Family, gender, class, language & accent perhaps?
All of the above could be class as correct.
But how does the media make products which reach all these categories?
The media is used to mediate different identities. Therefore it is used to make the public feel like they have an identity of some kind. Goffman wrote a book on the presentation of self in every day life, here is a part of that on identity:
'Goffman suggests that there are many 'sign vehicles' that are widely recognized as expressions given off unintentionally by people, by which other can evaluate how successful or sincere that self-presentation is. Some sign vehicles like sex, age and are, are extremely difficult to conceal or manipulate in face-to-face interaction. Although the rest - such as clothing, posture, speech pattern, facial expression, bodily gesture and intonation - are relatively more maniputable'
Charles Cheung, Presentations of Self Personal homepages in web.studies, p 47
Stuart Hall on the other hand says this:
' The question of 'identity' is being vigorously debated in social theory. In essence, the argument is that the old identities which stabilised the social world for so long are in decline, giving rise to new identities and fragmenting the modern individual as a unified subject. This so-called change 'crisis of identity' is seen as part of a wider process of change which is dislocating the central structures and processes of modern societies and undermining the frameworks which gave individuals stable anchorage in the social world.'
Stuart Hall (1995: 96)
As digital culture keeps developing in the 21st century, it is lifting the limits of the personal being. Technology is the bridge for new representation. But does this mean we have separate identities online? The 1990's was influenced voyerism through homepages. Cheung defines a homepage as 'a website produced by an individual (or couple, or family) which is centered around the personality and identity of its author(s)' (Cheung, 2000:44). After homepages came GeoCities. It was seen as an important outlet for personal expression, but only lasted 15 years before it was discontinued.
Homepages may include photos, 'description' of the author, achievements etc, much like modern day homepages such as Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.
'Cheung also argues that personal websites offer their creators the chance to 'reveal' previously-hidden aspects of their identities; in this way, homepage authors suggest that it is the 'real me' is presented (even though many admit to self-censoring, and to 'tailoring' the presented self)'
David Bell , An Introduction to Cybercultures (p.118)
Indentity & web 2.0
Anything that allows a large part of us to engage through the media. The audience becomes the author, eg Youtube. User generated content is a big part of the 21st century digital age. It can range from singing on Youtube instead of going through the mainstream television shows, or tweeting the latest news from Downing street. 'Web 2.0 leads to multiple partial representations of the self in a multilayered form' Alessandro Ludovico.
Is this true?
For example, on Facebook, if you are tagged in a picture that doesn't show you looking your best, you untag it. Therefore you are altering what the audience of your Facebook can see to make your self-representation something you control. The same with profile pictures, the author chooses one where they think they look their best. People find their identity in different ways, one way may be through gaming. For example, WOW (world of warcraft). Identity can be gained through achievements in the game, or socalising with other users.
As a generation are we remediating our identities?
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