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Hi everyone and welcome to your collective identity exam blog. Here I will upload useful resources, past papers, your presentations and any other useful links and documents.

Media and Collective Identity


How do the contemporary media represent nations, regions and ethnic / social / collective groups of people in different ways?

How does contemporary representation compare to previous time periods?

What are the social implications of different media representations of groups of people?

To what extent is human identity increasingly ‘mediated’?


20 marks for Explanation, analysis, argument


20 marks for use of examples

10 marks for terminology (including ‘theory’)

Revision booklet

Revision Booklet

Contents

·         Texts that we’ve studied

·         With reference to texts how are youth as a collective identity being represented

·         Imdb and Wikipedia and articles on them to study

·         Glossary of terms and theories

·         Identity quotes

·         Past exam papers

·         Breakdown of mark scheme

·         Essay structure advice

·         Copy representation theories that may be useful  eg Maffesoli, Baudrillard

·         Answer questions sheet

G325 revision link – answer four areas

·         How to write the exam

There are four areas you need to understand in preparing for the exam:

1.    How do the contemporary media represent nations, regions and ethnic / social / collective groups of people in different ways?

a.    How are young people/ males/ females/ gay people/ Northerners/ any social group represented? Discuss how the representations use stereotypes; are the representations hegemonic/ reinforcing dominant ideologies; do they challenge hegemony; are they represented as heterogenous/ homogenous; how could terms and phrases like Female solidarity/ teen solidarity/ male solidarity, Constructed certitude, Consciously cultivated (fe)male bond/ teen bond, Socialisation, Binary, Plurality, Femininities/ masculinities be useful in discussing the representations?; Who are these representations aimed at, and how does this affect the way the group are represented?; Who is creating these representations?; How are different social groups represented in the media industry, as well as by the media?; What is the purpose of these representations?; How does the media construct representations of groups of people?; How is collective identity constructed?

 

2.    How does contemporary representation compare to previous time periods?

a.    Compare recent texts (last 4 years) to past texts in terms of the ideas in question 1. What differences/ similarities are there?;

 

3.    What are the social implications of different media representations of groups of people?

a.    What impact does the media have on audiences’ sense of identity?; How do audiences respond to/ use media representations?; To what extent are audiences active in constructing their own sense of identity?; How useful are Uses and Gratification theory/ Hypodermic Needle Theory/ Cultivation theory in understanding audiences’ responses to media representations?; Does the media reflect or shape our sense of who we are?

 

4.    To what extent is human identity increasingly ‘mediated’?

a.    Does the media reflect or shape our sense of who we are?; Is the media increasingly important in how we shape our identity?; How powerful is the media in shaping/ helping us to shape who we are?

Possible Exam Questions or Revision essays

Collective Identity – Possible exam questions

1. Analyse the ways in which the media represent one group of people

you have studied.

2. “The media do not construct collective identity; they merely reflect it”.

Discuss.

3. Discuss the contemporary representation of a nation, region or social group in the media, using specific textual examples from at least two media to support your answer.

4. How far does the representation of a particular social group change

over time?

5. The representation of a particular social group can never be realistic.

Discuss.

6. The representation of a particular social group is always limited. Discuss.
7. The media present what the audience want to see. Discuss.
8. What are the social implications of different media representations of

groups of people?

9. Different audiences respond differently to different representations. Discuss.
10. Collective identity is formed through the media. Discuss.
11. People use the media to form ideas about collective identity. Discuss.
12. To what extent is human identity increasingly ‘mediated’?
13. The media controls the formation of a collective identity. Discuss.
14. Audiences use the media to form ideas and opinions about collective identity. Discuss.
15. Audiences use the media to construct their own identities. Discuss.
16. More media means a greater range of representations. Discuss.

time magazine 2008 mean streets

Britain's Mean Streets http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1725547,00.html

BBC report on misrepresentations

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/jan/31/television-misrepresents-young-old-women

declan harvey

http://www.iaindale.com/posts/to-assume-makes-an-ass-out-of-u-and-me

independent hoodies louts scum

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/hoodies-louts-scum-how-media-demonises-teenagers-1643964.html