Collective identity

 

 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, starting with the section 'Who are you?'

we are all involved in constructing an image to communicate our identity there is a difference between the person we think we are, the person we want to be and the person we want to be seen to be.

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

Postmodern critics see the construction of identity through media representations as being shallow, leading to a culture that values ‘style over substance’.

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

‘media saturation’ results in high cultural value being placed on external factors such as physical beauty and fashion sense over internal traits such as intelligence or compassion.

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?

Yes my presence on instagram accurately represents the person i am. i post things that align with who i am and how i want to be perceived.

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 think its fine as consumers benefit from receiving recommended products based on what they're interested in.


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.

media texts offer a diverse range of representation

He supports the uses and gratifications theory by Blumler and Katz

Mulvey's theories are influential but rested on a 'monolithic view of male and female roles'

Uses the Critical Theory to suggest 'Identity is today seen as more fluid and transformable'

says we use narrative to frame our experiences and to bring order to the stream of stuff that happens in our lives.

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. 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 identities are formed by individuals who share common traditions, values, and a similar perspective of the world.

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

Being targeted at a slightly older audience means that the toys also become metaphors for the sense of Britishness that May explores, that of ‘nostalgia’ or a feeling / longing for the past where life was perceived to be simpler.

3) How has new technology changed collective identity?

Technology allows people to interact with the culture around them and use it to create their own works. With platforms like YouTube, the once passive audience can now tell their own stories or write songs inspired by the shows they watch. They can create art or costumes based on films, edit videos, make parodies, start podcasts, build websites, and explore many other creative activities.

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

"Make and connect Agenda

5) 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 has no national barriers to the understanding of the cultural identity created. The British identity of the film becomes one that is recognised and supported by a global institution, namely Facebook.