OSP: Marcus Rashford - Language and Representation

Our OSP CSP is the online presence of Manchester Utd and England footballer Marcus Rashford.

This is an in-depth CSP so we need to study all four areas of the theoretical framework: Language, Representation, Audience and Industry. This first case study will focus on Language and Representation.

Introduction

Marcus Rashford is a Manchester Utd and England footballer who has used social media and the internet to create a strong brand. He has been praised for his high-profile campaigns on food poverty (putting pressure on the government to provide free school meals in holidays during Covid-19) as well as homelessness and books for children. 

We need to study his website, social media and how he has created his Marcus Rashford brand. 

Language analysis

GLOW glossary words

Convergence: When two or more media forms can be accessed in one place or one device e.g Marcus Rashford’s website also links to his books, social media feeds and video content. 

Online engagement/dialogue: Communication online e.g between a celebrity and a fan. 

Endorsement: When a celebrity or influential figure recommends something to the public. 

Website conventions

Website key conventions include:

• Logo/brand identity
• Navigation – menus
• Central image
• Multimedia features – e.g. video 
• Social media links / integration

Social media conventions

Social media key conventions include:

• Logo/brand identity
• Bio (personal details/information)
• Profile image
• Background/banner image
• Images and video
• Online engagement/audience interaction

Genre and narrative

Marcus Rashford has created a strong personal brand that merges different genres – footballer, campaigner / activist, influencer and celebrity.

His online presence – particularly video content – emphasises his working class background, how hard his mum worked as a single parent and his own positive attitude towards hard work. This creates a narrative of success against the odds. He then uses this to drive his campaigning work on food poverty and reading as well as his commercial endorsements.

Representations

Marcus Rashford’s online presence offers a real mix of representations – some reinforcing stereotypes of masculinity, footballers and race/ethnicity but at other points subverting them. 

He also looks to challenge stereotypes regarding poverty, age, people receiving benefits and social class.

Use Daniel Chandler’s representation theory of CAGE to analyse Marcus Rashford’s online presence:

C – Class (social class – working class people)

A – Age (youth)

G – Gender (masculinity)

E – Ethnicity (black British)

Blog tasks: Marcus Rashford - Language and Representations

Work through the following tasks to cover Language and Representation for our Marcus Rashford CSP:

Language

1) Make two lists - one of website conventions used on Marcus Rashford's official website and one of social media conventions found on Rashford's Twitter or Instagram pages. 

2) How does his website promote the Marcus Rashford brand?

3) What is the first page you see when you visit Marcus Rashford's website and how does this promote his brand and good causes?

4) How does Marcus Rashford use his social media profiles to promote his brand and campaigns? Give at least three examples of different posts / images / design from his social media. 

5) How does Marcus Rashford's online presence use genre and narrative to create a positive brand identity?

Representations

1) How does Rashford use different aspects of mise-en-scene (e.g. clothes/costume) to create very different representations of himself on his own website?

2) What representations of football or footballers can you find in Marcus Rashford's online presence? Does it reinforce or subvert traditional stereotypes of footballers?

3) What examples can you find of website pages, social media posts or aspects of the brand that create a positive representation of Marcus Rashford? You may wish to comment on his discussion of family or his campaigns - his page on the FareShare campaign website may help with this question.

4) What representations of masculinity can you find in Marcus Rashford's online presence? Does this reinforce or challenge traditional gender stereotypes?

5) What representations of race/ethnicity can you find in his website or social media? Does this reinforce or challenge media stereotypes? 

Grade 8/9 extension tasks

Look at this Marcus Rashford tweet. How does this help Rashford create a positive representation of himself and also control the media narrative?

Read this Guardian feature on Marcus Rashford being a Hero of 2020. What representation of Rashford does this offer?

Read this Guardian Books interview with Marcus Rashford. How does Rashford's work on reading and literacy help his reputation? Can you find any other interesting representations here?

Read this news story on Rashford being named one of the top ten most powerful black Britons. What does this suggest about race and ethnicity in Britain and the British media?