“Crocodile Dundee”, the 1986 comedy film, could be considered one of the most legendary and iconic Australian-based films to many, more specifically, people who don’t live in Australia (such as the UK and America). The famous film has in itself orchestrated a persona that still lives on today and into the future. This persona is a very individual and one-minded stereotype of Australia and its culture. This stereotype extends to the accent, customs, characteristics, and perception of Australians. The movie did provide a well-rounded push for tourism in Australia needed at the time, putting the country on a pedestal, however, it has been speculated that it has since impacted Australia in a negative light in more recent years. The film has been noted to represent Australians as quite sexist, racist, and negative human beings, which is obviously a very false and inaccurate representation of the majority.

Crocodile Dundee revolutionised the 80’s for Australia. In an article by Tourism Australia, they wrote “Crocodile Dundee put Australia on the map for Americans in the ’80s. The film helped shape their view of Australia, showing them our country’s natural beauty and Australians’ friendly and welcoming nature. And it remains relevant today, with our research showing that Mick ‘Crocodile’ Dundee is still a character Americans believe warmly represents the Australian way of life.” (Tourism, 2018). As stated, the film and its famous actor, Paul Hogan, skyrocketed Australian tourism in the 80s and gave Australia the push it needed into the global market. The effect the film has had on Australia is still present today, the iconic representation of Australia drawing millions of people to the country yearly. Paul Hogan became an Australian legend after the film premiered, essentially becoming the face of the country globally in the 80s. In an article by Bulletin Bite, it quoted “Paul Hogan successfully created a pop culture fantasy romanticisation of what Australian life is like that has persisted over the decades. Even in recent years, Americans who have never been to Australia think of it as one big rural town where people casually wrestle with crocodiles on their way to work…All in all, Paul Hogan has had a massive impact on Australian culture and how it is perceived both within and outside of the country”(Stump, 2023). The article goes on to state that the film and actor single handily visualised the country in one sitting. Paul then became the advertisement of the country, appearing in nearly all advertising campaigns about Australia and pushing the way for international tourism. The classic quote “Throw another shrimp on the barbie” was implemented into the newly perceived persona and culture observed by tourists. Due to the lack of internet and technology in the 80s, the movie truly identified those who had not yet been. As the article by Bulletin Bite stated “Americans who have never been to Australia think of it as one big rural town where people casually wrestle with crocodiles on their way to work” (Stump, 2023) and this was all due to the single film, which not only presented this unique, singular point of view but also previewed Australia’s beautiful scenery. Film and television in the 80s were for many, the only way to preview different countries and cultures due to the lack of technological advancements of the time. This in turn, with the success of Crocodile Dundee, lead many individuals to believe the film’s features to ring true, such as the exaggerated accents, insane gestures, very different customs, and an overall way of living life.

Although the film highlighted many of Australia’s beautiful attributes such as its serene backdrop and features of its intricate culture, the film has since had a more negative impact on both the country and the film industry. With the launch of a parody trailer made in more recent years, with large Australian celebrities such as Hugh Jackman, Margot Robbie, and Chris Hemsworth, the original film has been highly critiqued and reflected on. The largest critique is that of the stereotyped “Australian White Bloke” branched from the 1986 film. In a reading by the Conversation, the author wrote “There is much damaging about this legend of the ordinary, Aussie bloke: its exclusion of those who don’t fit the white, able-bodied, hetero norm; its impact on men’s mental health; its ties with colonialism and the subjugation of women and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures” (Conversation, 2019). The article addressed that not only has it signified that a white male who is dignified as a “true Australian” must be blunt, straight forward and always the hero, but it is not okay for them to be vulnerable or understanding. It also steers away from who are the true Australians, which of course are the original custodians of the land. The article goes on to state “Characters like Crocodile Dundee are now critiqued for being sexist, racist, and homophobic, and performing masculinity is regarded as a major form of oppression for men. The stoicism of the Aussie Bloke can lead to poor mental health, as men are forced to embody a narrow definition of Australian masculinity.” (Conversation, 2019) once again, the film presented many false attributes of Australians which still affects the individual today and how outsiders perceive what they believe an Australian should be like.

