Media Essay

To what extent do audiences use media to construct their own sense of collective identity?

“Identity is complicated”- David Gauntlett. Over the many years we have seen a change in which the media is being used and prsented, especially the internet and how youths have been able to use this medium to construct their identity. By taking into account Gauntlett’s theory and others we can see how youths have developed their identities.

Identity is complex. The relationship between collective identity and media representation has and will continue not to be straightforward. However though are many ways in which youths can construct/develop their identities. One way in which this is done is through social networking websites, such as twitter, facebook and tumblr.  They tend to use these websites to begin developing their identities. As Henri Jenkins mentions “Teens are constantly updating and customizing their profiles online, adding photos and songs, and posting to each other walls”. While this could be interpreted as harmless fun, theses activities can also be a means for youths to construct and experiment with their identity. In particular, it can be a space for exploring one’s gender identification.  These social networking sites also give audiences a sense of belonging  as “We have an embodied experience and anything in which we use our bodies to create new things builds our identity” – Merleau Ponty said this in reference to how youths are able to create for themselves a collective identity through the use of new media as people begin to interact with you because of the same interest etc , hence giving off a sense of belonging.

Twitter, facebook and YouTube are part of the web2.0 along with tumblr. Now web 2.0 refers to the web application that facilitates participating information, sharing and user centred design. This has been used by youths regularly to voice their opinion and in retrospect rebel against today’s society. as the government cannot constantly censor website such as facebook or twitter because of its regular updates.  Take for example the recent London riots that had occurred in July.

The London riots were planned through the use of web 2.0, as youths were able to communicate through social networks such as facebook, twitter and also through the use of blackberry messenger.  Youths were able to effectively use these tools to post pictures with their stolen goods. One news article actually states that “brazen facebook user posted a picture of himself with suspected stolen goods” we see that tabloids are therefore resulting to creating a moral panic which is to create fear around youths and readers will then adopt this opinion. The word used “brazen” creates a negative view of youths, thus tabloids are persuading the public to believe that all youths fall under one collective identity, that youths are not governed, they are destructive, thus the print media aided a postmodernism view on youths today, hence constructing our reality.

Strinati touched on this point, on how the mass media can easily influence society to think a certain way that the mass media easily constructs our sense of reality, therefore contributing to postmodernism. An example is of the media image of youths wearing hoodie’s, bandana and riding bikes, this therefore creates a stereotypical negative view on youths. This is thus in line with Althusser’s interpellation theory that some media text/image impose their ideology on the audiences. The idea is that we are controlled by these messages and thus go some way into defining a collective identity.

However though youths actually construct their identities differently by actually choosing what will suit them. As many youths will turn to celebrities, fashion and magazines to create/develop their own identity. Hence when they turn to these different mediums, they see a representation which is perfect to what they inspire to be influenced by. This therefore creates the winship notion of complexity which is about being prepared, in terms with audience gratification, to finally recognise the ideal version f ourselves. Therefore when youths look at a magazine and see Selena Gomez on a cover of a magazine against a white background, some youths are going to believe that what they see is the ideal look needed to build an identity for yourself and others around you.

 Though all youths construct their identities differently by deciding to fit an identity to themselves by what they see in terms of media texts. Stuart hall encoding and decoding theory was correct in saying that media texts/images are written with encoded messages and thus we decode them in order to fit our need. So when articles was being produced about the London riots the public where decoding he message that youths are lawless and are not governed, whereas youths would decode the message and argue against it.

In conclusion youths use the media to their advantage in order to create/develop for themselves a collective identity through the use of web2.0.  However though through the use of broadsheets and tabloids it is hard for youths to actually create their own identity, hence David Gauntlett was right in saying that “identity is complicated”.

Theories for revision

Useful theory 1: Jacques Lacan - Mirror Stage‘Lacan's concept of the mirror stage was strongly inspired by earlier work by psychologist Henri Wallon, who speculated based on observations of animals and humans responding to their reflections in mirrors. Wallon noted that by the age of about six months, human infants and chimpanzees could both recognize their reflection in a mirror. While chimpanzees rapidly lose interest in the discovery, human infants typically become very interested and devote much time and effort to exploring the connections between their bodies and their images. In a 1931 paper, Wallon argued that mirrors helped children develop a sense of self-identity.’While it's not vital to remember all of the above the assertion is that we gain an idea of self-identity through reflection. Lacan suggested a "mirror stage" in which a child begins to develop an identity; it is a point in their life when they can essentially look into a mirror and recognise themselves. It can be argued that audiences are able to form and develop their identity and change the way in which they see or recognise themselves.

Useful theory 2: David Gauntlett's Construction of Identity is very useful as it discusses the power relationship between media and ourselves when it comes to constructing identity.

