{"id":35,"date":"2026-10-19T09:58:41","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T13:58:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/thefirstofmany\/?p=35"},"modified":"2026-10-19T10:00:35","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T14:00:35","slug":"progress-doesnt-always-look-like-it-but-here-we-are","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/thefirstofmany\/2026\/10\/19\/progress-doesnt-always-look-like-it-but-here-we-are\/","title":{"rendered":"Progress doesn&#8217;t always look like it&#8230; but here we are!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Soooo I revised research question, which I&#8217;m happy about!  \u201cWhat challenges and opportunities shape the development of independent Christian media platforms in today\u2019s media landscape?\u201d Siciliano (2022) examines digital gatekeeping by comparing conventional and platform-based cultural production. He distinguishes between \u201chard gates,\u201d which restrict participation, and \u201csoft gates,\u201d which allow participation but can still create inequalities in visibility and circulation. This article resonates with my research because I recognize that gatekeeping is not inherently wrong; however, I am interested in how it can limit whose stories are told and whose voices are seen. The article challenges me to consider how independent Christian media can expand access, ownership, and visibility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This article contributes to my broader vision of building independent Christian media infrastructure that gives Christian creatives greater ownership and access to the resources needed to tell their stories. My Master\u2019s project is one branch of this larger endeavor, rather than the entirety of my work. After discussing my research question with Kristina DeVoe, I gained greater clarity about the direction I want to pursue. Although there are several avenues I could explore, I am most passionate about investigating whether independent Christian media platforms can provide not only access to production, but also ownership of creative work and opportunities for visibility. This research will help me think critically about how to structure the platform I am building to address existing barriers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Siciliano, M. L. (2022). How gatekeeping became digital: Infrastructural barriers to participation in conventional and platformized cultural production. International Journal of Cultural Policy. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/10286632.2022.2137154?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/10286632.2022.2137154<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Soooo I revised research question, which I&#8217;m happy about! \u201cWhat challenges and opportunities shape the development of independent Christian media platforms in today\u2019s media landscape?\u201d&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link-wrapper\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/thefirstofmany\/2026\/10\/19\/progress-doesnt-always-look-like-it-but-here-we-are\/\">Continue Reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Progress doesn&#8217;t always look like it&#8230; but here we are!<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":38057,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/thefirstofmany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/thefirstofmany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/thefirstofmany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/thefirstofmany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38057"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/thefirstofmany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/thefirstofmany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/thefirstofmany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35\/revisions\/37"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/thefirstofmany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/thefirstofmany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/thefirstofmany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}