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). 

1) Read the article and summarise each section in one sentence, starting with the section 'Who are you?'

• "Who are you?" - Customers create an image that expresses a version of their identities that they wish to portray to others by imitating famous role models and using media items.
• "I think, therefore I am" - In the past, identities were thought to be fixed by the social roles we were assigned at birth and would never leave.
• "From citizen to consumer" - People were able to comply to cultural norms by purchasing the same products that everyone else was pushed to buy, all because they were made to want to buy goods beyond what they required to survive.
• "The rise of the individual" –Promoters showcased their goods in a way that suggested they might assist consumers in choosing and defining who they are.
  
• "Branding and lifestyle": In the 1970's and 80's, marketers started promoting a product's personality rather than the actual product, encouraging consumers to select goods that fit their idealised self-image and identity.
• "Who will we be?" Because of the Internet's anonymity, people may now intentionally create nearly every part of their identity. As a result, computer companies can now purchase our identities using techniques like data mining.

2) List three brands you are happy to be associated with and explain how they reflect your sense of identity.

• Nintendo - Reflects my interest in games
• Greggs - Reflects my interest in having a sweet treat
• DC - Reflects my interest in comic books

3) Do you agree with the view that modern media is all about 'style over substance'? What does this expression mean?

• "Style over substance" describes something that appears valuable due to its attractive visual aesthetics but actually has little in the way of significant content. I partially agree with that statement as there are many pieces of media coming out that only focus on style in order to get audiences to view their film however there is still plenty of media that focuses on the story and message that they want to tell.

4) Explain Baudrillard's theory of 'media saturation' in one paragraph. You may need to research it online to find out more.

• Baudrillard suggested that modern society had become so dominated through the influence of media that these media images distort our perception of reality, making it difficult to distinguish between reality and simulacra.

5) 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?

• I don't believe that my presence on social media is an accurate reflection of who I am as just like most other social media users I don't post things that I don't want others to see.

6) 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?

• Due to its ability to successfully target individuals and demographics and successfully influence them, I believe that social media data mining is an intrusive practice in the IT industry. Third-party corporations scrape data from social media platforms and sell it to advertisers in order to market tailored products. This raises concerns about data ownership and privacy as users who use social media platforms agree to give up control of their data. This has begun to change in recent years as regulations have been put in place, but I still think there is a very big risk involved in allowing this.

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.

1. - Audiences use media to construct their own identity
2. - Mass media text offers more diverse range or representation of different ideologies (pluralism)
3. - Audiences actively process media about lifestyle and identity
4. - Audiences use media for entertainment values whilst recognising own representations as unrealistic
5. - Gauntlett also explores the male gaze

Task 3: Representation & Identity: Factsheet blog task

Finally, use the Media Factsheet archive to find Media Factsheet #72 on Collective Identity. Read the whole of Factsheet and answer the following questions to complete our introductory work on collective identity:

1) What is collective identity? Write your own definition in as close to 50 words as possible.

• Collective identity is the sense of being part of a group with the same shared values, traditions and ideas about the world.

2) Complete the task on the factsheet (page 1) - write a list of as many things as you can think of that represent Britain. What do they have in common? Have you represented the whole of Britain or just one aspect/viewpoint?

• The Union Jack, the royal family, football, tea and crumpets, rain, pubs
• These are all things that only represent a traditional view of English culture that is not able to be applied to the entirety of modern Britain today.

3) How does James May's Top Toys offer a nostalgic representation of Britain?

• James May's Top Toys dwells upon and discusses parts of British history such as the history of the racing track and Scalextric and bigger British themes such as the death of manufacturing jobs in northern Britain and a sense of sadness that many of these toys are now manufactured abroad. The toys are symbolic of British nostalgia and a yearning for a time when things were thought to be easier. In lieu of a cosier and more familiar vision of the past, Britain's multiculturalism is frequently overlooked in the building of a nostalgic notion of what it means to be British.

4) How has new technology changed collective identity?

• David Gauntlet states that the impact of social networking has changed collective identity where technology has evolved the way we view traditions and values due to newer generations and no longer being an active audience. We were able to broaden our understanding on representation and personal identity towards certain people where we have accepted then into society.

5) What phrase does David Gauntlett (2008) use to describe this new focus on identity? 

• "pay closer attention to the ways in which media and technologies are used in everyday life"

6) How does the Shaun of the Dead Facebook group provide an example of Henry Jenkins' theory of interpretive communities online?

• Henry Jenkins held the following opinion: "Fan genres grew out of openings or excesses within the text that were built upon and stretched, and that it was not as if fans and texts were autonomous from each other; fans created their own, new texts, but elements within the originating text defined, to some degree, what they could do." The Shaun of the Dead Facebook group demonstrates how followers can engage with each other and form communities by discussing various textual elements.