Alan McKee
Encyclopedia
Alan McKee is an Australian university professor and internationally acclaimed researcher of sexualised media.
He has served as the president of the Cultural Studies Association of Australasia and sits on the editorial boards of the academic journals Continuum, the Australian Journal of Communication, Social Semiotics and M/C.
He originally studied film and television, graduating with a PhD from the University of Glasgow in 1996. He then emigrated to Australia. He worked at Edith Cowan University
and the University of Queensland
before moving to the Queensland University of Technology
, where is currently a professor in the Creative Industries Faculty. He has published six academic books and over sixty refereed journal articles and book chapters. These have covered topics such as Children and media, Indigenous Australians
and media, Television in Australia, Reality tv, Soap opera
, Violence
and media, Youth
and media, Americanisation, and Gay
and Queer
representation in the media.
He is best known for his research on Pornography
. He was the Chief Investigator of 'Understanding pornography in Australia', the first comprehensive examination of the production and consumption of pornography in Australia. This project presented a wide ranging view of the adult-content industry and its consumers. This research proved controversial for taking an evidence-led approach to understanding sexually explicit media. For example, rather than beginning from the assumption that the primary effects of exposure to pornography must be negative, the project surveyed over 1,000 consumers of pornography and discovered that, for the vast majority, the effects of exposure to sexually explicit material were felt to be positive. This research was widely reported in the media internationally.
He has also worked in media production, most importantly on the television series Big brother australia, where he served as Media Expert in the first season; and script writing for the Australian television series The Sideshow, featuring Paul McDermott (comedian)
He has served as the president of the Cultural Studies Association of Australasia and sits on the editorial boards of the academic journals Continuum, the Australian Journal of Communication, Social Semiotics and M/C.
He originally studied film and television, graduating with a PhD from the University of Glasgow in 1996. He then emigrated to Australia. He worked at Edith Cowan University
Edith Cowan University
Edith Cowan University is located in Perth, Western Australia. It was named after the first woman to be elected to an Australian Parliament, Edith Cowan, and is the only Australian university named after a woman....
and the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
before moving to the Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology is an Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in Brisbane, it has 40,000 students, including 6,000 international students, over 4,000 staff members, and an annual budget of more than A$750 million.QUT is marketed as "A...
, where is currently a professor in the Creative Industries Faculty. He has published six academic books and over sixty refereed journal articles and book chapters. These have covered topics such as Children and media, Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
and media, Television in Australia, Reality tv, Soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, Violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
and media, Youth
Youth
Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...
and media, Americanisation, and Gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
and Queer
Queer
Queer is an umbrella term for sexual minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary. In the context of Western identity politics the term also acts as a label setting queer-identifying people apart from discourse, ideologies, and lifestyles that typify mainstream LGBT ...
representation in the media.
He is best known for his research on Pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
. He was the Chief Investigator of 'Understanding pornography in Australia', the first comprehensive examination of the production and consumption of pornography in Australia. This project presented a wide ranging view of the adult-content industry and its consumers. This research proved controversial for taking an evidence-led approach to understanding sexually explicit media. For example, rather than beginning from the assumption that the primary effects of exposure to pornography must be negative, the project surveyed over 1,000 consumers of pornography and discovered that, for the vast majority, the effects of exposure to sexually explicit material were felt to be positive. This research was widely reported in the media internationally.
He has also worked in media production, most importantly on the television series Big brother australia, where he served as Media Expert in the first season; and script writing for the Australian television series The Sideshow, featuring Paul McDermott (comedian)
Paul McDermott (comedian)
Paul McDermott is an Australian comedian, actor, writer, director, singer, artist and television host. He currently hosts the satirical news-based 'Good News World' a follow up to quiz show Good News Week which airs in Australia on Network Ten...