Explain the role played by the media in the construction of collective identity.

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Explain the role played by the media in the construction of collective identity.

Collective identity refers to an individuals sense of belonging to a group, who share a similar set of traditions and values. The belonging to groups causes the identity of the group or 'collective' to come a large part of the individuals identity. David Gauntlett suggests that "identity is consciously constructed and the media provides us with some of the tools to help us construct it", showing that although it is up to the individual to construct their identity, the media has a large influence upon it. The activities of the media affect collective identity significantly by creating different representations of these groups through mediation, causing them to be viewed in various ways by society. Mediation refers to the ways in which the media present a group or issue, using processes of focussing, organisation and selection vs rejection. Merrin (2005) suggests that "the media do not just reflect and represent the reality of the public, but produce it. Employing this simulation to justify their own continuing existence". This suggests that the media create mediated representations of groups as a means of selling and economic longevity. Alternatively, it could be argued that the reinforcement of hegemony (Gramsci) is to blame for this.

Youth is one collective identity group that is frequently marginalised and who's activities are often mediated. Anne Gould (1999) suggests that there are six dominant stereotypes in the representation of youth in the media: violent, nihilistic, rebellious, self destructive, belonging to artificial tribes and sexual. This is reinforced by a study by the Independent (2009) which suggests that 85% of 1,000 teens surveyed believed that the media portrayed them in a negative light. Events such as the London Riots in (2011) demonised youth excessively through the media. For example the BBC produced an online news report in August that year, headlined "Englands rioters: poorer, younger, less educated." Leading to a deviancy amplification spiral (Wilkens 1964) as a cycle of an increasing number of news reports on the undesirable behaviour led to a moral panic. This caused youths to be marginalised as folk devils (Cohen 1972), outcasting them in society. Film is a medium that also presents youths in different ways, and can lead to further marginalisation of the group, affecting their identities and the ways that they are viewed in society. Attack the Block (2011) directed by Joe Cornish depicts a group of youths in an estate in South London, who are faced with surviving an alien invasion. Anne Gould's stereotypes are conformed to frequently in this text, as they are portrayed as violent and rebellious for example, as we see in the first seen they rob a resident in the estate and later on become involved in drug use. Giroux (1997) suggests that "youth become an empty category in representation", and media such as this, which portrays them in a negative light reinforces this.

Historically also, youths have been seen to be represented similarly in texts such as Quadrophenia (Franc Roddam 1979). In this text, where a mailroom worker,