Representing Identity through Media - Coursework Example

Representing Identity through Media Understanding of How a Media Text Represents Identity Media plays a primary role asfar as the representation of identity is concerned, especially when it comes to the economic reading of media industries. Advertising and ownership of media industries have a great influence towards the identity formation of media text. More often than not, the identity that media text reflects usually comes in the form of class, religion, gender, and sexuality among other factors. The human race has distinctive aspects that identify it although multiculturalism exists. Such identities are instrumental in the formation of perception among various groups of people across the globe. It means that economic reading can contribute a lot towards the realization of the manner in which media text reflects identity. Fundamentally, economy and politics take centre stage as far as the representation of identity through media text is concerned. In this regard, this paper explores ways in which economic reading of media industries, such as ownership and advertising, exposes the representation of identity through media texts. Representation by media entails the construction of real identities of people, places, and phenomenon by media industries. Media industries may choose to represent an identity through text, still pictures, or moving pictures. Media text has a greater influence in identity representation when compared to pictures because it can get elaborate. Media texts usually represent age, class, ethnicity, and gender in a number of ways, especially through economic reading (Lauzen, Dozier, & Horan 2008). Media representation of identity may be widely acceptable while sometimes it may draw controversies from various quarters of the society (Furnham, & Paltzer 2010). An interesting aspect of modern media sphere is the ability to allow people to create their own discourses and identities. Whereas social media has been characterized by increased social interaction, media consumers “devote effort into the production of social media, and in so doing, develop a feeling of ownership” (Karahanna, Xu & Zhang 2015, p. 186). This implies that identity in the media is a construct of personal identity as people try to express their inner self. People want to create media realms that they can relate with. Perhaps it is worth looking at media representation from a three-pronged approach that includes the production, reference, and reception. Ethnicity, class, gender, and age are some of the key identities that media texts represent. At the production stage, media text may choose to be biased towards a certain identity in order to send a specific message (Lauzen, Dozier, & Horan 2008). When it comes to the reception phase, it is worth noting that the audience of media texts interprets these factors differently depending on background. The media texts depict various realities in the identities through the reference process. A number of approaches of representation of identity by media text exist and all of them are effective, depending on the intended outcome. Media owners liaise with advertisers to represent certain identities in media text perhaps to achieve an economic outcome as often seen on YouTube (Saul 2010). One approach that that media industries use to support and contribute to identity representation via media text is the generic approach. Through the generic approach, media text is able to express bias towards a certain identity. For example, a media text may be biased towards a certain gender, religion, or ethnicity in order to secure the interests of a particular political economy. Media-specifically is another approach through which media may represent identity only that this time, the media text targets a certain class of audience, mostly the audience who identify with such kinds of text (Moore 2011). The approach can be thematic in the sense that it entails a general prejudice towards a certain identity for example childhood, fatherhood, and nationhood. Although other types of media like the print and digital media can represent identity through media text, television remains the most effective may of representing such identities, especially through news, advertisements, and other programs. YouTube has grown to be one of the most widely used social media platform across the world. More importantly, YouTube has become a platform for creating, expressing and propagating different kinds of identity. Indeed, the levels of creativity in expressing identity on YouTube has gone to unprecedented heights especially in the last decade. One of the primary reasons why YouTube has become a media for representing identity is the fact that it allows people to comment and exchange ideas (Yoon & Kim 2014). More often than not, YouTube comments allow participants to digress from the main point of discussion as each person tries to express their point of view. Arguably, “in using content from YouTube to teach about race and racism, the comment stream is a highly charged area” (Nakagawa & Arzubiaga 2014). The result is a string of comments depicting social, racial, economic, or religious, expression of identity. For instance, an automobile YouTube advertisement depicting a German technology may proliferate into an unending exchange of words from German technology enthusiasts and Japan technology savvies. A classic example is a Volkswagen Polo - Terrorist Commercial (Tripolt 2006) that disintegrated into a racially depicting controversial commercial. On this particular Youtube link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnL-7x4n4d8), the commercial has received more than 500 comments. However, a close study of the comments reveal a very interesting phenomena of how a single advert can proliferate into an expression of racial, social, religious identities all within one platform. To begin with, the advert itself propagates racial identity because it presents the terrorist as a person with Arab origin. The clothing worn by the terrorists extend the commonly accepted perception that terrorists are Muslims (Shabbir, et al. 2014). On the other hand, the advert depicts the advertised car as a bullet proof piece of engineering from Germany. As posited by Nakagawa and Arzubiaga 2014 “As a site of participatory culture, social media provides contexts for both formal and informal learning about race” (104). Therefore, an economic reading of this advert and its subsequent comments provide understanding of how YouTube adverts represents different forms identity. On a different note, it is argued that modern society is continually creating and renewing identity through social sphere. Kimmons (2014) argues, “we are perpetually reconstructing our identity to gain membership in communities” (94). It is therefore important to note that identity is not abstract but rather takes on a continuum characteristic. As people advance in age, so do the change in different identities change. For instance, a blogger could exhibit a significant change in the content blogged as the blogger advances in age. This is because as age sets in, social identity, among other factors, changes as well. Blogger writing about new sport cars in their youthful days may turn to write about classic cars as age sets in because old classics become a way of representing social identity. In other media platforms such as YouTube, age, race, social status, and personal preferences primarily determine the kind of content viewers opt to see (Waters, & Jones 2011). It can be argued that people tend to put into YouTube what represents them. On the other hand, people tend to view what appeals to their identity. In both cases, identity is propagated through the media platform. As dynamic media continue to command a large number of following, finding a sweet spot membership becomes a tricky business hence necessitating a constant change in the way people interact with media. Wohlwend and Medina, 2012 on the other hand argue that mainstream media plays a pertinent role in the society as a pedagogy tool. The two authors argue that television media is at the forefront of social pedagogy based on how actors present themselves. For instance, in the efforts of assigning modern woman a modern identity, television media ensures this by clothing women with latest styled clothing (Wohlwend and Medina, 2012). Indeed, it is possible to tell the year in which a particular film or a TV program was produced by looking at the dress code of the actors. In return, the consumers of such media continue to construct identity by wearing similar clothes. In this line of argument, Wohlwend and Medina work provides an understanding of how film media represents and perpetuates identity into the community. Whereas identity is an important study element, it is worth to consider that identity can take on different levels as posited by Westjohn, Singh, and Magnusson, 2012. In the efforts to understanding how media text represents identity, there is need to understand that identity can take the form of individual, relational or collective. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter provide an opportunity for individuals to express and propagate self-identities through personalized social profiles. However, different people sharing a common social interest often coagulate in different platforms to form collective identity. Individual and collective media identity significantly becomes and important conceptualization for marketers (Thomas, Trump, & Price 2015). For instance, a group of Subaru enthusiasts can form a Facebook group in which they can express a collective identity eventually making it a platform for advertisement. A political Twitter group may represent a national identity. As noted, “collective identity and personality traits tends to be even stronger in consumer purchase situations” (Westjohn, Singh, & Magnusson 2012, p. 71) making discussions of such phenomena an important line of study. Interestingly, television media has been cited as one of the most vibrant platforms for depicting familial identity through the roles of different actors. Whereas Westjohn, Singh, and Magnusson argue about individual and collective identity on social media platforms, Lauzen, Dozier, and Horan, 2008 think of a family setting in television media as a way of expressing identity. Different cultures have different ways in which family members relate and interact. Therefore, television media has over time presented familial roles based on cultural background of the program or film setting. For instance, an African film may depict a man as the sole bread winner in the family based on African family traditions. However, a different film with American setting may depict man and woman as equal partners in the family setting. This brings in a different dimension in which scholars can look into when they seek to understand how media represents