Key areas:
- Media's representation of different groups
- How media representations vary from historical representations
- Effect on society
- Use of media to form collective identity
- Any argument of identity is constructed through, by, or in responce to the media.
David Buckingham:
"A focus on identity requires us to pay close attention to the diverse ways in which media and technologies are used in every day life, and their concequences both for individuals and for social groups" - 2008
Buckingham is trying to suggest that the media effects collective identity,one reason for this being the media's every dayness. I feel that the audience and media have a symbiotic relationship and although the media may influence people's collective identity it is also influenced by collective identity just as much.
David Gauntlett:
"Identity is complicated. Everyone thinks they've got one. Magazines and talk show hosts urge us to explore our 'identity'. Religiousad national identities are at the heart of major internation conflicts. Blockbuster movie superheros have emotional conflicts about their 'true' identitiy. And athe average teenager can create three online 'identities' before breakfast... Thinking about self-identity where individuals are encouraged to value their personal uniqueness. Each of us would like to think - to some extent- that we hae special, personal qualities, which make us distinctive and valuable to other people in our lives (or potential future friends). But does this mean anything? Is individuality just an illusion? maybe we are all incredibly similar, but are programmed to value miniscule bits of differentiation." - 2007
I feel here Gauntlett is questioning human nature just as much as media representation.
Identity cards
Social networks - What do they ask you to reveal about yourself?
- Activities:
- Interests:
- Favourite Music:
- Favourite TV Programmes:
- Favourite Films:
- Favourite Books:
- Favourite Quotations:
- About me:
Is this to encourage self identity, develop your identity or simply to give yourself a "digital footprint" (how much information about yourself you leave trailing all over the internet, which you cant help but do if you do use the internet, espcially if you create accounts online). These digital footprints are often used to create directed advertisement to specific audiences, e.g. myself: student, female, teenager, British, with poltical and (non)religious views. This allows advertisers to get to their target audience with little guess work. I often get contract phone and political/religious adverts. I've not received adverts for menopaus or bladder weakness. So is it realy advertising? Or a smart capitalism ploy that's grown over time to become an integral part of society?
On the internet there are many ways to construct and develop your identity, I wont go into this in detail as there is so much I could write, as I myself have explored identities on the internet with things such as
Second life (this video is pretty... ignorant, but it still gives you an idea),
Anonymous (where you can escape all identity alltogether, except for a group and collective kind, with strict rules and structure, yet in complete anarchy and pluralism) and even
Bebo or
Habbo when I was younger. There are many ways which you can explore different identities which prehaps you could not before without physically being a part of it. For example blogs: The
Modblog, where you can explore body modification culture (May have some extreme things on it but not usually, just be aware) without even having any tattoo's or piercings (basically whilst being a planeskin, as they would say). As well as personal blogs like
Perez Hilton.
Identity... clothes, media consumption, the people we like? People demonstrating things against a pre-presumed identity may seem odd, but it is also a right. People often complain when they are heged into a certain identity, i.e. disabled, gay, muslim, elderly and even some proffessions.
Assumptions based on appearance, accent and personal choices go onto collective identity.
Targeted advertisement is more likely to be successfull in more targeted to collective identity magazine and this means thatmore selective magazines will survive more because of more regular income from advertising (which is infact the main way in which magazine's and many other media texts gain income) Which set of behaviours are reinforced in order to appeal to these audiences? Which set of social values are simulated and parodied by those of the postmodern audience? It is easiest to select examples from gender specific magazines which are also aimed at age and class.
Book Activity - Page 52
Men's Health in relation to 4 discourses:
Quick-fix problem solving
Male narcissism (and anxiety)
New male sensitivity
Male superiority/manipulation
I will choose 2 random articles form the front page.
The first is about "Eating Right". Even as I click on the article, I am allready bombarded with narcisism. There is a popup advert about "The New Testosterone pumping diet" with a muscly man as the image. It even uses words such as "Harder", even though refering to muscles it has subtle tones of male insecurity about penis performance. This reaks of "THIS IS WHAT YOU CAN LOOK LIKE" mentality. The testosterone part also implies male superiority, suggesting that normal, non "testosterone pumping" diets are feminin, and are therefore weaker and less good. This advert even taps into the quick fix problem solving discourse, as if this diet will suddenly get rid of the years of beer belly growth that the reader has put on. Before I have even read the article, I have whitnessed targeted advertising at the collective identity in mens health and 3 of the 4 discourses that I have been asked to study being prominantly displayed.
I don't think I even need to read this article, on to
the next.
Again a slight variation of the advert pops up, but this time I'll close it. This article is more to do with the new male sensitivity; awareness of a woman's feelings and attractions. Even then this discourse is not taken seriously , for the men to care about her opinion, the editor feels that she needs to be naked in a bed. Although some kind of decency is preserved, she is half under the covers it still undermines the point of the article slightly. This article is less about a man's sensitivity, but that of a woman, and how a women likes his sensitive side. With phrases like "show your soft spot", there is a small section on encouraging a man to show his own emotion, but not for his own personal discover of self, but for a woman to be attracted to him.
Sense of belonging in readers drawn out through semiotics. Winship (1987:11) 'the gaze between cover model and women readers marks the complicity between women seeing themselves in the image which the masculine culture has defined.' resonates with Marxist idea by Althusser's (1971) 'interpellation' - the social/ideological practice of misrecognising yourself. To prepare ourselves for gratification by complicity and recognition of our ideal version of self. Feminists beleive that male magazines encourage women in this way. Challenging cultural experience is difficult. Marxist: 'False consciousness' = Instead of asking for equality and rights people comment on celebrity waistlines.
Advertising packs show who the editor and publishers think that their text is aimed to, defining things about them like where they shop and what they like.
- Will Continue Some other time- (Page54)