Not only has Crocodile Dundee affected Australia itself but also its film industry. The whopper of a film brought an influx of millions of dollars to the film industry and tourism of the country. Many people from across the world anticipated films alike in the future and there was much hope of similar films being presented. Yet, this was short-lived, and the hype faded. Films were being produced internationally yet they were of a different genre and underwhelming to the international market. The sequel of the film was a fluke and the overall representation of the first film could not be matched by other productions. The film dampened other ideas about Australia majorly.

Crocodile Dundee is by far one of the most controversial films Australia has produced, yet its impact and representation is everlasting, whether good or bad.

Resources:

Andrea Waling Research fellow (2022) Paul Hogan and the myth of the White Aussie Bloke, The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/paul-hogan-and-the-myth-of-the-white-aussie-bloke-124281 (Accessed: March 19, 2023).

Crocodile Dundee inspires New American tourism push – corporate – tourism Australia (2018) Tourism Australia Corporate Website – Tourism Australia. Available at: https://www.tourism.australia.com/en/news-and-events/news-stories/crocodile-dundee-inspires-new-american-tourism-push.html (Accessed: March 19, 2023).

Stump, E. (2023) The impact of Paul Hogan on Australian culture, Bulletin Bite. Available at: https://www.bulletinbite.com.au/the-impact-of-paul-hogan-on-australian-culture/ (Accessed: March 19, 2023).

Aside from making my very own digital artefact, one of the informative and exciting parts of digital artefact-based subjects is giving constructive feedback. Diving into other people’s work and reviewing what they are doing not only can help the individual but also myself as I can see what I can be doing better or what I can add to my own work.

ERIN WAUGH REVIEW

Erin has a preexisting knowledge and understanding of digital marketing that she is hoping to bring forward into this digital artefact. She has done previous digital marketing work for small companies and wants to expand her work to other small businesses, helping them find their niche and establish a strong presence online. She is hoping to do this by branching out to small businesses around her local area, reaching out both in person and online. In specific, she wants to target fitness-centred businesses such as yoga and pilates centres nearby. Erin proposed she would focus on discovering the business’ niches and presenting this said niche online through Instagram and other social media platforms, using both creative and informative purposes to create a strong online presence for her clients. Erin quoted in her pitch “Based on my background as a digital marketer and interest in pilates and yoga, I’ve noticed that studio owners need a solid social media presence to engage with existing members and achieve exposure to non-members. So my digital artefact is going to be a digital marketing agency that specialises in pilates and yoga studios.”

Her methodology being to:

• Establish business name, logo, branding etc. 
• Create an instagram and facebook account for business
• Create and plan engaging + informative posts that are related to my niche
• Run ads to reach initial audience
• Communicating with audience through socials (analytics + polls) but also identifying audience responses from already well established existing accounts 
• Continue researching my field and niche and apply that new knowledge throughout project

For Erin’s digital artefact to thoroughly work and run smoothly, I recommend she begins her own social media marketing pages on social media such as Instagram, Facebook and Linkedin. By doing so, she can expand coverage of her services and have the ability to through these platforms, reach out to small businesses through their messaging services. She can simultaneously advertise her clients and promote her own brand, benefiting essentially both herself and the people she can work for. I’m really excited to see what direction Erin’s digital artefacts takes and the advancement of the work she is doing for small businesses.

Erin’s pitch: https://erinwaugh.home.blog/2022/08/12/bcm302-da-pitch/

TORI SAROS REVIEW

Tori is taking part in a collaborative digital artefact called “The creative services team” or the @digitalmemo. Her along with other fellow students in her group are providing services such as social media marketing and consultations around how to expand social media presence/take advantage of the services social media provides. Tori is overseeing the work the team does and is making sure everything runs smoothly, essentially managing the team. She quoted in her pitch “The creative services team is relevant to me as it allows me to gain experience in social media management, leadership and content creation as a whole. This project is a really good opportunity to expand my portfolio. My long-term goal would be to have my own social digital/ creative agency and this is providing a stepping stone to getting there. The services are here to help, no matter how big or small the challenge or practice is – we are understanding that not everyone can use certain apps or be a graphic designer, so we offer these services to give endless possibilities to our users”.

Moving forward I’m really excited to see the group’s digital artefact aid many people and expand across many businesses online, I am hoping that for Tori individually, she is able to put her own sense of individuality into the project and lists her input on her personal online accounts to make record of her accomplishments.

