And the changing face of identity

Lesson 1:

How is the internet changing Identity?

• The internet, social networking sites and content sharing sites like YouTube are changing how identity is perceived and constructed.

• What evidence can you think of that agrees with this statement?

YouTube, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram etc…

• Sites like YouTube, Facebook etc… allow us the opportunity to increasingly MEDIATE our own identity

• By choosing what to post or what to say in our latest status we chose what version of ourselves we will present to the online world

• “Whenever there is time to write edit and delete there is room for performance”– Sherry Turkle, Alone Together

Community

• This is also affecting the idea of community

• Communities used to be confined to your street or your neighbourhood, now they cross boundaries and extend through countries

• People who have never met can exist in the same community and share the same beliefs and interests

An Anthropological Introduction to YouTube

• Presented by Professor Michael Wesch in 2008

• He talks about the growth of YouTube and the new type of identity and community it can create

• As you are watching the clip answer the questions on the sheet provided.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TPAO-lZ4_hU

Opening Statement

• The internet, social networking sites and content sharing sites like YouTube are changing how identity is perceived and constructed.

• Take another look at this statement

• Can you think of any new evidence that supports this?

Collective Identity in Online Communities

Lesson 2:

Collapse and Growth of Community

• As mentioned in the previous lesson there has been a collapse of community in society, this has been replaced by a growth in online groups or communities

• These communities are not confined to streets or countries as before, instead they cross borders and exist worldwide

Nerdfighters• The Nerdfighter community grew around a pair of YouTubers called the Vlog

Brothers

• The community are linked by fandom, of both the Vlog Brothers and a variety of other ‘nerdy’ programmes and activities for example Doctor Who and Harry Potter

• Their slogan Don’t Forget to be Awesome is also the name of the Vlog Brothers record label, which allows independent artists to publish and sell their music.

• The Vlog Brothers are also responsible for the Project for Awesome which raises money for a variety of good causes in an attempt to defeat ‘world suck’

• http://youtu.be/FyQi79aYfxU

Becoming YouTube

• Take notes on the following video.

• What does it say about Identity?• What does it say about Community?

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4UF0F1yi14

New communities

• This new sense of identity and community is both connecting and isolating at the same time

• We are increasingly connected to the world, but at the same time increasingly disconnected from reality

• MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) like WOW (World of Warcraft) are increasing in size, allowing people to escape into a imagined world where community and identity are malleable and easily constructed

Authenticity?

• This ability to construct an identity, to be unseen while communicating increases the risk for impersonation and fraud

• It creates a sense of anonymity, a false sense of security

• People post things they would never say in person, trolls etc…

Authenticity Cont….

• In extreme cases this anonymity allows people to create personas and identities very different to their own

• Catfish:• http://youtu.be/Bu

E98oeL-e0

What does this mean?

• Identity is constantly in flux, we are unable to distinguish between what is authentic and what isn’t. We are frequently constructing our own identities, presenting a mediated version of ourselves to the world

• Equally the collective identity of youth and youth culture can also be affected by this movement to online cultures

• Rather than being controlled and constructed by outside onlookers, British youth can now take control of their own representation creating UGC (User Generated Content) to reflect what they see, feel and experience

• This idea was realised by the TIME magazine person of the year in 2006

Exam Question

• Plan your answer to the following question:

• “The media do not construct identity; they merely reflect it” Discuss.

• Remember to include:– More than 1 type of text

(TV/Film/Newspaper/Online)– Past, Present and Future representations

Mock Exam

Lesson 3:

“The media do not construct identity; they merely reflect it”

Discuss. [50]

You have 1 hour to answer this question in exam conditions. Please handwrite your answers as you would in an exam

(however if you are permitted to use a computer in an exam please do)

Mock Exam