Collective identity and representing ourselves: blog tasks

 Collective identity and representing ourselves: blog tasks

Task 1: Media Magazine article

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

Who are you? - We construct a self-made image to communicate with other people who you are.

I think, therefore I am - By using social construct like class, religion, gender, it hsapes our past identity

From citizen to consumer - The idea that our identity was built from another image / identity

The rise of the individual - Dominant values and ideas helps shape our image

Branding and lifestyle - Branding and advertisement help to change personality and self-image.

Who will we be? - Through the internet, we help make our own avatar/persona to promote our public image

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

Apple, Intel, Nintendo


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

I do agree with this. Style over substance is basically meaning to relate with latest trend to fit in. That expression is 

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

Baudrillards theory explains that "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. The media potrays so much of ideal images, personality, role models that it helps construct the audience identity.

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?

My social media presence is highly inaccurate to who I actually am. In social media there is a lot of hidden info about me that i don't want others to know. I want to potray myself in social media as the best me so I use my presence to make it look like and deceive people to think I'm a different personality.

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 believe data mining is ok. I think its actually beneficial for me and media companies. First I get recommended viewing based on my data and get to see more content that i like, and in the other side media companies can make money out of that which I'm okay with.

Task 2: Media Magazine cartoon

• Gauntlett is a British media theorist which specialises in "self-initiated everyday creativity and cultures of making and exchanging"
• He states that since media is easily accessible and we view different types of content everyday, it represents a range of representations that we the audience can "pick and mix" to persuade our identity.
• Alternative images and ideas help create new influences for more "diversity of identities"
• Looking from different narratives from different types of media content helps to use narratives in our experience in real life
• He also states that we use media, not as entertainment but as a trigger for experiences and making things happen

Task 3: Representation & Identity: Factsheet blog task

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

Collective identity is a group of people that share the same or close to different ideologies, beliefs and traditions. It combines all of them in one identity which brings more diverse and interesting images. These different types of identity can be collected by different types of media, people, traditions and cultures that build over time and changes.

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?

• British Food (Fish and chips, full breakfast, pie, mash)
• British Landscape (Underground, Tight Roads, small 2 story houses, big hills)
• British Media ( BBC, British series, musical)
• British accent

They are in common in some way. All of these points were made by each other in a way. These point that I made were points that came up when I thought of the word Britian or UK. 

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

James May is most famous for being a host in Top Gear, A BBC show about cars and automotive. In Top Toys the show mainly focuses on an older demographic. James May reflects nostalgia on different choices of toys. These toys represents as a metaphor of "nostalgia". "nostalgia" represents as the all things British like cricket, pubs and beer, tea, but it also represents the things we have lost like community spirit.

4) How has new technology changed collective identity?

Todays' technology makes it really easy to see a different type of content. These kinds of content represent different type of cultures, traditions and personality. So with technology it helps broadens the spectrum of different identity and make it more complex and detailed.

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

Davis Gauntlett states that "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?

A facebook user made a group called "I learned the word exacerbate from Shaun of the Dead". This group grabbed attention of fans which also learned the word form Shaun of the Dead and started getting more members into the group. This gather collected identities in one place. Jenkins calls this an interpretive community and labels fans as "cultural producers". Because they use social media to create new forums of identy using different types of production and text.