1. Lesson 1:
And the changing face of identity

2. How is the internet changing Identity?
• The internet, social networking sites and
content sharing sites like YouTube are
changing how identity is perceived and
constructed.
• What evidence can you think of that agrees
with this statement?

3. YouTube, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram
etc…
• Sites like YouTube, Facebook etc… allow us the opportunity
to increasingly MEDIATE our own identity
• By choosing what to post or what to say in our latest status
we chose what version of ourselves we will present to the
online world
• “Whenever there is time to write edit and
delete there is room for performance”
– Sherry Turkle, Alone Together

4. Community
• This is also affecting the idea of
community
• Communities used to be confined to
your street or your neighbourhood,
now they cross boundaries and
extend through countries
• People who have never met can exist in the same
community and share the same beliefs and
interests

5. An Anthropological Introduction to
YouTube
• Presented by Professor Michael Wesch in 2008
• He talks about the growth of YouTube and the
new type of identity and community it can create
• As you are watching the clip answer the
questions on the sheet provided.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_
embedded&v=TPAO-lZ4_hU

6. Opening Statement
• The internet, social networking sites and
content sharing sites like YouTube are
changing how identity is perceived and
constructed.
• Take another look at this statement
• Can you think of any new evidence that
supports this?

7. Lesson 2:
Collective Identity in Online Communities

8. Collapse and Growth of Community
• As mentioned in the previous lesson there has
been a collapse of community in society, this
has been replaced by a growth in online
groups or communities
• These communities are not confined to streets
or countries as before, instead they cross
borders and exist worldwide

9. Nerdfighters
• The Nerdfighter community grew around a pair of YouTubers called the
Vlog Brothers
• The community are linked by fandom, of both the Vlog Brothers and a
variety of other ‘nerdy’ programmes and activities for example Doctor
Who and Harry Potter
• Their slogan Don’t Forget to be Awesome is also the name of the Vlog
Brothers record label, which allows independent artists to publish and sell
their music.
• The Vlog Brothers are also responsible for the Project for Awesome which
raises money for a variety of good causes in an attempt to defeat ‘world
suck’
• http://youtu.be/FyQi79aYfxU

10. Becoming YouTube
• Take notes on the following video.
• What does it say about Identity?
• What does it say about Community?
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4UF0F1yi
14

11. New communities
• This new sense of identity and community is both
connecting and isolating at the same time
• We are increasingly connected to the world, but at the
same time increasingly disconnected from reality
• MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing
Games) like WOW (World of Warcraft) are increasing in
size, allowing people to escape into a imagined world
where community and identity are malleable and
easily constructed

12. Authenticity?
• This ability to construct an identity, to be
unseen while communicating increases the
risk for impersonation and fraud
• It creates a sense of anonymity, a false sense
of security
• People post things they would never say in
person, trolls etc…

14. Authenticity Cont….
• In extreme cases this anonymity allows people
to create personas and identities very
different to their own
• Catfish:
• http://youtu.be/Bu
E98oeL-e0

15. What does this mean?
• Identity is constantly in flux, we are unable to distinguish
between what is authentic and what isn’t. We are
frequently constructing our own identities, presenting a
mediated version of ourselves to the world
• Equally the collective identity of youth and youth culture
can also be affected by this movement to online cultures
• Rather than being controlled and constructed by outside
onlookers, British youth can now take control of their own
representation creating UGC (User Generated Content) to
reflect what they see, feel and experience

16. • This idea was
realised by the
TIME magazine
person of the
year in 2006

17. Exam Question
• Plan your answer to the following question:
• “The media do not construct identity; they
merely reflect it” Discuss.
• Remember to include:
– More than 1 type of text
(TV/Film/Newspaper/Online)
– Past, Present and Future representations

18. Lesson 3:
Mock Exam

19. Mock Exam
“The media do not construct
identity; they merely reflect it”
Discuss. [50]
You have 1 hour to answer this question in exam conditions.
Please handwrite your answers as you would in an exam
(however if you are permitted to use a computer in an exam please do)