Collective identity and representing ourselves: blog tasks
Task 1: Media Magazine article
Read the Media Magazine article on collective identity: Self-image and the Media (MM41 - page 6). Our Media Magazine archive is here.
Complete the following tasks on your blog:
1) Read the article and summarise each section in one sentence
'Who are you?' : we each construct an image of our identity with each having their own ideas about themselves which may differ to varying degrees dependent on their own self image
i think therefore i am : identity used to be unchanging in the eyes of society and pre determined based on class and social constructs it was more collective than individual
From citizen to consumer : consumerism based on convincing you buying enough to survive wasn't enough anymore by creating and then satisfying desires influenced by Sigmund Freud
The rise of the individual : individualism started around the 60s and 70s where people were now wanting to highlight their uniqueness with the idea that our identities chance with environmental factors also then individuals had the right to express their own identities to be whoever became widespread
Branding and Lifestyle : 70s and 80s found rise in lifestyle marketing with branding associated with a personality so people chose products they felt matched their self-image
who will we be? : through the internet we have alot more control over public image now being able to 'manipulate the various materials of ones identity' as stated by chandler 1998 with data mining now allowing corps ti create products to meet the needs we reveal in outr personal info we may end up selling ourselves next
2) Do you agree with the view that modern media is all about 'style over substance'? What does this expression mean?
I heavily agree with this statement as for example lets take Disney film studios, since around the production of soul in 2020 their films for the most part have been bland, lacking any substance like the iconic films from our childhood with the animation pretty much staying the same and the singing/voice acting feeling more robotic and boring bu the premise of these stories has developed to become more woke with strange world as an example they're focused on being cool and diverse over having any cinematic substance unless they change i believe their revenue for animated films will plateau.
3) Explain Baudrillard's theory of 'media saturation'
high cultural value being placed on external factors such as physical beauty and fashion sense over internal traits such as intelligence or compassion. with aestheticism being favoured over feeling.
4) Is your presence on social media an accurate reflection of who you are? Have you ever added or removed a picture from a social media site purely because of what it says about the type of person you are?
My social media presence is severely lacking but i like that about it i love being passive. When i have previously posted it gave a nice community but its all superficial, i very much prefer people not knowing what i look like outside my day to day interactions and the one app i do show my face is majority people who have also seen it in real life so when i post there i would say thats me trying to work up to a point where its who i want to be but as of right now its not.
5) What is your opinion on 'data mining'? Are you happy for companies to sell you products based on your social media presence and online search terms? Is this an invasion of privacy?
i don't think it matters whether or not you have an issue with it because it will happen regardless but if it did matter then sure i don't like the idea of being constantly watched by companies to sell me stuff based on my internet activity
Task 2: Media Magazine cartoon
Now read the cartoon in MM62 (p36) that summarises David Gauntlett’s theories of identity. Write five simple bullet points summarising what you have learned from the cartoon about Gauntlett's theories of identity. Our Media Magazine archive is here.
- he argues that media provides us with a range of diverse reps enabling people to be able to pick and mix what they want to watch
- audiences actively process messages put across by media
- audiences cautious of messages media texts promote
- uses online discussions of media to state that texts can move and inspire audiences
- for him mulveys theories are influential but rested on a monolithic view of male + female gaze
Task 3: Representation & Identity: Factsheet blog task
one that is primarily based around a collection of individuals who share a set of traditions, values and a similar understanding of the world that surrounds them.
2) How does James May's Top Toys offer a nostalgic representation of Britain?
James May is centred on people ‘coming together’ to help James May in his hour of need. The people who help James May are very often children and the use of children helps reinforce the notion that James May is trying to mend the generation gap between younger and older people in the country.
3) How has new technology changed collective identity?
the boundary between text and reader has broken down, not merely in the way the reader constructs the text but in the growth of fan cultures. These could be seen by how ‘fan genres grew out of openings or excesses within the text that were built on and stretched, and that it was not as if fans and texts were autonomous from each another;
4) What phrase does David Gauntlett (2008) use to describe this new focus on identity?
‘Identity is complicated; everyone thinks they have got one.’
5) How does the Shaun of the Dead Facebook group provide an example of Henry Jenkins' theory of interpretive communities online?
fan has created this group in support of the fact that he has ‘learnt’ a new word from the film. The recognition of ‘Hey, I also learnt that word!’ means fans from around the world can then share their experience of watching the film and supporting the identity created within it. The key aspect of this group is the fact that the collective identity created is one which has no national barriers to the understanding of the cultural identity created.
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