A NETNOGRAPHIC STUDY INTO CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AT THE PLATINUM JUBILEE PAGEANT

Authors: Male, L. and Whitfield, J.

Pages: 84-95

DOI: 10.4324/9781003269311-10

Abstract:

The Platinum Jubilee Pageant was held in London on 5 June 2022 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II becoming the first British Monarch to complete 70 years on the throne. The pageant provided an important opportunity in promoting cultural integration and building social capital, in the context of the British government’s attempts to implement integration strategies to bridge the divide between different cultures and develop social capital across communities. This chapter explores the extent to which news media and social media reported opportunities to promote integration and develop social capital. A netnographic approach was applied to analyse tweets, as well as 87 online news articles. Results show that there was limited evidence of social capital development through Act 3 of the Jubilee Pageant as reported by the news media and on X, formerly Twitter; however, community events such as street parties and the Big Jubilee Lunch were reported as fostering a sense of togetherness. Event organisers need to develop inclusive policies and involve diverse communities in all three phases of event planning to build high levels of social capital that can lead to both community and individual benefits and social sustainability.

Source: Scopus