Identities: Identity and the wider media

Read the Factsheet in full and then complete the following tasks:

1) The Factsheet discusses how identity is a complex subject. What does it suggest defines our identity?
- Who we think we are
- Who we want to be
- Who we think others think we are
It suggest that we define ourselves in many different ways and our identities come from individualised experiences we have. These change depending on the context we find ourselves in and our relationship with other people.

2) Complete the task on page 2: suggest media texts that could reinforce that someone is non-mainstream; edgy; a pleasure seeker; fashionable; witty and fun; cutting-edge.
Non-mainstream - IT FOLLOWS
Edgy - 
A pleasure seeker - MARVEL - Black Panther
Fashionable - kingsman the secret service
Witty and fun - Thor Ragnarok
Cutting-edge - 

3) What examples are suggested for a case study on urban youth?
- Eden Lake
- Harry Brown
- Jeremy Kyle

4) What does Hebdige argue with regards to youth culture? 
- he says that youth culture show their resistance to the dominant culture through their style choices. Urban youth can show itself to be outside the mainstream by adopting the uniform that is feared by mainstream culture and they learn about this fear in the media representations.

5) What other theorists are referenced alongside Hebdige? How do they link to the issue of youth identity?
- The media continues to represent these youths as deviant in an attempt to reinforce mainstream values (Acland) but of course these representations are constructed by people outside this group (Perkins) and in this case can be seen to be a reflection of adult culture’s fear of urban youth (Giroux). Those within the group though have their status as outsiders reinforced

6) How can we link our Year 12 case study on Ill Manors to youth and identity? What specific examples from the case study could be used to discuss Hebdige’s theory that youth culture challenges mainstream culture and dominant ideologies?
- To link Ill Manors to youth and identity you can use the example of the London riots that was published all over the news where the youth were shown as resisting dominant choices. They were portrayed in a way that made them looked negative by using word like 'YOBS'.

7) What does theorist David Gauntlett suggest regarding the media’s influence over the construction of identities?
- He believes that that the media have influence on identity construction and so the way the media stereotypes groups may become part of how individuals see themselves and media institutions are able to use this to sell their products.

8) Do you agree that Hebdige’s view that youth culture will always seek to resist mainstream culture and challenge dominant ideologies?
- I think that this will be an issue that will persist for a while but with the recent changed in society I think that this is developing and becoming less of a problem. Dominant ideologies are constantly being challenged with issues like equal human rights or recently the gun control issues.