MEDIATED SELF-REPRESENTATIONS: “ORDINARY PEOPLE” IN “COMMUNITIES”

Abstract

In Britain at the start of the twenty-first century, public service institutions in the cultural domain are inviting members of the public to tell (and exhibit) personal stories, that is, to represent themselves across a range of media platforms and through the use of a variety of audio and visual technologies. I suggest that two notions, “ordinary people” and “community,” are key constructs in the processes of mediation that shape the invitation to members of the public, the public’s take up of the invitation, and the resultant selfrepresentations. Drawing on Rose, Couldry, Williams, Mayo and others the key question explored in this paper is how far the notions of “ordinary people” and “community” operate to control and order people’s representations of themselves, and how far these terms are positive and empowering for those so ascribed. This question is explored with reference to early findings from two case studies, BBC Wales’ Capture Wales and the Museum of London’s London’s Voices.