'The power relationship between the media and the audience involves a 'bit of both' or to be more precise, a lot of both. The media sends out a huge number of messages about identity and acceptable forms of self-expression, gender, sexuality, and lifestyle. At the same time the public have their own even more robust set of diverse feelings on the issues. The media's suggestions may be seductive but can never simply overpower contrary feelings in the audience.'

Useful Theory 3: Althusser's Interpellation
Here's one definition. And here's an attempt to explain it: Interpellation is the process where a human subject is constructed by pre-given structures. This has been taken up some media theorists to to explain how media texts impose their ideology (their set of ideas) on the audience. If you think about it, we're bombarded by messages from the media, messages that make certain assumptions about us (taste, place in society etc), and as soon as we engage with the message we are positioned as a 'subject' rather than an individual. The idea is that we are controlled by these messages and go some way to defining our identity.

This is an quite an extreme view and doesn't account for the fact that texts often have multiple meanings and audience approach texts with different uses in mind.

Research on online press & viral - London Riots

LONDON RIOTS

How does the internet provide an enormous challenge for regulations?

During the London riots, we saw that the BBC had created a huge challenge for regulation for youths living in London as it began to construct a sense of moral panic and stereotype youths, the idea of young people becoming viral villains. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14439970) However though youths tend have used social mediums respond back through the use of social networks such as Facebook and twitter by posting images of themselves with stolen goods and happy doing so. Hence this will be an enormous regulation for regulators as they cannot control these social networks as they do not have the right to do so.

How does the internet provide a post-modern vision of identity?

Well in today’s society we the public are not able to escape from the way the media portray certain collective identity. The reason being is that the internet provides a postmodern vision as technology continues to grow and create our reality. An example is that of the London riots where the social networks had allowed youths to regulate their own ideas in a more modern form. One reporter for the daily mail states “The report said: 'Whilst social media did not necessarily trigger involvement, it undoubtedly speeded up the exchange of information and increased the number of young people aware of the events as they were happening.”  In terms of reflection

How does web 2.0 present a change for rioters since the Brixton riots?

Since the Brixton riots we see the use of web 2.0 has been able to amplify a change for rioters in the UK. The guardian a broadsheet was able to reflect this through their online site. The reporter states “In fact the only visible difference I could detect was that most of the rioters in Tottenham were wearing hooded jackets and scarves around their faces rather than the woolly hats and cloth berets of my generation.”  The press shows a reflection of a negative representation of youths in the society and categorize them into a collective identity. 

Has online press affected us in today’s society?

Depending on the type of press you allow yourself to read. The reason being is that there are two different forms of modern press, which are tabloids, broadsheets, social networks such as twitter and Facebook. The fact that online press are so instant and has constructed a collective identity on youths it has thus left youths to adhere to the media

How does it present an area of control for today’s society?

Through the use of twitter and Facebook especially during the London riots, youths have been able to post videos and images of their stolen goods; this demonstrates that youths adhere to the constructions that tabloids represent for them.  

Media Essay

The media do not construct collective identity; they merely reflect it: discuss

Identity is complex. Therefore the relationship between collective identity and media representation is not and has never been straightforward, in a sense where the media actually constructs a sense of moral panic to its selected audiences or rather it reflects the facts of a certain identity.

David Buckingham believes that, ‘Identity is complicated’ hence in relations to a collective identity for youths today through printed media it can be very hard to reflect or construct it properly. As an adolescence progression is about becoming rather than being, hence the media can have a huge influence on this. 

However in today’s situations we as the public live in a society where the media has become post modernized, we have therefore allowed the media around us such as, newspapers, televisions and the internet to create our reality, shape our view on things because the media does both construct and reflect ideas, which has therefore made it inescapable for us to avoid it, that even if we don’t want it we will still be fed by the media.  However though whether the media constructs or reflects depends fully on the type of media you take in. An example is The Sun (newspaper) and The Guardian (newspaper).

The Sun newspaper is a tabloid which writes most of its articles to a specific audiences, some of its contents include sports, celebrities and music which then becomes soft news in order to attract younger audiences which then creates an audience gratification or a form of escapism or either a winship notion of complexity particular for youths as it is about being prepared in terms of audience gratification, to finally recognise the ideal version of youths in Britain. Now the Sun constructs a collective identity for youths, resulting in a constructed audience. We definitely saw this through the period of the London riots recently one quote from the newspaper states “The brazen facebook user posted a picture of himself with suspected stolen goods” this is a form of post modernism for the sun tabloid as it has created a sense of moral panic which is the intensity of feeling expressed in a population about an issue that appears to threaten the social order, through its chosen words. ‘Brazen’ this highlight’s to its intended audience a distorted view on young people today that they are no longer govern. This in effect means that youths today are careless, with no sense of direction and this is how the public view will and should view it.

