CREATING IDENTITY THROUGH INTERNET USE...
Transcript of CREATING IDENTITY THROUGH INTERNET USE...
INTERNET USE & PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING
CREATING IDENTITY THROUGH INSTAGRAMIdentity, psychosocial development and celebrificationPia, Mona & Aske
CONTENT
¢Case presentation • �The story of Daniel Lassen• �Instagram as a social network• �Research questions
¢Theoretical perspectives • �Identity theory and �Erikson• Celebrity theory
¢Main topics of discussion • �Self-presentation• �Online personal branding• Celebrification and potential risks
¢Present conclusions
CASE PRESENTATION
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
• Which specific stages of development characterize this particular age group?
• What are the relation between online and offline identity – and which potential risks are connected to personal online branding?
• How does the massive personal exposure affect the development of identity?
• How Instagram and it’s comments can affect to Daniel’s identity development?
• What are the possibilities and risks of all this?
• What do we think as a media educators of all this?
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVESObviously there are several ways of exploring this phenomenon and lots of perspectives, which can provide different answers; however, we have decided to review it from these chosen theoretical perspectives:
• �Identity theory and �Erikson• �Celebrity theory
IDENTITY & ERIKSON
• Why identity?
• Identity development: Important task in adolescent life - coherent identity or identity confusion
• Process: Values, principles and roles an individual has adopted as his or her own
• Early adolescence - >
• Interpersonal relationship and social context play significant role in identity development (Family, friends, media, Internet & social media -> Instagram…)
• Instagram as one of the social contexts
• How comments in Instagram influence identity development?
CELEBRITY
Really, celebrity? • Media research has already stressed the change of media arenas and accessibility to
massive exposure for the individual. • The demotic turn - as a result of the emergence of internet and user generated content
(web 2.0). • Usher, Tony Hawk, Pharrell, Kaka, Jamie Oliver, Ellie Goulding & Daniel Lassen!Key elements of celebrity theory! Culture - Indivual - Consuming. • Culture:
• A basic function of capitalism is our ability to desire. • Desire has to be mobilized, especially in puberty. • Lack of redemption for desire (abstract desire), CAN lead to obsession and
imagined relationships with various objects. • Celebrities are a important factor in this mechanism as they become the
humanization of desire. • This is what the media industry exploits in order to sell products and why
celebrities are more than an accessory of culture.
CELEBRITY
Key elements of celebrity theory! Culture - Indivual - Consuming. • Individual:
• Celebrification: refers to the change in which the individual becomes an object of desire, instead of a desiring subject.
• May come across as quite a trivial conclusion, however this has a big impact on the individual, causing: • Person → personality• Taste → style• Presence → posing• Intimacy → self-promoting
• Your identity is created as a reflection of public opinion and is impossible to change without the endorsement of your followers.
• Vertical self >< Favored self-image. • Media will do anything to sell and maintain certains understandings of the individual.
However, this is not a problem for Daniel, as he is (still) in charge of the content posted on the web.
CELEBRITY
Key elements of celebrity theory! Culture - Indivual - Consuming. • Consuming:
• Desire engages in two different ways • the aesthetic embodiment • emotional, sexual, intellectual or spiritual identification.
• Leaving Daniel with certain expectations• Different ways of categorizing the awareness of the consumers:
• Traditional, 2nd order traditional, post modern, game player/detective. • Very few of Benjamin followers seem to question the reality of the content - might have
to do with the platform on which they are mediated. • Many seek a consummation of the imaginary relationship. Urge to be seen by celeb,
which can cause in aggressive behavior. • Daniel must be able to meet the expectation of his followers, while keeping a coherent
link between his favored self-image and his vertical self. In puberty this seems like an impossible task.
DISCUSSIONSelf-presentation online- Positive self-presentation in human relationships: perceptions of other
people- Daniel’s self-presentation is acquisitive: seeking for approval- OPI reduces page owner’s control over their image control (hate
messages)
Online personal branding- Social media has made online personal marketing important to average
people- Daniel’s online branding has made a success: over a million followers,
own brand in clothes, a record contract..
CONCLUSIONS AND SOME IMPLICATIONS FOR MEDIA EDUCATORSSummary- In identity construction process adolescent is trying to answer the
question: “Who am I?”- Social media (Instagram) as a useful tool for identity forming process:
testing different kinds of roles, values, opinion contrast..- Good relationships with family and friends in offline world -> preventing
harmful effects caused by online risks, such as cyberhateImplications- Better media literacy for adolescents- Support and presence of the parents
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