Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2020, p. 33-61.
The Evolving Interplay between Social Media and International Health Security: A Point of View
K Conti, S Desai, SP Stawicki… - … and Perspectives in …, 2020 - intechopen.com
Reception and revision of women-related translation paratexts: South Korean cases
SB Lee - The Translator, 2020 - Taylor & Francis
Rinse, Repeat: Paratextual Poetics of Literary Twitter Collage Retweeted
L Piippo - Image and Narrative, 2019 - jyx.jyu.fi
Understanding the Dynamics of User-Generated Translation on YouTube: A Bourdieusian Perspective.
E Krasnopeyeva - New Voices in Translation Studies, 2018
Reframing Salman Rushdie: The Politics of Representation and New Media in Transnational Public Culture
T Ravy - 2018 - search.proquest.com
“The Man Who Would Be Popular”: An Analysis of Salman Rushdie's Twitter Feed
T Ravy - The Journal of Commonwealth Literature, 2017 - journals.sagepub.com
Kohti pelisivistystä
M Meriläinen - helda.helsinki.fi
Peixe-elétrico# 05: Silviano
AP Pacheco, B Rodrigues, FR Vassoler, R Roye, R Lísias, S Tavares, ...
e-galáxia
Paramedia: Thresholds of the social text
S Tavares
Jyväskylä studies in humanities
What is an author in social media?
S Tavares
MIT8 Public Media, Private Media: Media in Transition International …
Why Do We Write as We Write
S Tavares
Brill
Paratextual Prometheus. Digital Paratexts on YouTube, Vimeo and Prometheus Transmedia Campaign
S Tavares
International Journal of Transmedia Literacy (IJTL) 1, 175-195
Writing in social media
S Tavares
Why do We Write as We Write? Paradigms, Power, Poetics, Praxis, 125-132
The Gaze of Magibon: critical discourse analysis on multi-million viewed YouTube videos
ST Filho
2nd Global Conference in Digital Culture 2 (1)
Related events to design & paramedia
Workshop: Service Design Performance Indicators for Helsinki University Student Services
The team behind the design and development of Helsinki University student services gather to understand how to define, measure and design solutions for current digital experience problems. With Design & Development Teams.
Digitalist Group @ Helsinki University, Helsinki, 2019.
Lecture: Media, Paramedia & Performance Indicators
Master Degree on Contemporary Culture, combining the framework of paramedia, value propositions and the consumer marketing funnel.
University of Jyväskylä, 2019.
Speaker: The Datafied Consumer
Discussions on customer journey mapping with qualitative data, quantitatively. Nordic Morning Executive Breakfast with Emarsys.
Helsinki, 2017.
Speaker: Mind the Map, an ebook for mapping customer journeys
How to map the customer journey in a lean, yet data-rich way?
Messukeskus, Markkinoinnin viikko, 2016.
Speaker: What Yoko Ono Had For Breakfast: Authorship in Twitter
Media In Transition 8: Massachusetts Institute of Technology:
Cambridge, MA, 2013.
Speaker: Paratextual Prometheus: Transmedia, author, paratexts
Transmedia Literacy Conference
Program in Digital Culture (IN3 — Universitat Oberta de Catalunya): Barcelona, 2013.
Course: Media practices
Interactions Master of Arts program
University of Jyväskylä, 2012.
Lecture: Power & Paramedia
Master Degree on Interactions
Aalto University, 2011.
Lecture: Power & Paramedia
Digital Culture Summer School
Nordic Digital Culture Network, 2011.
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