Desired Identity Research Articles

We are not machines: the identity construction of Chinese female migrant workers in online chat groups

Female migrant workers have made a significant contribution to the rapid development of China, but they are marginalized in the current social structure. This research was conducted to investigate the identity construction of female migrant workers in online groups. Virtual ethnography was the primary method used to study two online groups for nine months. Castells’s categorization of identity was adopted to examine the identity construction process. Our thematic analysis revealed three underlying mechanisms of identity construction among female migrant workers: sharing experiences to break the silence; the leading role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs); and setting boundaries to indicate identity. The results showed that although the female migrant workers internalized their legitimizing identity as a “machine,” they constructed themselves as united resistant female workers who opposed suppression, and they desired to project the identity of “decent workers.” Our findings suggest that dominant institutions should consider female migrant workers’ gender issues and work closely with NGOs to help them obtain their desired identity and social equality in urban settings.

신문매체로 유포된 1940년대 경성 여성의 이미지

The outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in 1938 and the Pacific War in the 1940s put Japan to adopt war mobilization system in Joseon. Under the total mobilization system to mobilize all human and material resources for the victory of the war, the print media were also used for the propaganda of the Japanese Government General of Korea.BR The Japanese imperial government created a subject called the women in the rear ground to mobilize women to the management of the rear ground under total war. This image of women in the rear ground was continuously exposed through the print media, and the women who faced it functioned naturally to learn the virtue and role of the women in the rear ground.BR As for the image of women in Gyeongseong in newspapers, a stereotype was formed. In the 1930s, the image of Modern-girl was those who enjoyed western culture. However, after the outbreak of war, the image of such women became the target of criticism along with the trend of criticizing them for consumption and pleasure. From the 1940s on, women of Gyeongseong appeared as women in the rear ground. Mothers of Gyeongseong were the mothers of military nation who sent her sons as voluntary soldiers. Girl students of Gyeongseong appeared as those who made donation for soldiers and career women of Gyeongseong appeared as those with the virtues of cheer and kindness. At the end of the war, women of Gyeongseong were portrayed as working at military factories producing war weapons. This is an image created by granting the desired identity of the country, and it was an example and a model of the ideal woman of the country which the country wanted.

Resisting and Persisting: Identity Stability Among Adolescent Readers Labeled as Struggling

This phenomenological case study explores the persistence of high school readers labeled as struggling as they described their responses to recurring, consistent, externally originating challenges to positive reading identities growing from their experiences in a Young Adult Literature (YAL) course. Through application of Weinreich’s identity theory, the article examines three challenges that emerged: the home environment, friend influence, and school norms and practices. Findings drawn from student-generated oral reflections gathered through Seidman’s interview protocol suggest that participants possessed the power to dissociate from perceived negative reading identities and enact agency over identities that conflicted with their desired reading identities. However, participants were particularly vulnerable to the influence of school-ascribed reading identities they defined as negative. Given the perceived validity of these ascribed labels, readers were challenged more significantly in their attempts to persist in the self-construal of their desired identity conceptions in response to in-school, rather than out-of-school, challenges.

Untagging on social media: Who untags, what do they untag, and why?

Social network profiles display individuals' posts and content left by their friends, such as wall posts and photo tags. Sometimes content posted and tagged by others is inconsistent with a person's desired self-image. One strategy that people use to increase the distance between their identity and content they don't like is to untag themselves. Tagging and untagging pose important questions for traditional theories of self-presentation, which describe the projection of one's own desired identity and others' response to that projection. Tagging reverses this role by allowing others to project a person's identity, and forcing that person to respond. Using de-identified, aggregated behavioral data from Facebook and a survey of 802 people, this paper aims to explore this shift by asking whether untagging occurs similarly to other self-presentation behavior and how people view this strategy. Results suggest that untagging differs from traditional self-presentation tactics in three key respects: it is used more by more experienced users, it occurs when there are gender and age differences between tagger and target, and it is seen as an easy way to mitigate the negative effects of annoying or embarrassing content.

Consumer Transformation: Cosmetic Surgery as the Expression of Consumer Freedom or as a Marketing Imperative?

McCracken’s analysis of identity construction in contemporary culture sees the drive to transform oneself as the expression of consumer agency and individual freedom. Transformation is accessible through cosmetic surgery, enabling consumers with funds to purchase a ‘whole new me’. This consumer is an active participant in the transformation process, not content with observing beauty but actively engaged in the creative construction of new improved selves. In doing so, they have “mastered the codes of cultural production” making themselves “co-creators in the culture they consume” (McCracken xvi). An alternative and far less positive narrative of consumer transformation focuses on the pervasive influence of promotion on individual identity. Marketing and promotion constructs a deficiency in the lives of consumers which, marketers imply, can be remedied by the purchase of cosmetic surgery. Rather than being powerful co-creators of their own fluid identity, consumers are constructed as victims of a promotional culture which valorises external values and ‘the new’ and preys on consumer vulnerabilities (Fatah 1). In this paper I draw on consumer blogs, industry webpages and regulatory and professional publications to explore the tensions between these competing narratives of bodily transformation. In doing so, I argue that there is an inherent paradox in the discourse of consumer transformation which advocates consumer freedom and creativity yet limits these freedoms to certain forms of ideal beauty which can be marketed by the promotional industries.

