Media and collective identity

Notes and key theories

Collective identity

Collective identity is the shared sense of belonging to a group. In Media Studies, we need to consider the influence media has over a person’s sense of identity.
This is closely linked to the key concept of representation as the way groups are portrayed in the media can influence our sense of identity.

Collective identity: theories

Marxism and the Frankfurt School

Marxists believe identity is constructed through hegemony imposed by the ruling elite. A sense of individual identity is a myth that prevents people challenging powerful groups.

This links to the Frankfurt School, a group of influential Marxists who viewed media audiences as passive vessels. They believe the media is used to control and manipulate people.

Example: Apple branding

Apple’s early branding suggested individuality and creative freedom... But in fact it was always a massive profit-seeking corporation looking to sell as widely as possible.

Later, iPhone adverts subtly suggested a certain lifestyle that has become synonymous with Apple products. Everything suggests creative possibility and individual opportunity but Marxists would argue this merely hides the fact we are being manipulated by a faceless corporation into handing Apple huge amounts of money (why is an iPhone so much more expensive than an Android phone for example?) 

Daniel Chandler: CAGE

Daniel Chandler suggested the acronym CAGE, stating our identity is constructed through class, age, gender and ethnicity. 

Does this still apply in the 21st century? Do we construct our own identities along these lines? Think about your presence on social media.

Stuart Hall: media construction

Stuart Hall suggests the media actively constructs our society rather than reflecting it back. 

Our identity is part of this and therefore any sense of individuality we may feel is actually constructed through the media we engage with.

Constructing our own identities

New technology has changed the way we see ourselves and others. Through social media we can construct identities for ourselves.

Does social media have a positive influence over our identity? Or is it corrosive? Simon Sinek's view on the millennial generation went viral a few months ago and is worth watching again for the section on social media, technology and how it influences our sense of identity:

Shared identity online

New technology has also created the opportunity for people to form groups online that represent their shared identity. This is a much more positive influence of new technology and the internet on collective identity. 

Think about the work we have already done on feminism and online activism - blogs, forums, social media accounts and whole campaigns and movements (#blacklivesmatter) have given audiences a new sense of collective identity. These can empower individuals and create a strong sense of belonging - think back to Sherry Turkle's famous description of the internet as a place to be "alone together".

Collective identity in the 21st Century

So, collective identity doesn’t just refer to representations in mainstream media.
It also refers to self-constructed identity by users of social media and communities formed online of shared identity (e.g. Feminism).

Collective identity: blog task

Read the Media Magazine article on collective identity: Self-image and the Media (MM41 - page 6). Our Media Magazine archive is here.

Complete the following tasks on your blog:

1) Read the article and summarise each section in one sentence, starting with the section 

Who are you?

We are all involved in constructing and image to communicate our identity. there is a difference between what we think we are, what we want to be and who we are seen to be.

I think, therefore I am.

Our identity is based on social constructs: Class, Religion, Gender and predetermined roles.

From citizen to consumer

Companies created and then satisfied desires for consumers. People were no longer satisfied with only buying what they need to survive.

The rise of the individual

The notion of individualism began in the late 1960s and 1970s. People wanted to express themselves the way the wanted to. We have many identities "Fragmented self"

Who will we be

We have more control over our public image thanks to the anonymity of the internet. We shape materials to suit and create our own identity.

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

YouTube - Creativity, community, Expression

Lush - Cruelty Free, environmentally conscious, creative

Twitter - Freedom of speech, debates.

Pixar - Success, creativity, childhood.

Gleam Futures - Community, support, talent.

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

I do agree to an extent that modern media is all about 'style over substance' however with most modern debates there are various section of the medium that contrast greatly. Right not the most mainstream areas are definitely all about 'style over substance' There is an obsession with the best labels, the hefty price and the 'bragging rights' rather than having something that will last longer, more reliable or cheaper. even in terms of people, there is a trend to overlook their behaviour/personality just because they are attractive. 

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

MM

In addition, the increasing dominance of the mass media and what Baudrillard calls ‘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 influence of the media in providing the images, the products, the role models and the ideas that we use to help construct an idea of identity and image has been tackled widely infilm. Fight Club (1999) is direct in its exploration of the construction of self-image and the de-centred self; more recently films such as Shutter Island (2010), Ghost Writer (2010) and Inception (2010) have played with similar ideas.

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, overall my presence on social media is an accurate reflection of who I am, my snapchat tends to be where I post anything, my Instagram mainly focuses on my own photography that i take and edit to my own satisfaction rather than others. My Twitter is somewhere that I share my own views on a topic rather than just accepting other people's views and ideal. On Facebook there could be reason to believe that i do change myself to suit family expectations however I never really favoured Facebook to begin with and I liked anything that I genuinely did like, not because I though it would please my family.
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 am happy to an extent because this is a small price to pay for a theoretically free service. However once it stems past your online presence to your personal information or other services spying on you, it then becomes an invasion of privacy. It oversteps the line of what most people are comfortable in sharing and is unfair as many companies base themselves/have and online presence,