Collective identity and representing ourselves: blog tasks

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

who are you?

This section suggests that  we have ideas of who we are and who we want to be, we choose how we want to present ourselves and the media influences this.

i think, therefore i am

 this section suggest  that our Identities used to be determined through our , gender, religion and societal roles.

from citizen to consumer 

the rise in consumers has meant individuals are influenced through brands and are forced to confirms to social norms

rise of an individual
in the 1960s and 70s  there was empowerment to enforce individuality that suggested people dont have set identities but have multiple 

branding and lifestyles
branding suggests people have a personality with a product and people select brands they associate with.

we will we be?
the internet allows the construction of an identity whether it be real or false and we can manipulate our "lives" to make it more desirable to the public eye . 

2)List 5 brands you're happy to be associated with and explain how they reflect your sense of identity

• lush- they are the cruelty free beauty and skincare company that hand make all their products that all have natural ingredients. They reflect my identity as i am a cruelty free advocate as well as an organic product user
• Nike- i enjoy using Nike products as they build really good relationships with the creators and consumers. as a young person i think its important making others feel welcome in there store so i support Nike products
• crunchyroll- i am a devoted anime fan who watches anime on a regular basis and crunchyroll puts most of its money it makes into funding the anime industry  which is very important as millions including myself want to carry on watching anime for as long as possible.
• Starbucks- i enjoy getting Starbucks products as they are ethically moral that support farm centers, help people in developing countries get fair pay. I associate myself with Starbucks as  i believe that the people that allow us to have all these amazing facilities should also get something in return and Starbucks is helping that that  
• Apple- i support the immense growth of apple as their products allow me to be creatively free and allow me to connects with others easily without any issues

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

the term style over substance suggests people value the aesthetic of something over the actual products function and impact. I do agree with this statement as people would be more willing to buy products if they look nice and are easily usable rather than buying products that have a better purpose and use but dont look appeasing to the eye and the media do prefer to promote "pretty" things over more functional things.  

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

media saturation refers to the idea that our identities are associated with brands and now the media has now put appearances on a " high pedestal"  aswell as physicality over personality and intellect

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 my social media image does reflect who i am however i am guilty of delete a few posts that divert to who i really am such as photos that reflect my culture which , now i find reasonably pathetic.

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 think the data mining is a negative thing as it violates ones privacy and time.  The intense spam of adverts does get frustrating and can be considered creepy if the ads are specifically tailored to you without any knowing. However i think it is clever way of promotion

Representation & Identity: Factsheet blog task

1) What is collective identity? 

a collective identity is values and ideologies that are all agreed upon by a certain number of individuals 

2) 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?

patriarchy, queen Elizabeth, London, wealth, countryside, pounds, diversity , london eye , tourism, tea, crumpets, fish and chips

these are all words or phrases that everyone in Britain have encountered or identify with , i do think i represented britain well but i may have stereotyped it a little bit.

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

he offers toys of his childhood and generation that are considered vintage and have a vintage feel to them which therefore make them nostalgic

4) How has new technology changed collective identity?

new technology as allowed individual ideologies and opinions to be expressed and new and unique collective identities to be recognized and for people to connect and relate to.

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

'Identity is complicated; everyone thinks they've got one'

6) What does Gauntlett suggest about creativity and identity?

davd gauntlett suggested that identity has changed to a more independant and  agile one, that allows creativty and artistic to flow through 

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

The community is formed from the members sharing quotes about their love for the film. this supports Henry Jenkins suggestion that it's not the fans facelessness but their passion with the text as a group and their point of view rather than their individual thoughts