Media studies and Collective identity

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Media studiesandCollective identity

• Identity is complicated. Everyone thinks theyve
  got one-
• David Gauntlett

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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?

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• 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.

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How do you create your identity?

• Family
• Friends
• Fashion
• TV /film
• Social networking sites
• Magazines

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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?vLqn5AIdd-9k
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vltPxz4PinDA
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vLA04vzf9Pmc

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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?

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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

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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?

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The questions50 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.

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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)

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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

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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?v8yIvxp
  0kt9Ifeaturerelated
• Fans using Eastenders to create an identity
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vU5ABh7FJeWkfeature
  related

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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?blend1o
  b4
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vbgOtnLmJxnofeature
  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

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Through YouTube direct feedback (user comments
and video response)

• youre such a classy lady, youre 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.

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Through YouTube direct feedback (user comments
and video response)

• She started singing -gt People start subscribing
  and commenting response and expectations -gt 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 0236, Everyday
  Bravery

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http//www.youtube.com/watch?v1hPpbUCEZzg
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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 meI am truly a fan of yours and watch your
  videos everyday. Would you please explain - so
  that I will find this less disturbing?

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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
  )

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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?

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What is the collective identity of the nuts
reader?

Breakfast cereal Car Holiday
destination Fast food Furniture TV show
Music Pet
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• 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

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Second life
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Second life
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Academic response to SL

• Anonymity
• Identity
• Masquerade
• Performance
• The networked self
• Community
• Role
• Motivation
• Complex interplay of virtual and real

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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?