Media studies
and
Collective
identity
Identity is complicated. Everyone
thinks they’ve got oneDavid Gauntlett
Learning objectives
L.O- To understand what is meant by the
term Collective identity.
To understand some ways in which identity
is created in the modern world
To understand the role the media had in
creating identities
Starter- What is identity and how do
you create your own identity?
The concept of a collective identity refers to a
set of individuals' sense of belonging to the
group or collective. For the individual, the
identity derived from the collective shapes a part
of his or her personal identity. It is possible, at
times, that this sense of belonging to a particular
group will be so strong that it will trump other
aspects of the person's personal identity. To put
it another way, Collective Identity is the idea that
through participating in social activities,
individuals can gain a sense of belonging and in
essence an "identity" that transcends the
individual. Therein are the rewards and risks of
Social Networking. One can derive great
satisfaction and sometimes great risks from
participating. Within a typical collective,
agreement is often valued over debate, though
even more often fierce battles may erupt.
How do you create your identity?
Family
Friends
Fashion
TV /film
Social networking sites
Magazines
How do these videos create a
collective identity of Britain?
Compare these two as representational texts and
discuss what we can conclude about changes in
Britain. Compare these two as representational
texts and discuss what we can conclude about
changes in Britain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqn5AIdd-9k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltPxz4PinDA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA04vzf9
Pmc
Examples of collective identity
Wikipedia- the power of collective thought
Identities in social networking sites and virtual
worlds
Face book
Second life
World of war craft
You tube
fandom
What else?
The exam
The specification asks for students to
choose a specific topic area to be studied
through specific case studies, texts,
debates, and research.
To cover at least two media and a range of
texts, industries, audiences and debates
Candidates must be prepared to answer an exam question
related to one or more of the following prompts:
How do the contemporary media represent
nations, regions and ethnic/ social/collective
groups of people in different ways?
How does contemporary representation
compare to previous time periods?
What are the social implications of different
media representations of groups of people?
To what extent is human identity increasingly
‘mediated’?
The questions:50 marks 1 hour
Discuss the contemporary representation of a nation,
religion or social group in the media using specific
examples from at least two media to support your
answer
How far does the representation of a particular social
group change over time? Refer to at least two media in
your answer?
Question one will usually discuss: to what extent/ how
far/ have an opinion or take a view
Question two will usually discuss: explain how something
operates/ explain/respond to a quote or a statement.
Key points to consider:
How media that are in public circulation now represent
groups of people in different ways
How these representations can be seen as different to
historical representations of the same groups
The effects in society of different kinds of media
representation of collective identities
Ways in which people might use the media actively to
form a collective identity
Debates around the idea that our identities are
increasingly constructed by, through or in response to
the media (and arguments against this notion)
Your answer
Must include:
One historical reference
Contemporary references (last 5 years counts as
contemporary)
One future speculation in regards to your topic
You must also mention the second media at least once.
You can do the two media 90%/ 10%
It is best to start your answer with: I am going to be
discussing….i will be discussing this in reference to…..
State why you are using it.
Show awareness of both sides of the argument
How media that are public circulation now
represent groups of people in different ways
How and which media present teenagers in a certain
way?
How do people who belong to a group on face book
represent themselves?
how are different cultures and religions represented?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yIvxp0kt9I&feature=r
elated
Fans using Eastenders to create an identity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5ABh7FJeWk&featur
e=related
Ways in which people might use the media actively to form
a collective identity
Second life (see article)
You tube-Constructed Identity
by the Collective: http://www.youtube.com/user/lonelygirl15?blend=1&ob=4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgOtnLmJxno&feature=topvideos
Through YouTube activities like subscribing, ‘favoriting,’ rating, etc.
(marketing and hype)
Through YouTube direct feedback (user comments and video
response)
Through rejection of behaviors that do not comply with the identity
as constructed by the collective
Through YouTube direct feedback (user comments
and video response)
– “you’re such a classy lady, you’re bringing old
hollywood glam back!”
– “I JUST LOVE YOUR VOICE! When you talk... it's like
Ingrid Bergman and Audrey Hepburn and Faye
Dunaway all mixed together! You have the intonation
down and everything. And your choice of words is
fabulous!!”
– “i friggin' LOVE YOU! I see so much Marilyn Monroe
in you....you have no idea. And the cabaret thing....oh
deary lord, Sally Bowles! ha.” --- “Marilyn was a
construct...this gal is the real thing...cannot compare
the two...thank you maryann for being who you are!”
– “I wish you were my life coach....or my girlfriend.…”
Through YouTube direct feedback (user comments
and video response)
– She started singing -> People start
subscribing and commenting: response and
expectations -> She reconstructs herself
– ysabellabrave - as character only existing in
expectations of her viewers, the negotiation
between the individual and the collective
– Clips: Blue Heaven, A Word or Two 02:36,
Everyday Bravery
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hPpbUCEZzg
Constructed Identity
by the Collective
Through rejection of behaviors that do not
comply with the identity as constructed by the
collective
– Art videos - Videos provoked furious debate
“This is no good. I mean you should stick to just singing only.
This is way out of there. bizarre to say the least.”
“A picture tells a thousand words: Twenty-four(!) pictures of
yourself was simply way over the top for me…I am truly a fan
of yours and watch your videos everyday. Would you please
explain - so that I will find this less disturbing?”
Constructed Identity
by the Collective
The "truthiness" problem
– “Truthiness is the very definition of truth,
2006-style: ‘the quality of preferring
concepts or facts one wishes to be true,
rather than concepts or facts known to be
true.’”
– (excerpted from “Commentary: The Year in Pop
Culture: 2006” in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Key points to consider
YouTube is a testament to the participatory value
of new media, folk cultures of digital age.
Further inquiries:
– What are implications of this fact that there is no authenticity?
(peer-to-peer implies friendship and connectivity)
– What do we lose when we acknowledge collectively constructed
identities?
– Is celebrating democracy enough?
– Are other spaces more appropriate for interactions between
individuals?
– What happens when “truthiness” prevails over truth?
What is the collective identity of the
nuts reader?
Breakfast cereal
Car
Holiday destination
Fast food
Furniture
TV show
Music
Pet
Media 2.0, mash-ups and reception theory
"The Internet is a reflection of our society
and that mirror is going to be reflecting
what we see. If we do not like what we see
in that mirror the problem is not to fix the
mirror, we have to fix society."
Vint Cerf, Google, 2004
Second life
Second life
Academic response to SL
Anonymity
Identity
Masquerade
Performance
The networked self
Community
Role
Motivation
Complex interplay of ‘virtual’ and ‘real’
Virtual worlds
Is Virtual Reality a new medium?
How can we define immersion and simulation?
Is immersive experience becoming the
dominant paradigm for media?
Is it the social distribution of media in VR that
distinguishes it from film, for example?
Is a virtual world a ‘distributed network’ of
identities?
How can we compare Second Life, World of
Warcraft and GTA4 using these concepts?