Identity and the wider media

1) The Factsheet suggests that identity is defined by the individualised experiences we have had as people mostly based on the context we're in as well as the relationships we have with others. However the relationship we have with the media is also quite significant in determining this too since we often utilise it to view things like reflections of ourselves.

2)

• Non-mainstream - La Haine could be considered as being a text that a non-mainstream person would access, at least in the UK, with it being a foreign language drama/crime film portraying young people from the banlieues of Paris, France
• Edgy - Game Of Thrones since it's a TV show that relies quite heavily on shock value in terms of both nudity and also killing off main characters
• A pleasure seeker - Narcos would appeal to this aspect as looking at it from a Uses and Gratifications front, a huge sense of diversion can be derived from viewing the action that goes on in it
• Fashionable - Cosmopolitan magazine applies here as keeps women up-to-date regarding things like fashion and health
• Witty and fun - The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fits in here with the type of humour we see on show in it and particularly fun nature
• Cutting-edge - Mr Robot aligns with the cutting-edge trait since it displays the impact that modern/new technology and hacking in particular, can have on the society that we live in

3)

Examples suggested for a case study on urban youth are The Jeremy Kyle Show, Harry Brown with its portrayal of the working class youth as villains to older people and Eden Lake with its representation that youth culture acts as a threat to middle classes.

4)

Richard Hebdige argues that youth cultures display their resistance/opposition to the dominant culture through their style choices. This can be seen with how the 'urban youth' portray themselves as non-mainstream by 'adopting the uniform feared by mainstream culture.'

5)

Acland is referenced in talking about how the media is what makes for the representation of the youth as deviants, helping reinforce the mainstream values that exist. Perkins elaborates in adding that representations of this nature though are formulated by people outside the group [youth] with Giroux adding how it is a reflection of the adult culture's fear of urban youth.

6)

Ill Manors can be linked to the identity of the youth since in it, we more often than not see representations that align with what Acland discusses of the youth represented as deviants within society. This can be seen with the numerous occasions in the film that we see young people being the perpetrators of a variety of crimes. As well as this, the music video for 'Ill Manors' shows off large groups of the youth as being harbingers for public disorder with how the way in which they're rioting in the street. 

7)

David Gauntlett suggests that the media have influence over the construction of identities meaning that the manner in which the media stereotypes groups can become part of how individuals view themselves. This ends up being used by media institutions to help sell their products.

8)

I do agree with Hebdige in saying that youth culture will continue to resist mainstream culture. As long as media heavily associated with (urban) young people like hip-hop and rap music continue to possess the anti-establishment sentiment they've always had, then it'll more likely than not be the case that they too challenge the dominant ideologies seen more typically within adult culture. The sense of rebellion runs too deep within the age group to be changed at all and new and digital media like Facebook and Twitter with their online communities is another thing representative of how this resistance will only continue e.g. Black Twitter.