It can be said that we inhabit a post-human world—an existence characterised by smartphones and social media, genetically modified food and IVF babies, life-extending technologies and prosthetic enhancements. In The Posthuman (2013), Rosi Braidotti offers a roadmap for navigating the global effects of this post-human predicament—one in which clear distinctions between the human and the non-human no longer hold, the nature–culture divide is destabilised, and man’s privileged status is under attack. The situation we find ourselves in, Braidotti argues, is neither dystopian technological nightmare nor futuristic fantasy but one that requires complex and nuanced critical responses to issues of subjectivity, ethics and politics. In the four chapters comprising The Posthuman, Braidotti outlines her vision of the post-human future based on an affirmative politics, which ‘combines critique with creativity in the pursuit of alternative visions and projects’ (54). As a feminist antihumanist, Braidotti expresses little nostalgia for the concept of ‘Man’ and its associated individualism, Eurocentrism and anthropocentrism. Chapter 1 ‘Post-Humanism: Life Beyond the Self’ charts the Humanist/anti-humanist debates to draw attention to the crisis of the human and the opportunity it affords to imagine alternative subjectivities grounded in relationality and the interconnection between the self and others (49). Methodologically, Braidotti adopts a feminist politics of location in her critique of various Humanist traditions. There is a profound reflexivity to her writing as she guides the reader through the intellectual trajectory that has resulted in her nomadic, affirmative politics. It is a legacy that incorporates social movements of the 1960s/1970s, as well as the continental feminism of Irigaray and Kristeva. Spinoza and Deleuze and Guattari also feature as philosophical touchstones from which she advances her vision for the posthuman as a ‘relational subject constituted in and by multiplicity, that is to say a subject that works across differences and is also internally differentiated, but still grounded and accountable’ (49). By framing her argument within the narrative of her own intellectual story, the book conveys an immediacy and intimacy not often found in academic prose. Stylistically, it is as though we are inside her head—a post-human experience, indeed. Her writing is as expansive and impressive as you would expect—a swarm of ideas assuredly curated into a compelling argument for generating new forms of subjectivity and ethical relations to confront the challenges of a post-human existence. Consistent with existing feminist appraisals of the post-human (Halberstam and Livingston 1995; Hayles 1999; Toffoletti 2007), Braidotti acknowledges the complexity of the post-human predicament, seeking alternative frameworks to think about post-human subjectivity in non-dualistic ways. What Braidotti brings to these debates is an emphasis on materialism by way of Spinozist monism. In championing the relational, embodied and embedded qualities of post-human existence, Braidotti reprises the concept of zoe—a generative and vitalist force that allows for connections and affinities to be made across

Book review : the posthuman

Editor Mary Spongberg Reviews Editor Nicole Moore Assistant Editor Cathy Hawkins  International Corresponding Editors Rosi Braidotti, Utrecht University, The Netherlands Karen Brodkin, University of California at Los Angeles, USA Antoinette Burton, University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign, USA Claire Colebrook, Penn State, Pennsylvania, USA Hilary Fraser, Birkbeck College, University of London, Britain Sneja Gunew, University of British Columbia, Canada Veena Poonacha, SNDT Women’s University, India Rosemary Pringle, Southampton University, Britain Elizabeth Wilson, Emory University, USA  Editorial Board Margaret Allen, University of Adelaide Ien Ang, University of Western Sydney Barbara Baird, Flinders University Alison Bartlett, University of Western Australia Katherine Biber, University of Technology, Sydney Frances Bonner, University of Queensland Helene Bowen Raddeker, University of New South Wales Dorothy Broom, Australian National University Amanda Card, University of Sydney Ann Curthoys, University of Sydney Maryanne Dever, Monash University Ros Diprose, University of New South Wales Anni Dugdale, University of Canberra Robyn Ferrell, University of Melbourne Carole Ferrier, University of Queensland Ann Game, University of New South Wales Moira Gatens, University of Sydney Ann Genovese, University of Melbourne Anna Gibbs, University of Western Sydney Fiona Giles, University of Sydney Regina Graycar, University of Sydney Patricia Grimshaw, University of Melbourne Victoria Haskins, University of Newcastle Margaret Henderson, University of Queensland Claire Hooker, University of Sydney Annamarie Jagose, University of Auckland Carol Johnson, University of Adelaide Helen Keane, Australian National University Vicki Kirby, University of New South Wales Kate Lilley, University of Sydney Natalya Lusty, University of Sydney Martha Macintyre, University of Melbourne Vera Mackie, University of Wollongong JaneMaree Maher, Monash University Aileen Moreton‐Robinson, Queensland University of Technology Fiona Paisley, Griffith University Elspeth Probyn, University of South Australia Celia Roberts, Lancaster University Barbara Sullivan, University of Queensland Clara Tuite, University of Melbourne Catherine Waldby, University of Sydney Terri‐ann White, University of Western Australia

