Collective identity and representing ourselves

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, starting with the section 'Who are you?'

We are all involved in constructing an image to communicate our identity

At one time in the not-too-distant past, our identity was seen to be firm, fixed and pre-determined

The idea that identity could be constructed in terms of an externalised image came in the post-industrial consumer boom of the early 20th century where there was a deliberate move to encourage people to adopt an identity

During the second half of the 20th century, people began defining themselves as individuals, and so wanted to express their ‘difference’ and ‘uniqueness’; they were empowered by being encouraged to ‘be themselves’

Branding is the association of a ‘personality’ with a product

Chandler observed that constructing a personal home page can be seen as shaping not only the materials but also (in part through manipulating the various materials) one’s identity

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

Apple - I am very hard working

Gucci - I am very rich

OpenAI - I am very smart

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

Definition - although someone looks immaculately dressed or styled, behind the facade, there is no substance or content.

Yes I agree because flashy things such as expensive cars and clothes attract consumers and so the media uses this sort of imagery all the time

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

Simulacra are the significations and symbolism of culture and media that construct perceived reality, the acquired understanding by which our lives and shared existence are rendered legible. Baudrillard believed that society had become so saturated with these simulacra and our lives so saturated with the constructs of society that all meaning was becoming meaningless by being infinitely mutable; he called this phenomenon the "precession of 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 use social media

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?

I am fine with targeted advertising as it serves adverts that are relevant to me and could end up making me buy something useful

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.

Representations are diverse

The media influences how people identify themselves

Identity is fluid

Narratives are used to frame our experiences

Attitudes established early carry on later in life

Task 3: Representation & Identity: Factsheet blog task

Finally, use our brilliant Media Factsheet archive on the M: drive Media Shared (M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets) to find Media Factsheet #72 on Collective Identity. The Factsheet archive is available online here - you'll need your Greenford Google login to access it. 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.

A ‘collective’ identity is primarily based on a collection of individuals who share a set of traditions, values and a similar understanding of the world that surrounds them

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?

Boris Johnson

Fish and chips

London

Big Ben

London Eye

Red buses

London Underground

Sports Direct

JD

Stabbings

Roadmen

Tea

Tesco

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

James May’s Top Toys 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, in the need to help heal what some politicians have called ‘broken Britain’. The mise-en-scene of the programme reflects this sense of loss, the broken and neglected race track, and the once thriving but now dilapidated manufacturing factories in the north are two examples of the rich heritage that has seemingly disappeared from the landscape of Britain

4) How has new technology changed collective identity?

New technology has had a profound impact on the formation and expression of collective identity. The widespread availability of the internet and social media has enabled people to connect and communicate with others across geographic and cultural boundaries, creating new forms of online communities and virtual identities. The ability to access and share vast amounts of information has also contributed to the creation and reinforcement of cultural, political, and ideological affiliations

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

Identity is complicated; everyone thinks they have got one

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

The collective identity created is one which has no national barriers to the understanding of the cultural identity created