"Explain what is meant by 'Collective Identity' and the role of media in its construction"

Collective identity is described as "individuals sense of belonging to a group who share a set of traditions and values". The 'Collective identity' of a group must take into account the role representation plays in the construction of a media text. I will be focusing on the representation of gender in the media and how certain media products have been conducted to show a certain view. This is known as Mediation where the term that defines media as being made up and distorted to suit the viewers. It means that everything we see on TV is Mediated to alter real life and therefore the producers show us what they want too, which can be evident in the representation of Gender. In comparison Buckingham says that identity is complicated and complex, "A focus on identity requires us to pay closer attention to the ways in which media and technologies are used in everyday life and their consequences for social groups".

Media representations of Gender can show the use of Patriarchy, which ultimately means a society run by men for men. If the media is mostly run by men, which a 2011 survey states that the representation of women in news media is 22%, then the contents that is being shown will be mostly directed for men. The 1966 Fairy liquid advert shows a very strong patriarchy view as the advert shows a middle aged woman in the kitchen washing up and teaching her young daughter about the specific cleaning product. This advert displays the stereotype that women belong in the kitchen. In comparison, an example of how the use of domesticated women in household media products have changed today is the use of men in adverts such as the ariel liquid-tabs 2012 advert where it shows an adolescent male talking about how he washed his own top. The use of a male instead of a female in the advert shows how gender roles in the media are being shown, however the degree of this change is very slight as the advert portrays the message that 'even men can do it'. Giddens structuration theory states that changes in social structure such as an increase of women in the work place means that the idea of "domesticity" has to be restructured in society.

The representation of woman in a sexualised way has also been an issue in the sense of Patriarchy. Woman have been used to sexualise products making it then more appealing for men. In an old advert selling Marlboro cigarettes it shows a half naked woman from the back, in this advert her face can only slightly be seen. The lack of facial features dehumanises the female by only perceiving her as an attractive body. The use of this Patriarchy style is still used in modern media products such as a recent links advert with the slogan "get dirty" showing the torso of a female in a bikini covered in mud. Her head and face are not included in the shot, this can give the idea that any feature not shown in the advert as unimportant and again dehumanises the female. Both examples are evidence that patriarchy is still highly used in modern media. These advertisement styles conform to Mulveys male gaze theory which is "the pleasure of looking a voyeuristic gaze directed at other people". The male gaze determines a fantasy of the female figure which is specifically styled in each product to attract male interest.

Feminism has influenced media products greatly by creating closer equality gender views within these products. Stratinati 1995 said "woman were usually shown as being subordinate, passive, submissive and marginal, performing a limited number of secondary an uninteresting tasks confined to their sexuality, their emotions and their domesticity. Due to feminism this has started to change and woman are being treated more equal with men. The female image is being changed by showing more positive and independent female roles as a results of the liberal feminists. Gauntletts theory that "identity is now consciously constructed, and the media provides some of the tools to help us contract our identities. The media contains a huge number of messages about identity and acceptable lifestyles. At the same time the public have their own diverse set of feelings. The media and media consumers are engaged in a dialogue in which neither overpowers the other." This supports the influence of feminism in modern media since an increase of strong female roles are being shown within media products after equal rights for male and females have been fought, making it more acceptable for females to be shown in this way. However, this does not immediately change all of the publics views on the subject although I do believe that the continuity of the perception of women in media products can result in  portraying women differently in the future.

The use of men in a desirable role has increased within media texts, this is to attract women to certain products using Hansons female gaze theory. The conscious decision to play with traditional gender roles and the presentation of gender by switching them round is evident in the diet pepsi advert where a group of women are enchanted by a very physically attractive male taking his shirt off. The use of female gaze during this also links to Gauntletts theory where he talks about identity and acceptable lifestyles. 

The medias representation of collective identity through gender still shows a significant amount of Patriarchy through ideas such as the male gaze. However, I believe that due to feminism the ideas and stereotypes of women being lesser than men will decrease. The changes in society will then influence the medias representation of gender according to Giddens structuration theory.