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UAL Extended Diploma in Creative Media

Production and Technology - Final Major Project Proposal - Self Image On Social Media.

For the assignment brief of Unit 13: My Final Major Project, I have been asked to produce a media based project, in which the subject will be independently determined, introduced, investigated, and evaluated by myself while bearing in mind a relevant and appropriate context.

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Rationale: Whilst studying in my final year of a UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma in Creative Media Production course, I have been focusing on enhancing my written and digital skills, hence, I've decided to highlight both skills through written online written blog posts and a digital design piece based on self-image on social media, including the mental and physical pressures that are placed on people who are affected by what they see. My intention for this Final Major Project (FMP) is to concentrate on completing my final productions while paying close attention to detail, which is something I struggle with often. Another goal of mine is to gain confidence in using Adobe Illustrator by experimenting with techniques and learning more about the software so that I can effectively translate

digital concepts from my mind into a digital canvas.

 

Project Concept: Self-image is an issue that I, as well as teenagers and adults who utilise any social media platform, face on a regular basis. Consumers of social media are constantly comparing themselves to a toxic, unhealthy lifestyle that has become normalised online. Contributing to unnecessary beauty stereotypes, which leads to stress, poor self-esteem, insecurities, social anxiety, feeling unworthy, not good enough, and a body dysmorphic illness, all of which introduce an unhealthy mental state. Throughout my self-image journey, my focus has shifted onto how the online world effortlessly influences the mind into judging our appearance based on fabricated, edited, and unrealistic photos. Which is why, taking into consideration that I have a limited amount of time to complete my entire FMP, I aim to target and educate anyone of any age who may use social media and are self-conscious of their bodies due to social media norms. In order to achieve my desired final outcome, I will be primarily separating my written article into three blog posts using Wix.com which will cover my personal experience with self-image as well as exploring social media platforms, the dark side of social media, why social media was developed and what it has become, and how we are vulnerable to beauty standards and the online glamorised fake world, which is correlated to mental health issues, as well as celebrities, influencers, and social media, as well as the dopamine effect and the algorithm behaviour modification tool. Following this, I plan to use Adobe Illustrator to produce a digital illustration, which tells the story of two women, who have healthy bodies but are trolled because they simply do not match body stereotypes advertised on social media platforms and were made to feel uncomfortable. I will be acknowledging and providing organisations who can provide support to those in need mentally and emotionally.

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Evaluation: To assess the progress of my FMP, I will make notes of my weekly progress via my project action plan, which will outline what I intend to do, what resources I will use, and when each activity will be achieved. Since I am not yet fully confident with Adobe Creative Suite software, I will be taking advice/suggestions from my classmates and tutor on how I can develop my visual designs. Since I have difficulty keeping focused, I will be continuously relaying my work to my teacher to ensure that I remain on track and am able to enhance every part of my work as needed throughout this project, as I am required to receive a merit grade for future educational progression. As I approach the end of my FMP, my main objectives are to have three blog posts and one digital art piece produced, which will be visible on my wix.com website. 

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Detailed Project Action Plan.

WEEKLY PROGRESS.png

Proposed Research and Sources:

 

My research process will consist of going over various media sources including youtube videos such as The unrealistic toxic beauty standards is deadly & social media is ruining your life & mental health and websites which are based on the harmful side of social media, body positivity and dissecting the toxic lifestyle that has become normalised online. I will also be rewatching a netflix documentary called “The Social Dilemma”, and reading “Ten Arguments for deleting your social media accounts right now”,authored by Jaron Lanier which covers the physiological and technical side of social media platforms .I will be using Pinterest as a source of research and inspiration for ideas as I aim to to portray the issue of self-image,trolling and beauty standards through a digital illustration. Following the point when I have gathered research and information, I will explain the toxic side of social media and how it affects us mentally, physically and technically .

 

Bibliography -

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© 2021 by Larayeeb Ali

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