http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke9iKnDxcZQ

• Lady Gaga has revealed that her real self and her on-stage persona have become one.

Gaga wrote in her column for V: "The lines for myself have become so blurred now, I know not the difference between a moment of performance and a moment of honesty. If you were to ask me to remove my Philip Treacy hat at a party, in truth it is the emotional and physical equivalent of requesting I remove my liver.

"I know not the difference between the hair that grows from my head and the teal wigs that grow from my imagination. They are the same. They are both honest, and always have been. So maybe I know nothing of 'the art of escapism.' I was just 'Born This Way'. I revere the dream to be real. I am always, and shall forever be, private in public."

Talk to a Neighbor

• What is Identity? How do you see your own identity?

Identity: What is it? There are the things we check off on Census forms:

–Race or ethnicity –Nationality –Social class –Gender –Age

Stable features of people

Identity is also dynamic. We choose it. It can be enacted through talk and action (fashions, ways of speaking and acting). Communication is culturally coded, i.e. depending on our culture (Jersey Shore guidos, for instance), we speak and act in different ways:

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/01/and-sht-cyclists-say/

Four Kinds of Identity

Social categories: Master ID: American, woman, whiteInteractional ID, tied to particular moment and

to whom you’re speaking: Mary the student teacher, you the students of Cult of Reality at New Vista High School

Personal and unique:Personal ID, tied to how you are perceived:

Friendly, outgoing, honestRelational ID, tied to relationships: Meri’s

neighbor, James’ wife, Linda’s friend

Chris Poole, 4chan founder, says online identity is not like a mirror but like a diamond:

“You show different facets of your personality to different people.”

So how do we perform and experience identity online? We name ourselves and give ourselves titles and bios:… “Mother Monster?”

On Facebook we categorize ourselves by what we do professionally, where we went/go to school, whether we’re in a relationship (and if so, with whom), where we live; we reveal our tastes in music/movies, and photos tell additional stories

What are these ladies saying about themselves? Why say “woo hop”?

Reflection: Identity in the Reality GenreWhat aspects of identity are spotlighted in the reality

genre? When people write memoirs, blog, post status updates, appear in reality TV shows … how and when do they perform their identities? Please provide examples from blogs, memoir, TV, social media, etc.

-Master identities of race, nationality, age, gender? -Interactional identities of profession (pilot, artist, student)

and group membership (geek, punk, conservative)? -Relational identities (Brother, mom, neighbor, coworker,

classmate)- Personal identities (the “kind” of person you are, i.e.

smart, interesting, funny …)

In defining the reality genre, is one kind of identity more relevant? Social or Personal?

Interactional/social: Longboarder Relational/personal:

Mom and her and daughter

Wrap Up

Folders:Add One-Pagers and reflection on identity