Web 2.0 and its Development of Collective Identity

Websites and collective identity

The theorist Buckinham suggests that to look at collective identity requires us to pay close attention to the diverse ways in which media and technologies are used in everyday life and their consequences both for the individual and for social groups.

Thus when considering websites that allow users and contributors to create or participate in a collective identity, one immediately springs to mind http://www.facebook.com/. Facebook is a website in which developed with the invention of web 2.0. Users can add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. Additionally, users can join networks which they themsleves hold an interest in. The invention of web 2.0 has enabled the user to become the producer. Essentailly with regards to facebook it is the user who is creating the representations. On one hand this can provide the user with a stronger sense of collective identity as they are a ble to contact people who would appear to share the same interest or activities. Therefore creating realistic representations of the world around and the people within it. Louis Althusser’s idea of interpellation comes into play here whereby users identify with the opinions expressed or representations of a certain network and form a collective identity through becoming a membert of that network. Subsequently seeking to become it. On the other hand however it also allows people to recreate themselves and their likes and dislikes. Thus Michel Foucault theory of identity and technologies of the self become more appropriate. As the users acceses facebook out of routine to consciously validate itself in culture or society. If Foucault is right then the technologies of the self are a matter of choice and are therefore fluid.

Another website in which users and contributors are able to create or participate in a collective identity is http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0988045/. This is a website in which allows users to become a member and they are then able to review films through star ratings and written reviews. This again enables the user to become the producer as they are able to present their own opinions and ideas. Supporting the the post structuralist view of Foucault whereby placing the power in the hands of the individuals. This website also constructs a collective identity as it provides members with the option to obtain information on other films which have been viewed or reviewed by other people who have veiwed or reviewed the same page. This creates a collective identity on two differenve levels. Firstly at the level of producing user who may see a film on such list which they have seen themselves and also have strong views and opinions on it. Secondly at the level of consumer user who may have read a review written by someine who they found shared simular opinions and veiws to them and wish to read more of their reviews. Which forms the basis of the collective identity. This is supported by Foucault theory that identities are formed from the material available to people. It is an enforced learned disicpline. However Althusser would suggest that although some of the collective identity is created by the user, the fact that the website itself suggests other things the user might like is the text is acting as a source of authority and thereby the user is still its subject. Resulting in the text producer dominating and controilling the content of the collective identity.

Furthermore another website in which users and contributors are able to create or participate in a collective identity is http://www.empireonline.com/. This website is the online faction of the movie magazine Empire. It provides users with reviews, news, interviews and competitions. Such a website builds its collective identity through Althusser’s structuralist theory that the text is acting as a source of authority and thereby the user is still its subject. That it is the hegemon who is presenting the representations for a collective identity. Maslows theory of the hierachy of needs also comes into play here as the user is likely to buy the magazine aswell as access its website in order to fulfil their need for belonging. As the magazine would have already established that it held certain ideas and ideologies which are reconfrmed on their website. Which essentailly will form the basis of the collective identity. Audiences find themselves looking to the website to guide them with certain decisions and information. The website also allows users to participate in a vote whereby they will be able to see the result of other people again fulfilling the need for belonging and asscerting their collective identity through the majority opinion.

In addition another website in which users and contributors are able to create or participate in a collective identity is http://www.youtube.com. The invention of web 2.0 has enabled the user to become the producer probably most obviously through this website. As it allows users to become members and then upload films made by themselves. Supporting the the post structuralist view of Foucault whereby placing the power in the hands of the individuals allowing them to represent themselves through their own stereotypes and ideologies. Althusser would argue that the representation portrayed in such films are not souly the individuals because the media would have already provided the user with such representations in previous media texts. This creates a sense of collective identity through the collective ability to become producers. Moreover a collective identity is also formed through the users ability to review other members films both again through a star rating and a written review. Much of the same applies with regards to Youtube as it does with the IMDB as they are both creations of the web 2.0 development which rely on building a collective identity through user interaction.

Finally http://www.wikipedia.org/. Is also a website that allows users and contributors to create or participate in a collective identity. Such a websites allows for the user to edit its contents. This again provides evidence for the post structuralist theory that the power is in the hands of the audience. Such a websites has created its own collective identity by almost developing itself into a brand as it now has factions such as wiktionary and wikibook. This works as a collective identity as like Foucault suggest we form identities from the material available to us in popular discourse. In relation to Wikipedia we identify with its ideologies and trust that such ideologies will be continued and enforced by the other factions. Resulting in the audiences using said website for everyday things and definitions.

In conclusion the development of web 2.0 has seen a wide range of collective identities develop not only through professional text producer’s representation but through the audience’s representations of themselves. This is why some may argue that web 2.0 has been such a success because there is something for everybody and if there isn’t it’s possible that there soon will be.