Australian Feminist Studies

This mixed methods study explored how social media use informed physical activity and diet-related behaviours, and self-perceived Quality of Life (QoL) during COVID-19, and assessed the contextual factors that drive social media use for health-related behaviour change in diverse groups. During the COVID-19 lockdown periods there were reported changes to social media use and health behaviours, and this gave an opportunity to investigate potential relationships. An explanatory sequential research design of two parts was used: (1) An online survey that assessed social media use in relation to physical activity levels, diet quality and QoL (n = 786; Mage 45.1 ± 19.1 (range 16–88) years; Female =69%); (2) 20 purposive focus groups (n = 69; Mage = 52.88 ± 18.45 years, Female n = 68%) to understand the contextual factors that drive social media use for health-related behaviour change. Descriptive and thematic analysis were conducted. Participants in this study reported that social media facilitated the self-management of behaviours related to physical activity, diet and QoL, through access to information to inform workouts and dietary quality, and the opportunities for interaction with peers, family members and within social groups. Contextual factors including work, home and lifestyle arrangements, pre-existing health-related knowledge and behaviours, and the perceived value of social media for health influenced the relationship between social media use and self-reported outcomes. Social media influencers, peers/family members, and official organisations influenced the application of health-related information accessed via social media. The evidence shows that participants were critical users of social media and were able to use social media to derive benefit for their health and wellbeing. Detailed guidance for those who use social media, as well as those who recommend and endorse social media content is required to maximise the potential of social media to support health behaviours. Future public health strategies and social media interventions should acknowledge diversity in contextual factors driving social media use for health behaviour change.

/pdf/social-media-use-informing-behaviours-related-to-physical-56c9l21a4b.pdf

Social media use informing behaviours related to physical activity, diet and quality of life during COVID-19: a mixed methods study.

The labour of visual authenticity on social media: Exploring producers’ and audiences’ perceptions on Instagram

The body’s active role in the production of gendered embodiments is a key focus for feminist cultural studies and leisure studies. The article draws on new materialist feminist scholarship to explo...

Creating Distance from Body Issues: Exploring New Materialist Feminist Possibilities for Renegotiating Gendered Embodiment

This article builds on a growing body of research on social media and authenticity through examining practices of ‘keeping it raw’ in fitness cultures on Instagram. Such practices include posting u...

Keeping it raw on the ‘gram: Authenticity, relatability and digital intimacy in fitness cultures on Instagram:

The Life Patterns research program is designed to follow patterns in young people's lives over time to gain a holistic understanding of the ways in which two generations of young Australians are responding to a rapidly changing world. This report draws together longitudinal data collected from the two cohorts that are part of the Life Patterns project. Cohort 1, which left secondary school in 1991, corresponds to the popular notion of 'Generation X'. Cohort 2, which left secondary school in 2006, corresponds to the popular notion of 'Generation Y', or the 'Millennials'. The analysis shows that there are many more similarities than differences between Cohorts 1 and 2. Both have struggled with balancing their lives and both highly value family and job security, placing them as their top priorities in life. For both cohorts, gaining work in their chosen field has taken (and continues to take) longer than they anticipated. These intergenerational commonalities are an indication of their belonging to a particular period of Australian economic, social and cultural history.

/pdf/life-patterns-comparing-the-generations-5e0u4dn26y.pdf

Life patterns: comparing the generations

The female body on Instagram: Is fit the new it?

Within each report, each case study is a snapshot of an actual
research project currently being conducted in the YRC. Our
researchers are sharing their experiences and offering their
advice for conducting social research in an increasingly complex
and diverse societal environment. The practices presented
in this series of research reports reflect the innovative
and contemporary research methodologies and methods
undertaken by YRC staff and students. Some of the methods
illustrated here are traditional but employed in new ways; while
other methodologies and methods depart from conventional
research practices to cover more innovative practices to
investigate and understand the multidimensional ways of being
young in the twenty-first century.

https://minerva-access.unimelb.edu.au/bitstream/handle/11343/221005/MGSE-ResearchingYoungLives_Vol2.pdf

Josie Reade

Papers

Keeping it raw on the ‘gram: Authenticity, relatability and digital intimacy in fitness cultures on Instagram:

Life patterns: comparing the generations

The female body on Instagram: Is fit the new it?

Researching Young Lives: Methodologies, Methods, Practices and Perspectives. Volume 2.

Gen Y on Gen Y