User:Rhizzus/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
I chose to evaluate the Black Girl Magic article.

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
Since this course is about social media, I wanted to find an article that represented a moment or trend that I remember. Black Girl Magic started when I was in high school, and it quickly blew up into a movement. What started as a slogan and quickly became a brand was an affirmation for Black girls and women, so I was interested to see what would be detailed in the Wikipedia article.

Overall, I was suprised by the brevity of the article. I was expecting to see breakdowns of how it appeared in different forms of media, images of the brand and apparel, and more information about the controversies. This article provides a basic overview of Black Girl Magic, but it isn't fully developed nor does it fully explain the importance of the topic its impact, particularly in Black spaces. Instead anyone who reads it will learn that it exists and about the development of the brand as created by Beverly Bond.

Evaluate the article
Lead Section


 * The lead section of the article successfully provides a synopsis of the topic by detailing Black Girl Magic as a brand, introducing the creator, and providing a brief timeline.

Content


 * I remember Black Girl Magic as a cultural moment, especially for anyone who was a part of Black Twitter around 2014-2016. I'll never forget former first lady Michelle Obama co-signing the slogan during a speech, or Jesse Williams referencing it during an acceptance speech at the BET Awards.
 * This article doesn't delve into Black Girl Magic in it's entirety.
 * While there is mention of the BLACK GIRLS ROCK Awards, that deserves to be a section of this article in its own right. Black Girl Magic and BLACK GIRLS ROCK are two separate brands; however, they are so intrinsically linked thanks in part to having the same creator in Beverly Bond.
 * This is partically important, because the speech where Michelle Obama was quoted talking about Black Girl Magic was during the BLACK GIRLS ROCK Awards. Further research on the connection between the two brands could lend to a more holistic understanding of Black Girl Magic.
 * There should also be a section of this article that is dedicated to social media, Twitter (now X) in particular.
 * On top of everything it is as a brand, Black Girl Magic was also a hashtag movement . That component of Black Girl Magic is glossed over in this article with only a simple mention in the Controversy section.
 * This is likely due to the legal issues between Beverly Bond and Cashawn Thompson (who created #BlackGirlMagic); however, it is still vital to bring into the discussion.
 * The entire history of Black Girl Magic shouldn't be condensed into a section titled origin. Instead using "Timeline" or simply leaving it under the "History" heading is more apt.
 * The Controversy section of the article, is another area where more adjustments are needed.
 * Currently this section is split into a "Timeline" and "Legal" subheading; however, all of the controversies are legal as they relate to the copyright and trademarking.
 * It would better to structure the subheadings based off who was involved in the issue instead of the two categories present now (i.e. #BlackGirlMagic and Essence).
 * An update can also be made to this section, following the controversy in February of this year, when U.S. diplomat, Karen Decker tweeted asking whether Afghan women were aware of #BlackGirlMagic and the subsequent movement. Upon the backlash, Decker deleted the tweet and formally apologized.

Sources and References


 * More research and information is needed to fully flesh out this article; however, citations are included as appropriate and all links are functional.
 * Currently all sources are news articles, several of which are from Black leaning or owned media sources (The Root, Ebony, Beyonce's website, and Shondaland).
 * There are a plethora of scholarly articles from peer reviewed sources that cover Black Girl Magic, and could add to the depth of this Wikipedia article.
 * Black Girl Magic has been used by artists for song lyrics and as the basis for research on womanhood, critical race studies, and intersectionality. An inclusion of any of these topics, would provide more insight into the reception of Black Girl Magic outside of internet culture.

Images and Media


 * There are no images in this article, which is another area of improvement. A podcast, television show, hashtag movement, and apparel have all been created under Black Girl Magic. There is no reason to not include at least one image that represents any of these areas.

Talk Page Discussion


 * The most recent updates on the Talk Page detail that this article was the subject of a "Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment."
 * Outside of the updates listed above, many of the users mentioned what I also identified as weaknesses of the article relating to the lack of information about Black Girl Magic across platforms.
 * Apparently, the article went through a major update in February 2022, which eliminated a lot of content, especially surrounding the social media aspect of Black Girl Magic.
 * One user suggested making a separate page that would include the missing information, while another asked for an explanation.
 * Another user pointed out that Black Boy Joy should be referenced in the "See Also" section.