identity. It is therefore worth noting that “social roles provide the substance, at least in part, of gender stereotypes” (Lauzen, Dozier, and Horan, 2008, p. 201). Likewise, actors more often than not take roles that are in line with their social and familial roles in real life. Therefore, this presents an important aspect of understanding how media represents identity. Television advertisements present a multidimensional outlook on the issue of expression of identity. According to a research on imagery on television Ads, “Blacks, and Hispanics identified most with ads containing Black actors” (Shabbir, et al. 2014, p. 426). It therefore does not come by surprise that marketers articulate advertisements based on target market. However, a scholarly significance is the fact that advertisements have been custom tuned to mirror different forms of identities based on target population especially on YouTube (Waters, & Jones 2011). A good example is the use of black actors and brand representatives to advertise products related to black race. On the other hand, whites have over time used whites in adverts depicting supremacy of the whites as a race. Although such adverts may not explicitly express racism or any other form of stereotype, a close critique of such adverts can reveal depiction of identity in different forms. The work of Shabbir, et al. therefore becomes of scholarly significance in understanding how media text represent identity. Expression of identity within the realms of profession has gained significance especially with the proliferation of internet. For instance, different social media platforms provide a basis in which professional identity can be expressed. Classic examples include professional Facebook pages, Linked in among others. In a YouTube video research on nursing identity as a profession, it was found out that the videos “dramatized, caricatured and parodied nurse-patient and interprofessional encounters” (Kelly, Fealy & Watson 2012, p.1807). This implies that YouTube among other media platforms provide a rich avenue for expressing and propagating professional identity. Although Kelly, Fealy and Watson’s study primarily focused on the nursing profession, it can be argued that the same case applies to all other professions. For instance, YouTube videos on engineering tend to paint engineers as a worthy profession. Therefore, the platform acts as a medium of expressing identity. In a similar manner, the people who watch and comment on such videos often propagate or consolidate the professional identity expressed in the video. A different way to understanding text media identity is to look at the negative response in which media acts towards incongruent advertisements such as the ones posted on YouTube. Media “identity appeals fail when consumers judge an identity-congruent ad as portraying information about them that they would rather not have widely broadcast” (Thomas, Trump, & Price 2015, p. 58). A critical look at YouTube advertisements indicates that viral adverts either become viral because they are controversial or because they present a perfect identity match. A classic example of a failed media identity appeal is the “Volkswagen Polo - Terrorist Commercial” (Tripolt 2006) advert on YouTube. Indeed, the advert received more criticism than reception because different aspects of the advert were in a way incongruent with different identities. Whereas Muslims saw the advert as racially discriminating, German technology enthusiasts (intended customers) did not like the advert because it linked their identity with terrorism. Following Thomas, Trump, and Price’s argument, it can be said that people appreciate media that depicts their identity and disapprove media that contradicts their identity. Indeed, one of the comments following the YouTube advert says “Would you all not agree that this would never air in the US?” As different people from across the world exchange heated racially heated arguments, this example shows a comment from someone who sees the advert as incongruent with their identity, at least for a U.S citizen. Although Thomas, Trump, and Price seek to see how people react to adverts that contradict their identity, their study presents an interesting opposite angle to understanding how media text represents identity. In conclusion, a critical scholarly analysis of media industries can indeed support and contribute to understanding of how a media text represents the different forms of identity. Although this specific study has not been thoroughly and explicitly studied, a lot of inferences can be taken from different scholars. YouTube stands out amongst other platforms in regard to propagating identity in its different forms. Such identity can take a form such as profession, familial, cultural, social, and racial, among others. Other scholars have deconstructed identity into different levels such as individual or relational. Yet, other scholars such as Thomas, Trump, and Price bring into light the fact that negative reception of advertisement by the public could also present a different angle in the study of the relationship between media and identity. It seems that when media is congruent with personal or collective identity, reception is overwhelming and the opposite is true for incongruent media. All in all, a wide array of understanding of media needs to be considered for a comprehensive understanding of identity in the media. 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