Representing ourselves: blog task

1) Read the article and summarise each section in one sentence.

• 'WHO ARE YOU?'

This section is about how individuals are all involved in a image for others to view our identities but also how cultures around us add to complex ideas we have of ourselves

• 'I THINK THEREFORE I AM'

How identities that we all have are social constructs which are based on things like gender, race, predetermined (gender) roles, religion and class

• 'FROM CITIZEN TO CONSUMER' 

This section is about a post-industrial consumer in the early 20th century where adopting an identity for one's self was encouraged and marketing was used as a way to persuade consumers to think of what they buy rather than buying for survival. 

• 'THE RISE OF THE INDIVIDUAL'

This section is about how advertisers took advantage of the empowerment of their audiences individuality and how this was evident in the 20th century where audiences wanted to express heir 'uniqueness', 'individuality' and differences.

• 'BRAND AND LIFESTYLE'

This is about the evolving of brands and brand identity; this meant that these brands were selling certain self-image which would be associated with their brand but lead to the brands selling personalities. 

• 'WHO WILL WE BE'

A conclusion with the growth in social media and the platform it has created has lead to people being confined within their own constructing of their self-image/identity. This means enabling people to create self images for themselves even if false and used for gaining information (datamining) 

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

• BBC news- I think because I think there shouldn't be bias in news the impartiality in the news broadcaster links to my beliefs. 
• Disney- They have had effect on my childhood which shows in my childhood.
• Tumblr- A platform which allows people to speak freely which reflects my identity as I believe in democracy
• i-D- Reflects my identity as a media studies student.
• Ebay- This reflects my identity because I find clothing, cds or books which sometimes cant be found elsewhere. 

3) Do you agree with the view that modern media is all about 'style over substance'? What does this expression mean?

I agree with the idea of 'style over substance' in our society is apparent in brand because some brands hold high value because of their name but do not hold any actual high quality assets to offer. Many high-end fashion brands such as Gucci or Louis Vuitton are very popular in pop culture but hold no substance or style in their fashion from other high end fashion. 
Or the popular Apple iPhone which have slowly been recreating the same phone with slight tweaks because they are trendy and popular they hold substance or quality as a good phone.

4) Explain Baudrillard's theory of 'media saturation' in one paragraph. You may need to research it online to find out more.

The theory of 'media saturation' states that in our modern society that cultural values are upheld through external factors rather than the internal. Baudrilard's theory highlights that the media dominates our lives changing how we see our world which affects subconsciously. 


5) 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 think my presence on social media is accurate as I strive present myself as honesty as I can. However, I think the type of person you portray depends on what you post on the site because as I post more art or movies there is no image others have of me, apart from words, because our society is based on physical attributes but by placing an image (photos) of ones self they have given themselves an image to uphold for either themselves or on media. So, the representations shown are exactly accurate to the person themselves because I think no one person is able to post their flaws and negativity in this specific society. 


6) 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?

Well, I think data mining is needed for companies to thrive as it is their core to finding the right audiences to attract and which consumers on a platform will find out about their product more than another. However, with that comes the idea of it being quite intrusive and leaves users with a lack of privacy as it seems as though their every search and view making it hard to see the positiveness of 'data mining'.