In class we had a seminar on identity, looking at Zygmunt
Bauman’s views on the subject.
Bauman believed that identity was fluid as it is for wearing
and showing, not storing and keeping, due to its naturally changing state. Even
if we wanted to, we can’t stick to one identity. I think this is a really
interesting point as a lot of people are intolerant and ignorant of different
identities, such as transgender people and gender fluid identities.
I also found Bauman’s point on the negative side of the increase
in technological networks very insightful. Bauman argued that it replaces
community, kinship, friends and intimacy. He said that we lose the ability to
interact with real people, face-to-face. People can now plan conversations as
there is no need to immediately reply. However, whilst I agree that
face-to-face networks are more vital than online ones, I think Bauman overlooked the positives of
online networks. For example, if someone is on the train and they’re on the
phone, most likely they are communicating with other people via social networks
or text messaging. In this scenario, the person is being more social as without
that technology, they wouldn’t be able to communicate with that person at all.
This person may still see their friends face-to-face, but also online. If
anything, it doesn’t replace community but widens the scope community can
reach.
The seminar linked with advertising as identity is
constantly being affected by advertising, positively and negatively. For
example, the ‘Other Stories’ advertising campaign impacted transgender
identities positively as it only featured transgender models and all the
directors/producers etc were transgender. This is a massive step forward in the
LGBT movement and is the first campaign I have ever personally heard of that have done this.
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