The Underrated Media Niche that Caters to 50% of the Population
First and foremost, what is media ethnography?
In today’s digital world, media ethnography has become a valuable research tool to gain insights into the experiences and perspectives of people within various social contexts. Media niches play a key role within the digital environment and its virtual communities, catering content to specific sub-audiences with unique technological and social characteristics. This diverse ecosystem of audiences actively shape niches through agency, empathy and parasocial relations (Lamarre 2019), and influences the temporal and spatial dynamics of the niche.
Media ethnography is focused on the context of the media, rather than the content itself. It examines the intricacies of media niches, including when and where people engage with content, and how it integrates into their everyday lives.
So, what is my media niche?
Hormonal Health and Fitness for Women
“Social media has become ubiquitous, with more people accessing web-based medical content by following links on social media than through direct searches.”
(Alvarez-Mon et al. 2021).
The Hormonal Health and Fitness for Women niche is an empowering space that caters to female wellbeing with a focus on their hormonal needs and challenges. This niche encompasses topics such as understanding the menstrual cycle’s impact on exercise and nutrition, managing hormonal imbalances, addressing issues related to menopause and hormonal disorders (such as PCOS), and optimising hormonal health through lifestyle choices.
As a woman affected by PCOS, and with keen interest in health, fitness, and the influence of hormones, I find this niche particularly captivating. Additionally, I plan to use my qualifications in fitness (Cert IV + starting a Masters Certificate in Female Fitness Programming) to specialise in this field in the future.
Ecology of the niche – What are the key features, locations, audiences and key players?
Examples from popular platforms:
As stated by Daymon & Holloway, throughout this project, my responsibility as an ethnographer is to describe, analyse and interpret the different social realities of members within this niche and the communication activities that occur. I am excited to delve deeper into understanding the context of this niche through qualitative research methods, and look forward to developing theories about this media fits into the everyday lives of the people who consume it.
Reference list
- Daymon, C & Holloway, I 2011, Qualitative research methods in public relations and marketing communications, National Library of Australia (new catalog), 2nd ed, Routledge, New York, NY, pp. 145–163, viewed 29 July 2023, <https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/4981692>.
- Lamarre, T 2019, The Anime Ecology, University of Minnesota Press, viewed 29 July 2023, <https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/the-anime-ecology>.
- Alvarez-Mon, MA, Donat-Vargas, C, Llavero-Valero, M, Gea, A, Alvarez-Mon, M, Martinez-Gonzalez, MA & Lopez-del Burgo, C 2021, ‘Analysis of Media Outlets on Women’s Health: Thematic and Quantitative Analyses Using Twitter’, Frontiers in Public Health, vol. 9.
- Weiss, N 2022, How to Manage Your Hormone Health with Food, Intimina, viewed 1 August 2023, <https://www.intimina.com/blog/balanced-diet-for-hormone-health/>.
- @jojesolva 2022, JO | Women’s Health + Wellness (@jojesolva), TikTok, viewed 8 August 2023, <https://www.tiktok.com/@jojesolva>.
- @drcorinadunlap 2023, Hormone Infographic, Instagram.
- DocJenFit 2019, Hormones, Diet & Women’s Health, www.youtube.com, viewed 1 August 2023, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzAIChbWUCY>.
- Russell, R n.d., Rebecca Russell | Gut Health Dietitian (thesocialnutritionist) – Profile, Pinterest, viewed 18 August 2023, <https://www.pinterest.com.au/thesocialnutritionist/>.