Online media

I associate facebook with

- friends
- arguments
- pictures
- statuses

negatives
- facebook causes a lot of arguements if you don't agree with someones profile.
- facebook is dangerous as paedophiles can disguse themselves as someone young and similar to you to lure you in


positives
- you can connect with people all over the world i.e who you may have met on holidays
- you can stay in the loop with the latest music, news
- anyone can have facebook, it doesn't discriminate against any race, gender, age.


Sharing of information
Globalisation
Development of self- identity
Self- realisation
Collective intelligence
Reshape media messages and their flow
Increased voice
Consumer communication with business (greater influence) - mass collaboration
Awareness- bands/skills
Communication has become an interactive dialogue
User generated content
Self- presentation and self- disclosure
Increasing diversity in subcultures
Online media focus on some or all of the 7 functional building block - identity, conversations, sharing, presence, relationships, representations and groups (kietzmann et al) 2011.

Online media are especially suitible to construct and develop several identities of the self (Turkle, 1998)

Identity consists of several fragments that permanently change, multiple but coharent, a live-long developing and new conceptualized patchwork.

Highlight ke points/quotes that you think are important and then answer these questions when reading this text:

•      Young people are surrounded by influential imagery – popular media (Examples?)

Radio, tv, magazines, music, advertising, internet, music videos, supermodels,

•      It is no longer possible for an identity to just be constructed in a small community and influenced by a family (Discuss)

As we our constantly surrounded by media it is impossible not to be influenced by it. Therefore we construct our identity depending on what we like in the media. Although part of identity is formed by our family and where we live, the media plays a huge role in constructing our identity.

•      Everything concerning our lives is ‘media saturated’ (What does this mean?)

Media is all around us constantly and is heavily integrated into our lives so it’s impossible to ignore it.

In society today the construction of a personal identity can be seen to be somewhat problematic and difficult. Young people are surrounded by influential imagery, especially that of popular media. It is no longer possible for an identity to be constructed merely in a small community and only be influenced by family. Nowadays, arguably everything concerning our lives is seen to be ‘media-saturated’. Therefore, it is obvious that in constructing an identity young people would make use of imagery derived from the popular media.
However, it is fair to say that in some instances the freedom of exploring the web could be limited depending on the choice of the parents or teachers. So, if young people have such frequent access and an interest in the media, it is fair to say that their behaviour and their sense of ‘self’ will be influenced to some degree by what they see, read, hear or discover for themselves. Such an influence may include a particular way of behaving or dressing to the kind of music a person chooses to listen to. These are all aspects which go towards constructing a person’s own personal identity.
Firstly, it is important to establish what constitutes an identity, especially in young people. The dictionary definition states the following:

“State of being a specified person or thing: individuality or personality…” (Collins Gem English Dictionary. 1991).

The mass media provide a wide-ranging source of cultural opinions and standards to young people as well as differing examples of identity. Young people would be able to look at these and decide which they found most favourable and also to what they would like to aspire to be. The meanings that are gathered from the media do not have to be final but are open to reshaping and refashioning to suit an individual’s personal needs and consequently, identity. It is said that young people:

“…use media and the cultural insights provided by them to see both who they might be and how others have constructed or reconstructed themselves… individual adolescents…struggle with the dilemma of living out all the "possible selves" (Markus & Nurius, 1986), they can imagine.” (Brown et al. 1994, 814).

When considering how much time adolescents are in contact with the popular media, be it television, magazines, advertising, music or the Internet, it is clear to see that it is bound to have a marked effect on an individual’s construction of their identity. This is especially the case when the medium itself is concerned with the idea of identity and the self; self-preservation, self-understanding and self-celebration.

 “With a simple flip of the television channel or radio station, or a turn of the newspaper or magazine page, we have at our disposal an enormous array of possible identity models.” (Grodin & Lindlof 1996)

I believe the Internet is an especially interesting medium for young people to use in order to construct their identities. Not only can they make use of the imagery derived from the Internet, but also it provides a perfect backdrop for the presentation of the self, notably with personal home pages. By surfing the World Wide Web adolescents are able to gain information from the limitless sites which may interest them but they can also create sites for themselves, specifically home pages. Constructing a home page can enable someone to put all the imagery they have derived from the popular media into practice. For example:

“…constructing a personal home page can be seen as shaping not only the materials but also (in part through manipulating the various materials) one’s identity.” (Chandler 1998)

This is particularly important as not only are young people able to access such an interesting and wide ranging medium, but they are also able to utilise it to construct their own identity. In doing this, people are able to interact with others on the Internet just as they could present their identities in real life and interact with others on a day to day basis.
In conclusion it can be seen that the popular media permeates everything that we do. Consequently, the imagery in the media is bound to infiltrate into young people’s lives. This is especially the case when young people are in the process of constructing their identities. Through television, magazines, advertising, music and the Internet adolescents have a great deal of resources available to them in order for them to choose how they would like to present their ‘selves’. However, just as web pages are constantly seen to be 'under construction’, so can the identities of young people. These will change as their tastes in media change and develop. There is no such thing as one fixed identity; it is negotiable and is sometimes possible to have multiple identities. The self we present to our friends and family could be somewhat different from the self we would present on the Internet, for example. By using certain imagery portrayed in the media, be it slim fashion models, a character in a television drama or a lyric from a popular song, young people and even adults are able to construct an identity for themselves. This identity will allow them to fit in with the pressures placed on us by society, yet allow them to still be fundamentally different from the next person.


"Identity's complicated - everyone thuinks they've got one" - David Gauntlett

" A focus on Identity requires us to pay closer attention to the ways in which media and technologies are used in everyday life and their consequences for social groups" - David Buckingham

He classifies identity as an 'ambiguous and slippery' term
- Identity is something unique to each of us, but also implies a relationship with a broader group.
- Identity can change according to our circumstances.
- Identity is fluid and is affected by broader changes.
- Identity becomes more important to us if we feel it is threatened.

Cultural imperialism
- American culture being imprinted on british culture
Globalisation

David Gauntlett
Religious and national identities is at the heart of international conflicts.
The average teenager can create numerous identities in such a short space of time.
We all like to think we are unique but Gauntlett questions whether this is an illusion, and we are all much more similar than we think.

5 stages

- Creativity as a process, emotions and experiences
- Making and sharing, to feel alive, to participate in community
- Happiness, through creativity and community
- Creativity as a social glue, a middle layer between individuals and society
- Making your mark, putting your stamp on the world and making it your own

Collective identity: the individuals sense of belonging to a group ( part of personal identity)

Representation: the way reality is 'mediated' and 're-presented' to us.

1.       When was Youtube first released?

2005

2.       According to Michael Wesch what does Web 2.0 allow people to do?

Web is about linking people, sharing ideas with one another. user generated distribution

3.   When media changes what else changes?

Human relationships change

4.       What influenced the loss of community? And what has now filled this void?

When women join the work force, moving from corner store to big superstores, connected only by roadways and tv's. New forms of networks, ie mobile phones. Cultural inversion, increasingly individual but longing for community. Youtube is shaped by this.

5.       How are communities connected?

By youtube, mobile phones,

6.       Explain what he means by voyeuristic capabilities?

It allows you to watch other people without staring at them or making them feel uncomftable.

7.       Write 3 points about what he refers when he discusses playing with identity

8.       What does the ‘Free hugs phenomenon’ suggest about people?