Representing ourselves: Identity in the online age - MM article & Factsheet

 Self-image and the Media (MM41 - page 6). Our Media Magazine archive is here.

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

The section 'who are you?' is about constructing an image to communicate our identity. There's a difference between who we think, want and want to be seen to be.

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

nike, apple, marvel comics, gucci. 
I feel like the concept of the of a well prospering company also depends on positive association when we hear the name of their brand. All of the brands above have a positive response from the costumers. 

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

I feel like modern media is a more focused on the 'style' then a 'substance'. That means that people care more about the visuals, rather then what's inside. It can be used when it comes to object and their packaging as well as  people in general.

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

Media saturation is when you exposed to media non stop. ( can be via social media, TV, laptop, or any devise of the sort) 'high cultural values being placed on external factors such as physical beauty and fashion'.

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?

I think that every person's presence on social media has only positive highlights of their life, that sometime aren't even true. The way that 

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?

Representation & Identity (Media Factsheet #72) 

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

The collective ideology is an ideology that revolves around people with similarities like culture, values, and traditions. I think it might involve people from the same countries and religions. 

2) Complete the task on the factsheet (page 1) - write a list of as many things as you can that represent Britain. What do they have in common? Have you represented the whole of Britain or just one aspect/viewpoint?

Tea, rain, double-deck busses, Big Ben, London Eye, underground, London. 

Most of those are associated with the capital of England. It's also what people of other countries might associate Britain with, but people from this country have a completely different associations with Britain, well maybe except the rain.

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

The show that May presents on BBC2 is all about toys that were popular at times of now 30+ males. The show revolves around examining toys like Airfix, Meccano, Plasticine, Lego, Scalextric and Hornby.

 

4) How has new technology changed collective identity?

The text suggests that 'boundary between text and reader has broken down, not merely in the way the reader constructs the text but in the growth of fan cultures'. That means that the fans create a new text but with elements of an old one.

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

David Gauntlett describe the new focus in a few simple words - 'Identity is complicated; everyone thinks they have got one.’ He also says that you need to ‘pay closer attention to the ways in which media and technologies are used in everyday life’.

6) What does Gauntlett suggest about creativity and identity?

People like to identify with a others that they have something in common, so they'll feel like they're a part of something. Just like Jenkins said 'fan genres grew out of openings or excesses within the text that were built on and stretched, and that it was not as if fans and texts were autonomous from each another'. The idea of building something with other people, with international access to other fans make them feel a part of something they belong to. 

7) How does the Shaun of the Dead Facebook group provide an example of Henry Jenkins' theory of interpretive communities online?

The idea of fans of the same show, or just the same hobby, sympathising with the same characters and sharing their views about issues and simply their favourite quotes from the film makes them feel like they're a part of something bigger then themselves.