Tori’s pitch: https://torisaros.com/2022/08/12/here-to-provide-you-with-a-service-pitch/

For my final digital artefact, I will be integrating the skills and practices I learned from previous digital artefacts, forming my final product of a brand new Tiktok page called “So you are at Uni”. With my previous in-depth knowledge of Tiktok, I am hoping to create detailed Tiktoks dedicated to aiding first-year students at University (or even students from later years that want extra assistance). The page will include a series of short videos giving tips such as where to park at the university, apps they should get to assist them, carpool and what to bring to class as well as tricks I have learnt along the way. I want the page to also be a place students can come to when feeling stressed about assignments and exams, so I will be making videos with breathing exercises and activities to calm my audience down.

For my final DA, I'm creating a safe space for first-year (and all) students who need assistance in starting up, I'll be sharing all my tips, tricks and secrets. Make sure to follow my TikTok, it's live now! 🎓🤍 #BCM302 https://t.co/Ihbvmh8U7m

— jules (@juliajanej1) August 12, 2022

Along with such tips, I will interview past and present students, asking what their advice is for people just starting at university. This side of my TikTok links back to my digital artefact last semester in Future Culture where I conducted podcast-style videos with another student in the subject. I hope to do a similar layout in these types of videos on this subject. Oberlo, a digital journalism page, stated that out of the 800 million users on the application, 41% are aged between 16 and 21. The average user opens TikTok at least 9 to 10 times a day and spends around 52 minutes on the app per time (Orbelo, 2021). With this knowledge, it is clear that by starting up a new profile on TikTok is itself a large risk and will now, more than ever, be difficult to engage large amounts of attention or even any attention at all.

@soyouareatuni

#bcm302

♬ Sunny Day – Ted Fresco

As there are so many people on this prevalent social media application, it is of importance to drone in on university students specifically or even the young bracket of users on the app at large. To do this, I will be taking an entirely different approach to the application for my final digital artefact. This approach is to be direct and follow as many university students as possible. Just by following these people on TikTok, they will take notice of my account. They may not necessarily follow the account back but it will give the page more exposure overall. Along with the TikTok page, I will be exploiting my TikTok on Twitter, making multiple tweets and tagging first-year subjects to attract attention from first-year students. This guaranteed to give the page even more exposure due to the amazing active community under the BCM hashtag.

I want the page to be as open and welcoming as possible for anyone, meaning if they have any specific questions or just chat, they can reach out to me for a private consult without feeling judged or scared. My methodology and plan are quite simple – in the next week, I will make a timeline of how many videos I want to do over the course of the semester, along with when I will be tweeting and what kind of approach I will take toward interactions with my accounts. I’m really looking forward to creating content and hopefully helping people starting their journey at university as well as also learning skills along the way.

Reference:
Orbelo, 2021. 10 TikTok Statistics You Need to Know in 2021 [March data]. [online] Au.oberlo.com. Available at: <https://au.oberlo.com/blog/tiktok-statistics&gt; [Accessed 11 August 2022]

Nupol Kiazolu is an activist, leader, inspiration, pageant queen and former president of the Black Lives Matter Movement in Greater New York. At 20 years old, she is an empowering interventionist that has subsequently become the driving force for the group’s movements on domestic and sexual violence, racism, civil rights, and youth homelessness within New York City. With this brief insight into my selected interventionist, it is quite obvious on why I chose her.

Nupol Kiazolu began her activist career at the young age of 12 in 2014, being one of the youngest women at the time to run her very own protest (Perkins, 2022). her emotions of anger and confusion at such a young age lead her to tape paper of back that wrote “Do I look suspicious?”. The silent protest caused controversy amongst staff and lead to her suspension. Despite her suspension, Nupol researched and recited her civil rights, holding a peaceful protest which rounded up a majority of students at the school and staff members who were allies. Nupol walked out of the principal’s office, her suspension nulled and received a formal apology by the end of the day. Since then, Nupol has taken the world by storm. One of the many reasons she has become so impactful within our society is her use of online activism.  The young interventionist’s Instagram has accumulated over twenty-five thousand followers, the platform being used to identify and call out the quote on quote “Murderers” of victims of colour. Her posts receive thousands of shares and responses and reach a global platform daily, the organisation of protests and rallies through said posts. As heard in my visual essay, Nupol has utilised social media as simply a tool, her strategy oddly simple – the more brutal and ravage the posts, the more attention the post receives. Nupol is very blunt with her posts in conjunction, posting videos of herself and others getting teargassed, black people being attacked on streets and other distressing content that ultimately narrows people’s attention. Nupol tends to use humane types of images to draw her audience in, she wants her viewers to see the vulnerability of the victims she’s supporting. As seen through other online presences and influencers, such as Charli D’amelio, having a rallying and supportive following can drive significant change as social media presence is now more impactful than ever.

