Identity-how it's impacted

When uncertain of whom we are, making decisions as well as communicating creates problems. Knowing our identity plays an important role in shaping who we are as individuals. McEwen (2000) states, that it defines our values, beliefs, behaviour and influences our interactions with others. Our core (inside) identity consists of our personal attributes and characteristics while our outside is recognised through race, gender and nationality.

Gender and sexuality are two dimensions of our identity, which is at the core of how we think about our identity as is portrayed through the media. It helps influence public perceptions on various identities and how individuals view themselves. Also it can be seen that exposure to media images leads to formation of stereotypes. A woman’s body parts are used to sell everything from food, clothes and cars. They are then seen as femme fatales, and sex kittens. Jean kilbourne argues that these images shown of women a certain way means that women bodies have become invisible and they learn to compare and compete with other women destroying their awareness. Jhally states that ads only show representations of people in a structure-it does not show people who are real but products that can be bought.

The Technological Imperative links identity with culture and technology. For everyday or time we go into a social networking or virtual world site we commit “identity tourism”. Just as media gatekeepers decides what to allow us to see and how much of it, we in turn hold back or give certain information of ourselves in line of how we want to be viewed. Also some people use photos of celebrities as their profile pictures on social networking sites (guilty myself). Isn’t this a form of identity theft since we do not have permission from them?

With the creation of different identities on these sites, maybe to fulfil a need or fit in somewhere,  what does it say about us and what about the impact on our lives? Does it change anything? Does it allow us to accept ourselves more? With media stereotypes do we lose or love ourselves?