Collective identity and the media

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

• Who are you - We as people construct an image or an identity that we use to communicate with other people in society.
• I think, therefore I am - Our image or identity is impacted highly on constructions predetermined in terms of; class, religion, gender.
• From citizen to consumer - This idea of creating an image of ourselves was due to the fact that people start focusing more on consumerism rather than as citizens of society.
• The rise of the individual - People soon began defining themselves as individuals, and so wanted to express their "difference"
• Branding and lifestyle - The rise of lifestyle marketing and the importance of brands and the idea of applying brands to personalities or people.
• Who will we be? - Through the internet and particularly the possibilities afforded by the creation of different personalities, we have more control over our public image now than ever before.

List five brands you are happy to be associated with and explain how they reflect your sense of identity.

• Converse - A conventional teenage style that is very laid back and chilled out. I feel like this reflects my personality
• Pull and Bear - Sort of stylish, hipster and laid back clothing that is also a reflection of my personality
• Uniqlo - A stark contrast of a style for, it is a bit more smart/casual with cardigans and jumpers rather than jeans and hoodies
• Blizzard - Gaming brand, I have grown up laying their games
• Canon - I enjoy taking photos and making videos, for that I use a lot of Canon equipment

Do you agree with the view that modern media is all about 'style over substance'? What does this expression mean?
I definitely agree with the view that the modern media is all about "style over substance". Many people in society now a days constantly think about the latest brand or the latest materialistic item that will make them feel as if they are popular or part of something. This is something that is inherently a part of humans, the want to be a part of something and we desperately try to fill that need through material wealth.

Explain Baudrillard's theory of 'media saturation' in one paragraph. You may need to research it online to find out more.
Baudrillard's theory of 'media saturation' talks about how we currently live in a society that's 'media-saturated.' This means that whatever image the media creates dominate and also distort the way in which we view events and the world as a whole. This is referred to as hyper-reality in that an alternate reality/realm is being created rather than actually being reported on.

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 believe that my presence on social media is an accurate reflection of who I am as a person. I tend to not care about what other people think of me as I am quite confident in myself as a person so I am not as self conscious as most people would normally be on social media.

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?
Personally, I am a bit on the fence when it comes to "data mining". Although I do believe it makes life a lot easier for search engines as well as me when I want to be searching for specific things, however I do believe that it causes some issues personally not in terms of privacy but in terms of my online experience. For example, ordering take out for someone in another city will result in you getting more and more targeted adverts for that specific city rather than where you live which can get annoying.