Media and Collective Identity

Media Use in Identity Construction

Katherine Hamley:

•       Young people are surrounded by influential imagery – popular media (Examples?) Internet – social networking sites, You Tube, news reports, magazines, television, films, celebrities, music

•      It is no longer possible for an identity to just be constructed in a small community and influenced by a family (Discuss) With different media influencing society and individuals it is the people outside of small communities and the family that are constructing one’s identity. On the Internet we portray ourselves as something to the world, on social networking sites such as Facebook we create how we want to be perceived, by our images and our posts. This is then created to show the ‘friends’ who we are and what we like, therefore creating an identity, this identity may potentially be somewhat different to how others perceive ourselves in the communities and family. People see images portrayed in media and see what they would like to be like, whether it’s positive or negative, we choose how others see us and it is influenced by media.

•      Everything concerning our lives is ‘media saturated’ (What does this mean?) Wherever we go, whatever we do we are surrounded by some form of media. Whether it is the TV shows we watch, the websites we go on or the music we listen to. Media will always influence us in some way. ‘Media saturated’ is where we are in a society that is controlled by media and it is then embedded in our own identities and way of life.

“Identity is complicated – everybody thinks they’ve got one” – David Gauntlett

Buckingham – he classifies identity as an ‘ambiguous and slippery’ term

·         Identity is something unique to each of us, but also implies a relationship with a broader group

·         Identity can change according to our circumstances

·         Identity is fluid and is affected by broader changes

·         Identity becomes more important to us if we feel it is threatened.

Cultural Imperialism – social mobility, globalisation, immigration



Gauntlett



• The average teenager can create numerous identities in a short space of time
• We like to think we are unique, but Gauntlett questions whether this is an illusion, and we are all much more similar than we think

5 Key Points by Gauntlett

1. Creativity as a process - about emotions and experiences
2. Making and Sharing - to feel alive, to participate, in community
3. Happiness - through creativity and community
4. Creativity as scoial glue - a middle layer between individuals and society
5. Making your mark - making the world your own