Surfing the yinzernet: Exploring the complexities of place branding in post-industrial Pittsburgh

Abstract

Recent years have seen a proliferation of independent urban representations in the media. From hipster sketch shows such as ‘Portlandia’ to place ‘demarketing’ Websites poking fun at low-profile cities, these portrayals often combine parody and pride in their representation of local quirks. This trend can be seen as a form of do it yourself (‘DIY’), place branding, which both reflects and reacts against the growth of urban branding in recent decades. This article investigates this trend through an examination of two online webseries that parody and celebrate the perceived eccentricities of Pittsburgh’s yinzer (working-class) culture. Adopting an interdisciplinary lens, we consider a range of cultural phenomena related to these online representations, including place character, nostalgia and diaspora. Pittsburgh has undergone a significant economic transition over the past half-century, with a decline in heavy industry and growth in ‘post-industrial’ sectors such as education, technology and health. Accompanying this economic transition has been a social shift, as white-collar workers supplement the traditional working-class base, and an image shift, as officials rebrand the city to highlight new clean, green, high tech and high-culture developments. In this context, we argue that online representations of yinzer culture – the ‘yinzernet’ – function as both DIY urban branding and as a reflection of local reactions to Pittsburgh’s economic, social and brand transition.