Nupol became the Black Lives Matter President at only 20 years old. The movement itself in Greater New York held hundreds of protests, rallies and thousands of people showed support online. The New York protests were some of the largest protests globally in 2020 and Nupol was behind the majority of them. The 20-year-old used social media as her driving force to invite thousands of people to join peaceful protests and rallies across the city. When asked “How does social media – like Instagram – serve as a tool for your organising and community work?” in an interview by Parachute, she responded “Social media is a powerful tool when used for good! Instagram plays a pivotal role in my work as an organizer. I’ve built organic relationships with organizers all around the world through social media. On June 2, 2020, I organized one of the largest BLM demonstrations in world history. Over 20,000 people flooded the streets of NYC in the name of Black liberation and equity. My Instagram and community presence played a pivotal role in making that possible” (Deally, 2022)

Nupol is predicted to become renowned within this decade due to her inevitable and insane success. With this success, she is hoping to push into years to come and eventually make herself president in 2032.

References

Deally, O., 2022. Passion Profile: Nupol Kiazolu — Parachute Media. [online] Parachute Media. Available at: <https://www.theparachutemedia.com/politics-activism/passion-profile-nupol-kiazolu&gt; (Accessed 29 May 2022).

Perkins, N., 2022. 11 Online Activists Using Their Platforms to Stir Social Change – AfroTech. [online] AfroTech. Available at: <https://afrotech.com/10-online-activists-using-their-platforms-to-enact-social-change-offline&gt; (Accessed 29 May 2022).

futuristic movies. I have personally found the communication delivery through Twitter very enjoyable. The delivery has helped me converse ideas, meet fellow students and even debate with said students. Discussing through Twitter has also allowed me to view the selected movie from several different lenses, as different students had various points of view and opinions on the film. Coincidentally, I had not previously seen 4 out of 5 movies, my commentary in response being much rawer and impulsive. The only downside to having not seen the movies was my attention span – I was too enthralled with the films to tweet all time!

Robot & Frank

I personally believe Robot & Frank was one of the most popular movies in this subject – and most touching too. As I discovered earlier on in the subject, each film takes a very different approach on the “Man vs Machine” concept. In this case, the movie presents man and machine working hand in hand. Frank was a relatable character, his opinion on machines being very much like our generation’s opinion towards machines – hesitant and suspicious. Yet, throughout the film, the robot and man become friends and work for hand in hand. As I commented in the tweet below “It’s interesting to see a tame and friendly robot on screen, shows a different posthumanist perspective – without fear or death like the other movies in the subject #BCM325” this specific tweet engaged quite a lot of attention, students agreeing with my opinion and then further adding their own points. This movie was the most light-hearted and warm movie of the bunch and was very enjoyable.

It’s interesting to see a tame and friendly robot on screen, shows a different post humanist perspective – without fear or death like the other movies in the subject #BCM325

— jules (@juliajanej1) April 6, 2022

Frank is essentially giving him a hug as he’s wiping his memory..i’m not crying #bcm325

— jules (@juliajanej1) April 7, 2022

The Arrival

This week’s movie was much darker than the last, and once again was an entirely different scope of the future and “Man vs Machine” concept. It was hard to engage this week due to purely once again being enthralled by the film, the film was definitely requiring continual engagement. Just like myself, I could tell it was hard for other students to engage on Twitter, obviously becoming distracted by the film as well. In opposition to “Robot & Frank” this film was much darker and eery.

