Representing ourselves: blog task

1) Read the article and summarise each section in one sentence, starting with the section 'Who are you?'

• We are all involved in constructing an image to communicate our identity.
• We were part of a number of collectives and self-image was based on the success we had at meeting the expectations that came with a predefined role based on our class group, our family, our church, our profession.
• the belief that an individual has the right to express his or her own identity, to be whoever they wanted to be, became widespread.
• The idea that identity could be constructed in terms of an externalised image came in the post-industrial consumer boom of the early 20th century where there was a deliberate move to encourage people to adopt an identity that Edward Bernays (arguably the originator of modern notions of Public Relations and propaganda) said was based not on behaving as‘active citizens but as passive consumers’.
• Branding is the association of a personality with a product.
• Through the anonymity of the internet and particularly the possibilities afforded by the creation of avatars, we have more control over our public image now than ever before.

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

Apple- This is because they move foreword the message to think differently.

Microsoft- They have a similar message to apple in the fact its telling you to do what you want to do.

Nike- Gives motivation for people to "just do it"
Adidas- Impossible is nothing is their slogan and shows that we should always never quit.
Samsung- Do bigger things is their slogan and i would like to think i follow that

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

The meaning of style over substance is that more of the looks are being looked at while the actual contents are not as good and i agree with this if you look at the recent hero films they are all flashy but story and actual content is not present.

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

In order to design successful E-E interventions in nations with high levels of media saturation, it is important to consult theories that were specifically developed to understand the role of media in society and to Page 2 Media Saturation 207 account for media effects in a media-saturated environment.

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 agree with this as typically the things i watch and follow on social media is things i have and enjoy like so it does say stuff about who i am. For example i might follow a dog page which means i might like dogs  

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?

I don't agree with data mining as it means we have no privacy and anyone can know what we like and things about us without a will al because they want to sell us a product which is too far in my opinion.