The Relationship Between New Media and Identity

The Relationship Between New Media Technologies and Identity

Identity

Identity in simple terms is basically what we know as something that is used to describe or differentiate each individual distinctively, or your own personal information card. In other words, development of ourselves which has grown and became the product which is ourselves. Henri Tajfel had a ranging terms of personal identity to social identity. Personal identification comes from the individuals personality trait or characteristics, and interpersonal relationships such as being organized, introverted, sensitive, masculine, or even strong. Meanwhile social identity comes from derived membership or so to say what you identify yourself as in the society. For example, being a man, woman, or transgender, the race you identify yourself as, or even your nationality.

In our lecture we learned about identities from three main scholars which are Foucalt, Karl Marx, and Giddens. Foucalt argued that the way we became unique individuals is through identity that are constructed through rigorous practices, or certain techniques which he refers to as 'technologies of the self'. This simply means that our identity is made by our own life experience which includes almost everything from our speech, writing, behaviours, and personality. Basically saying that we are who we are because of the interactions we've made with other people which affects us through the stages of our life. His theory or "'technologies" includes self discipline, contemplation, and disclosure.

Karl Marx instead stated that the identity that people has is their own identity but an identity which is not chosen by themselves. He argued that what makes our identity are the incredibly specific socio-historical circumstances that we find in ourselves.

Giddens on the other hand, argued that it is a dynamic and continuously growing, never ending, changing and evolving process. He also said that self identity is linked to modernity whereby it was thought that identities were given and static in pre modern era but in the late modernity it is said that identities are constantly modified and updated.

 With the emergence of the New Media, people are able to construct their identity with the help of social media and many other sites such as blogs, forums, online community

I'd like to know your thoughts on these three perspectives of identity with The New Media:
1. Gender
2. Ethnicity
3. Religion.

Thank you in advance for your time.