ABSTRACT
Readings consider music and new media broadly defined: media created by or for the Millennial generation (including Beyonce’s Formation video and Amy Schumer’s parody thereof) reflects postracial Whiteness and hampers understanding of contemporary racism; the authentication strategies used by White rappers, who are often criticized for appropriating Black culture; Eminem’s Love the Way You Lie strengthens cultural myths about domestic violence and normalizes men’s violence against women; the main themes of anti-gay hate speech on the internet; how the podcast My Favorite Murder feminizes true crime and promotes middle-class White feminism over intersectional feminism; sexualized imagery in current rap music, with special attention to Nicki Minaj; how the Minnesota Lynx have used social media to advocate for social justice; analyzing Maru’s (a Japanese dog) Instagram posts using the lens of Cuteness Studies to investigate race, gender, and sexuality; and how a groundbreaking web comedy series (The Guild) both challenged and reinforced stereotypes related to race, gender, and nerds/gamers.