Villeneuve wanted the audience to really relate the humans in the film, creating an "Us" in a sense #BCM325

— jules (@juliajanej1) April 27, 2022

It was the third film thus far following “2001 Space Odyssey” and “Ghost In The Shell (1995)” to include the concept of Aliens, presenting this idea of space and technology in the near future. My tweets were more fact-based and spread out this week, I was not engaging as much as usual due to the distraction of the film however I was still reading and gathering opinions from other students’ tweets.

looking back at the bird in the cage, it's clear to see this is how the heptapods viewed the humans, trapped in time #BCM325

— jules (@juliajanej1) April 28, 2022

Alita Battle Angel (2019)

As dramatic as this sounds, I was overwhelmed and amazed by this week’s movie. The graphics alone were futuristic in “Alita Battle Angel”. The movie also took decades to make, highlighting just how significant the advancement of film and the future of cinema itself. The roles are reversed in this film in relation to the “Man vs Machine” concept. In past films we have seen robots, in a sense, being invaders of a humane world, In “Alita Battle Angel” It is a human imposter invading a cyborg world. Viewing this movie from an entirely different lens again, after some research I learned the making of this film alone was even futuristic, the technologies used in the film were apparently beyond their year. This movie made it very clear that even though we are studying the films, the backstory and making of the film can have futuristic and advanced aspects too.

Honestly the animation in this film is insane! #bcm325 pic.twitter.com/dM7a2TUszR

— jules (@juliajanej1) May 6, 2022

Ready Player One

At this point, I feel like I’m slightly repeating myself, but my observation on this week’s film ONCE AGAIN shifted the focus and point of view on the “Man vs Machine” concept. This week, the concept was essentially immersed into one through VR technology. Man used technology as a weapon in “Ready Player One”, a large tech company buying a small-time creator’s dream VR for it to become the driving force in scamming society for their money, manual labour, and power. Many people in today’s class had multiple views on this week’s movie, sparking debate on whether technology or man is truly evil or if it is each other’s use of them that makes them a weapon.

I think this question along with other movies in this subject ask the same question – when is enough, enough when it comes to technology? #bcm325

— jules (@juliajanej1) May 11, 2022

I made a tweet stating “I think this movie along with other movies on this subject ask the same question – when is enough, enough when it comes to technology?” to which I got a response of “Is technology bad or is it how humans use technology”. My tweet caused a small debate about whether there are two evils or if technology only becomes evil in the hands of man. The movie alone highlighted that the extent of technology can be taken too far, removing us and making us severely out of touch with reality. This concept can even be viewed with the distraction of social media and the alteration of reality through apps such as Instagram and Facebook.

I love the human vs machine concept – we are seeing it through the real vs virtual lense today #bcm325

— jules (@juliajanej1) May 11, 2022

Don’t Look Up

“It isn’t potentially going to happen, it IS going to happen” #bcm325

— jules (@juliajanej1) May 18, 2022

We definitely finished off this semester with, in my opinion, the best futuristic based film to date. “Don’t Look Up” is the only film from this subject I had completed beforehand. This satirical masterpiece shows the shocking and frustrating response from humanity when threatened by a comet heading to earth. My largest engagement withing in this subject was in response to this film. The title alone shows the ignorance of humanity and how truly ignorance is bliss. Watching the movie back a second time, I found there was so much more to talk about.

The juxtaposition of the beauty of nature to the overflowing bins on a dirty street #bcm325

— jules (@juliajanej1) May 18, 2022

There were continual juxtapositions between nature and humanity as well as SEVERAL satirical punchlines that I found myself constantly wanting to tweet about. “Don’t Look Up” is the nearest future film, the heavy use of social media alone relates closely to society’s response to the COVID19 pandemic, people used social media to laugh and make memes in response to danger. Viewing the #BCM325 feed, I saw even further quotes and actions in the film that mocked society and illuminated the ignorance and closed-mindedness of our society.

They are finally looking up, but is it too late? #bcm325

— jules (@juliajanej1) May 19, 2022

Riley’s story going viral over the end of the world…shows you how audiences tend to drone in on lighter and fun stories in contrast to things that actually matter- such as climate change #bcm325

— jules (@juliajanej1) May 18, 2022

we really did have everything, didn’t we? #bcm325

— jules (@juliajanej1) May 19, 2022