Week 11: Identity
May 30, 2009
Hearn, Allison. “Variations on the Branded Self.” in Hesmondhalgh,David and Jason Toynbee (Eds). The Media and Social Theory. Milton Park, UK: Routledge, 2008, 253-280.
Hearn’s article pulls together a number of various concepts such as networking, tying them to an overall concept of how identity is shaped and influenced. She introduces the concept of ‘the branded self’ where she draws on a number of various theorists, supporting a central argument where “this branded self either consciously positions itself, or is positioned by its context and use, as a site for the extraction of value” within someone’s identity. By pulling together the concepts of discourse and meaning in language and applying it to a higher level of overall personal identity rather than words, we can understand that identity, like language, is not fixed and stable and is given value through a purposeful crafting by the individual, as well as the context surrounding them.
Identity is an aspect of the self that we want others to see. Hearn puts forward that identity can become a commodity and have capital placed on it, particularly in the media. Branding is essentially what drives the media and the interactions between media and its audience – the media thrives on creating images and identities that can be sold by capturing the audience’s emotions where they find a type of character or personality in the media likeable or relateable. Media, being such a significant aspect in culture and everyday life, holds a great influence over the way that people brand themselves, and the identities they may associate themselves with. These identities may include stereotypes through music, movies and television, but can also be deeply embedded into culture. People look to the media as a cultural centre, where norms, styles, and a wider sense of identity can be set. Media plays a significant role in molding identities, but also as a means of upholding and portraying identities. The internet in particular is a channel for identity, a process of selection and control, showing the rest of the world what you want them to see. A thought that has always occurred to me whilst browsing Facebook and blogs is ‘how identical is this to their real life counterpart?’ Fluidity in identity has definitely become easier to grasp, especially considering the many modes through which a person can portray themselves.
