SPECIFICATION Media and Collective Identity Prompt

Questions:

• How do the contemporary media represent nations,

regions and ethnic / social / collective

groups of people in different ways?

• How does contemporary representation compare to

previous time periods?

• What are the social implications of different media

representations of groups of people?

• To what extent is human identity increasingly

‘mediated’?

“To what extent is human identity

increasingly ‘mediated’?”

Mediation: synonyms: conciliation, arbitration, reconciliation, intervention, intercession, interposition, good

offices; Moremediation

miːdɪˈeɪʃ(ə)n/

noun

noun: mediation; plural noun: mediations

1. Intervention in a dispute in order to resolve it; arbitration.

"the parties have sought mediation and it has failed“

2. Intervention in a process or relationship; intercession.

"they are offering sacrifice and mediation between God and man"

A ‘negotiated’ reading of a media

text; (Stuart Hall)

• Preferred Reading – This is when audiences respond to the textt the way media producers want/expect them to.

• Negotiated Reading – This is when the audience partly agrees with the media text

• Oppositional Reading – This is when the audience are in complete disagreement with ‘meanings’ of the text

How do you think this applies to

Identity? (Relating to the media)

• Preferred Reading – This is when audiences respond to the product the way media producers want/expect them to.

• Negotiated Reading – This is when a member of the audience partly agrees with the media text

• Oppositional Reading – This is when the audience are in complete disagreement with ‘meanings’ of the text

Thomas De Zengotita: (2005)

• Says that almost everything we experience or learn is via the media in some way.

• Therefore the media must shape and create us, our views, an our identity as people.

• We subconsciously believe ourselves (the self) to be somehow inherently important because of all the media addressed to us:

Poletta & Jasper • A collective identity may have been first constructed by

outsiders who may still enforce it, but it depends on some acceptance by those to whom it is applied.

• Collective identities are expressed in cultural materials –names, narratives, symbols, verbal styles, rituals, clothing, and so on – but not all cultural materials express collective identities.

Does this imply Preferred, Negotiated, or

Oppositional readings are normal?

How do you think these views are important

for our work on collective identity?

Jacques Lacan‘The Mirror Stage’

‘ That mirrors helped

children develop a sense

of self-identity.’

The assertion is that we

gain an idea of self-

identity through reflection.

• How does this fit with Stuart Hall’s negotiated readings?

• Are there any ‘mirrors’ you can think of that help ‘mediate’ your sense of self identity?

David Gauntlett: (Media, Gender and Identity 2002 )

• 'It is the case that the construction of identity has become a known requirement. Modern Western societies does not leave individuals in any doubt that they need to make choices of identity and lifestyle - even if their preferred options are rather obvious and conventional ones, or are limited due to lack of financial (or cultural) resources. As the sociologist Ulrich Beck has noted - everyone wants to 'live their own life,' but this is, at the same time 'an experimental life'.'

Your life is your project - there is no escape. The media

provides some of the tools which can be used in this work.

Like many toolkit, however, it contains some good utensils

and some useless ones; some that might give beauty to

the project and some that might spoil it.'

'The role model remains an important

concept, although it should not be

taken to mean someone that a person

wants to copy. Instead, role models

serve as navigation points as

individuals steer their own personal

routes through life.'

David Gauntlett: (Media, Gender and Identity 2002 )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NswJ4kO9u

Hc

'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.

David Gauntlett: (Media, Gender and Identity 2002 )

The media's suggestions may

be seductive but can never

simply overpower contrary

feelings in the audience.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1Qyks8QEM

'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.

David Gauntlett: (Media, Gender and Identity 2002 )

The media's suggestions may

be seductive but can never

simply overpower contrary

feelings in the audience.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1Qyks8QEM

Does this imply Preferred, Negotiated, or

Oppositional readings are normal?

Althusser: Interpellation 1971

• A mechanism whereby the human subject is'constituted'(constructed) by pre-given structures

• According to this view, the subject (viewer, listener, reader) is constituted(constructed) by the text

• The power of the mass media resides in their ability to 'position‘ the subject in such a way that their representations are taken to be reflections of everyday reality.

Althusser: Interpellation 1971

The subject (viewer, listener,

reader) is constructed by the text.

The text can 'position‘ the subject

in such a way that the text’s

meanings and representations are

taken to be reality.

Althusser: Interpellation 1971

The subject (viewer, listener,

reader) is constituted constructed

by the text.

The text can 'position‘ the subject

in such a way that the text’s

meanings and representations are

taken to be reality.

Does this imply Preferred, Negotiated, or

Oppositional readings are normal?

“To what extent is human identity

increasingly ‘mediated’?”

• 1. Can you personally relate to the idea of creating identity using the media? Are there any characters or media personalities who you feel represent you?

• 2. Can you think of any examples of Collective Identities being heavily influenced and define themselves by the media? Particularly youth sub-cultures that are often defined by the type of media they consume:

• 3. Are there identities that are often constructed then perpetuated by the media? Eg. ‘The Chav’ Or are there individuals? Eg. Amy Winehouse

• 4. How can these media identities influence others? Eg ‘Skins Parties’

• 5. In an Internet ‘We Media’ world how can we use the media to create identities? Eg. Online Fandoms, YouTube, instagram