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Borrowing from computing via media art, we introduce the concept of 'glitch' pedagogy to insert unexpected tension into the marketing curriculum, offering learners a glimpse into the underlying ideological structures of neoliberal higher education and opening up spaces of resistance and affirmation. We draw on neoliberal, marketised educational discourses and the bureaucratic systems they engender to illustrate glitches within the employability agenda, providing students conceptual space to leverage the contradictions and inequalities implicit in this agenda. As a genre of post-critical pedagogy, we argue that glitch pedagogy can move us beyond some of the noted dualisms of critical pedagogy to recognise the complexity of students' emotional investments, in particular socio-cultural and political positions by way of affective relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immersive events are becoming increasingly popular, allowing multiple people to experience a range of VR content simultaneously. Onboarders help people do VR experiences in these situations. Controlling VR headsets for others without physically having to put them on first is an important requirement here, as it streamlines the onboarding process and maximizes the number of viewers. Current off-the-shelf solutions require headsets to be connected to a cloud-based app via an active internet connection, which can be problematic in some locations. To address this challenge, we present Story Starter, a solution that enables the control of VR headsets without an active internet connection. Story Starter can start, stop, and install VR experiences, adjust device volume, and display information such as remaining battery life. We developed Story Starter in response to the UK-wide StoryTrails tour in the summer of 2022, which was held across 15 locations and attracted thousands of attendees who experienced a range of immersive content, including six VR experiences. Story Starter helped streamline the onboarding process by allowing onboarders to avoid putting the headset on themselves to complete routine tasks such as selecting and starting experiences, thereby minimizing COVID risks. Another benefit of not needing an active internet connection was that our headsets did not automatically update at inconvenient times, which we have found sometimes to break experiences. Converging evidence suggests that Story Starter was well-received and reliable. However, we also acknowledge some limitations of the solution and discuss several next steps we are considering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual Reality has been heralded variously as the next steppingstone in technological innovation, a utopian 'empathy-machine' and a dystopian addictive technology. Using critical discourse analysis, we explore the types of narratives underlying this global attention and the ideological values, beliefs and interests therein. We contribute to the critical marketing literature by demonstrating how an examination of sociotechnical imaginaries reveals the ways in which the market mediates the reception of new technologies and the kinds of worlds these technologies bring about. Through an interactive 'choose your own adventure' narrative, we bring these imaginaries into relief and invite readers to navigate alternative potential futures for VR. The data underpinning the narrative highlight the role of marketers and marketing in shaping our social, political and economic reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to a call for new conceptualizations of the self that avoid mind/body dualisms, recent research has introduced more flexible and fluid theorizations of personhood. This paper takes a phenomenological approach to examine the perceived shifts in body ownership and distribution of agency which underpin such theorizations. We focus on two dissociative experiences, namely, spirit possession and virtual reality, explicating how consumers can experience changes of perspective by disconnecting from the mainstream of their conscious awareness, allowing for a controlled "letting go," resulting in therapeutic gains. We highlight how consumers create a larger assemblage of the self beyond single viewpoints for a new kind of experiencing. We argue that existing work has treated embodiment in a fairly symmetrical manner, insufficiently considering the inherently somatic characteristics of consumer experiences as an articulation of a multiplicity and distribution of embodiment and agentic relations, both human and non-human. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay explores the work of the Field Band Foundation (FBF) in South Africa, a non-governmental organisation that has been working nationwide since 1997 to create opportunities for the development of ‘life skills’ in youth in predominantly socioeconomically underprivileged communities through music education. It positions the work of the FBF as a pragmatic interaction with the government's efforts to rectify profound levels of socioeconomic inequality over the past two decades, which have relied upon neoliberal reform. I examine the political and economic developments in South Africa that mobilise such ideologies, attending to the historical trajectory of development discourse through the colonial and apartheid period. Observing the flexibility with which neoliberalism manifests in diverse settings, I identify conflicting moralities invoked within both neoliberalism and social development work, as music is harnessed to achieve humanitarian socioeconomic goals. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A review of the DVD release of the documentary film "War Dance," by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine is presented.

Although Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) user experiences have received large amounts of recent research interest, a direct comparison of different immersive technologies' user experiences has not often been conducted. This study compared user experiences of one VR and two AR versions of an immersive gallery experience 'Virtual Veronese', measuring multiple aspects of user experience, including enjoyment, presence, cognitive, emotional and behavioural engagement, using a between-subjects design, at the National Gallery in London, UK. Analysis of the self-reported survey data (N = 368) showed that enjoyment was high on all devices, with the Oculus Quest (VR) receiving higher mean scores than both AR devices, Magic Leap and Mira Prism. In relation to presence, the elements 'spatial presence', 'involvement', and 'sense of being there' received a higher mean score on the Oculus Quest than on both AR devices, and on 'realism' the Oculus Quest scored significantly higher than the Magic Leap. Cognitive engagement was similar between the three devices, with only 'I knew what to do' being rated higher for Quest than Mira Prism. Emotional engagement was similar between the devices. Behavioural engagement was high on all devices, with only 'I would like to see more experiences like this' being higher for Oculus Quest than Mira Prism. Negative effects including nausea were rarely reported. Differences in user experiences were likely partly driven by differences in immersion levels between the devices. • Compared user experiences of one VR and two AR versions of a UK gallery experience. • Questionnaire data was provided by 368 National Gallery London UK visitors. • Overall, all tested devices created a positive user experience. • On enjoyment and most presence items, VR outperformed AR. • Experience differences likely partly driven by devices' immersion levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]