However the Guardian on the other hand is a broadsheet which writes most of its art5icles for aristocrats or from middle to upper class. This broadsheet and like many other, present hard news or rather a reflection which means that they present the facts or the reality and are impartial in their articles in order to reach a wider audience.

As a broadsheet we see that the guardian is presenting a reflection of youths. One of the writers wrote “Just imagine for a moment that you’re a British teenage boy. You’re struggling to grow up, to find out who you really are” this is indeed a fact about today’s youths as many are looking/ finding their identity. The press has also been able to sell their idea for people to actually buy their product. The reason being is that the guardian has been able to not to construct the idea of moral panic but rather has been able to present their idea and the fact together effectively. Hence Stuart halls theory comes on encoding and decoding comes into account as the article is not necessarily fixed or determined by the journalist, neither is the message transparent to its readers but rather despite being realistic and recounting facts the article will also merely distort the intentions of the reader. Hence encoding /decoding will simply portray the media message as common sense/reflection of truth.   

Therefore the media today does both construct and reflect different collective identity depending on the different form you read as tabloids tend to construct a sense of moral panic and a broadsheet reflects the ideas.

A recent report even mentions that 85% of teenage boys said that newspapers portray them in a bad light. Hence they are in fact talking about a reflection on a construction of different type of media newspapers such as the mirror, the daily mail and the sun.

These tabloids have effectively been able to create a stir in society with it’s over exaggeration in its articles to create a moral panic for people in the UK. The daily mail actually states “A sense of glee pervaded these accounts – people were often grinning while describing their experience – a delight that the normal order of things was briefly turned upside down.” Hence constructing and amplifying to its audience a collective identity.

Youth Constuctions

Youth identity constructions

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“Identity is complicated everybody thinks they’ve got one" How far do you agree with this statement

“Identity is complicated everybody thinks they’ve got one” – David Gaunlett. David focuses on the fact that identity today is never constructed but rather formed into a collective identity depending on his/her influences therefore determines whom they are and how we should therefore view them or even categorize them among other so called individuals with similar identity. He goes on further to mention that “A focus on identity requires us to pay closer attention to the way in which the media and technologies are used in everyday and their consequences for social groups”, Hence what David is trying to say that an identity can be complicated due to the fact that the media and the technology around help us to form a collective identity for social youths today depending on their lifestyle, interest, way of clothing etc. This therefore forms stereotypes in a postmodernist view, that we simply make a social order for specific identities; hence identity today can be complicated!

However the theorist Merleau Ponty brings out a slightly different opinion in which a collective identity can actually be formed, he goes on to state “we have an embodied experience and anything in which we use our bodies to create new things builds our identity”. Do we allow our embodied experience or interest shape our identity today? Well through today’s mass media many do, through the use of social websites such as twitter and facebook. Merleau states “when we use our bodies to create things” this suggest that when we make a facebook profile, and then begin to socialise with other and then put perhaps our favourite music online or movie etc, we have begun to build our identity. However let us remember that once we have created either a facebook or twitter page we have thus joined an online community and within this online community we have thus allowed people of the same interest or even the same dislikes to associate themselves with us, the ‘individual’ , thus forming a group and primarily a collective identity.

Collective identity can be seen as stereotyping an individual and placing them in a group, ‘An individual sense of belonging to a group’. Though we have to know that due to the advancement in technology and the in actual influence in the media it has therefore allowed the public to form these groups without necessarily realizing. Lets take a look at one case study for example, the UK riots. From when the riots had begun and when it had come to an end the media, had created a moral panic – Moral panic is in fact the intensity of feeling expressed in a population of an issue that appears to threaten a social order. In these instances the media saw this has an opportunity to class together youths and technology to be the cause of a violent outtake on society, and that the majority of youths had similar interest into the reason why they were indeed in fact involved in these riots, due to EMA being cut off etc.

This had therefore allowed the public to form a collective identity of all youths, as being careless, lawless individuals whom have or share the same interest in one way or another, either through race, clothing or even the way they speak.

Although the theorist Foucault believes that “we are born with a basic identity but we develop our collective identity when with others.” He has therefore given us the sense that we mediate our identity with which we are with, therefore our language, mannerism all change depending on whom we finding ourselves to associate with. This is of course true as in society youths do mediate their identity depending on whom they are with, this in retrospective then limits the idea of actually constructing an identity as those whom we are with will no doubt act the same, then therefore forming a stereotype group.

Hence the statement “Identity is complicated everybody thinks they’ve got one” is true, because no matter what we will always be engulfed by those with similar interest and in affect form a collective identity.