An Epiphanic Experience

In this week's lecture content, we discussed epiphanies and whether any had emerged during the research phase of our digital artefact. Originally, I could not think of anything new ideas or breakthroughs with my DA, so I decided to think a little harder.

An epiphany creates an epiphanic experience, which is “conceptualised as one of sudden, discontinuous change, leading to profound, positive, and enduring transformation through the reconfiguration of an individual’s most deeply held beliefs about self and world.” (Jarvis, 1996).

Epiphanies

The epiphany that has shaped my DA is the way that one person can change another person’s life through the production of niche content. I sometimes felt as if my DA was useless and not helpful, as it had not gained a larger following or high engagement. However, I have come to the realisation that if maybe only one of my videos helps initiate positive change within one person, then my DA does have value and has achieved its purpose. This epiphany helped confirm my opinion that my DA will help people, and not be as focused on likes and views, as this doesn’t always measure the effectiveness of the project. Key performance indicators do not show how many people in the audience viewed the video and tried a recipe, or were inspired to work out or go for a walk. I cannot rely on likes and views and followers for validation, as this is not the purpose of my DA.

Another epiphany that occurred during my DA, is further discussed in this weeks 2 minute podcast. It was the fact that a lot of girls are intimated in the gym, and need workout ideas that require minimum machines, equipment and space. They want to workout in quiet areas where there is less people, so they feel more comfortable and less anxious. I didn't know people felt this way at the gym, so when I produce workout content I will heavily consider this and produce content for "shy girls" in the gym. This epiphany challenged my own assumptions and reminded me to be always researching my audience to better understand their needs, so that I can make better and more useful content.

Problematisation

Problematisation has shifted my beliefs that a large portion of University students struggle with maintaining a healthy diet, engaging in sufficient exercise and also struggle with financial pressures. There is a need for financial education for University students according to studies from the Journal of Personal Finance. Young adults develop a lot of their skills from parents and teachers, and many parents overlook financial skills. When young adults attend University and move out of home, they are forced to teach themselves budgeting, and make mistakes that could cost them high levels of financial stress for several years. This was a new area, that I also wish to address through my DA, but including the price of meals ideas to make them as affordable for students on a budget.

Narrowing

Based on this epiphany, my niche is more directed towards University students that either live out of home or are responsible for their own finances and diet. Many University students do not have to pay rent, or buy groceries as they live at home, so my aim is to further narrow my audience to students that are required to be highly independent and offer support for this group of people.

Approach

I have approached my research by engaging in a variety of University student content, but I have noticed that a lot of the content is not useful for students living out of home or on a budget. The meal ideas are not price friendly for the average student, and they do not include the cost of the meal or how much food is made.

Follow @2brokeunichicks on TikTok for more!

https://soundcloud.com/ella-saunders-874403075/where-is-my-da-at

References

Jarvis, A.N. 1996, Taking a break: Preliminary investigations into the psychology of epiphanies as discontinuous change experiences, University of Massachusetts Amherst. Accessed 13 September 2022

Masud, J., Husniyah, A.R., Laily, P. and Britt, S., 2004. Financial Behaviour and Problems Among University Students: Needs for Financial Education. Journal of personal Financial, Vol. 3, Issues 1. Accessed 13 September 2022