Exploring YouTube as a Transformative Tool in the “The Power of MAKEUP!” Movement

Exploring YouTube as a Transformative Tool in the “The Power of MAKEUP!” Movement

Self-esteem in action: From direct causality to motive and mediator of self-performative action

Self-esteem research has been in “crisis” during the last decade, due to the lack of strong, consistent correlations between self-esteem and behavioral outcomes. Some researchers have interpreted this as indicating that self-esteem is inconsequential in many important areas of life. However, the model of direct causality used in correlational research, between a general self-esteem trait and specific behaviors, may be unrealistic. In contrast, this paper develops a model of self-esteem-motivated behaviour as originating from past, current or future (desired) self-concepts. This model shows how an interaction of catalytic factors determines how self-esteem influences behaviour. That is, what “self-esteem” actually “does.” By clarifying the different ways in which self-esteem affects behavior, the model shows that construing self-esteem as a passive variable with direct causal influence on behavior is inadequate and misleading and that previous contradictory results are a consequence of this misconceptualization and subsequent reification of self-esteem. Because self-esteem and the self-concept are inseparable (one is an attitude towards the other) self-esteem-motivated behavior is always about self-construction, and thus performative. Future self-esteem research and theory should therefore focus on how people seek to enact, maintain, or defend a desired identity through performative actions.

The profession of being social: Developing an effective and purposeful social media strategy for an airport

Social media has opened a new door for businesses. It has the unique ability to allow customers to interact with organisations anytime, anywhere, without needing to actually be at the business. Since airports do not interact directly with their passengers, but run the ‘behind the scenes’ operations, this opportunity is not one that can be passed up. As more and more businesses enter into the world of social media, it is important to have a strategy in place to help separate oneself from one’s competitors and establish the desired identity and relationship with passengers and community.

Drowned/Undrowned

Drowned/Undrowned

From code‐mixing to mode‐mixing in the European context

ABSTRACTThe paper presents four representative case studies of English in Europe influencing local language use in print advertising (Slovenia, Croatia and Italy) and social media online (Wales). For this purpose, three touristic identification displays (including brand name, slogan and logo) and one Instant Messaging conversation between teenagers are investigated, where by close linguistic and graphic analysis of the data it is shown how English serves to express the national identities of product (advertising) and person (e‐communication) projected in the texts. This is achieved by the English mediating the desired identity semiotics by both its verbal and visual properties, which generate the intended social meanings semantically via homophoric reference and intertextuality. In this way, English contacts are co‐realised with the local language as co‐text and/or context in (multilingual and) multimodal discourses where code‐mixing expands to mode‐mixing.

Bridging organizational identity and reputation messages online: a conceptual model

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptual model that can be used to bridge organizational identity and reputation messages. The proposed model may help organizations more-effectively build and maintain both their desired identity as well as reputation.Design/methodology/approach– The qualitative and exploratory procedure was used to develop a model for simultaneously managing and measuring both identity and reputation messages. The process of conceptualizing an exploratory, qualitative value model begins with identifying relevant concepts and measures. A qualitative review of reputation and identity scholarship was examined for recurring themes and concepts. These themes were then used to formulate the identity and reputation functions and value measures.Findings– The proposed conceptual model presents characteristics and attributes that scholars and practitioners may need to consider when managing an organization’s identity and reputation messages online. The paper also presents potential applications of the model.Practical implications– The proposed qualitative value model, if further tested and quantified, has three potential applications: integrating identity and reputation messages across multiple platforms; telling stories reflective of both identity and reputation messages; and determining the value of attribution across contingencies.Originality/value– Considering the interrelated nature of identity and reputation messages, it is necessary to formulate a model delineating how the two may be bridged with one another. By proposing the conceptual model for how organizations may be able to align their identity messages with reputation messages, this paper hopes to establish a more conscious connection between the identity and reputation scholarship.

Theatre City and Identity: Narodno pozorište-Nepszίnház-KPGT

This study considers the concept of Theatre City and its role in the formation of the desired identity of a community. More specifically, the research is at a crossroads of sociological and anthropological use of this theater form, in a function of the reconstruction of the community, examining the relationship between theater and the city, as a functional European theater concept, which has the potential to generate multiple socio-cultural values, participating in the formation of the so-called free spaces, free theater, which rejects the idea of elitism because it is intended for the wider population.
 In this regard, the subject of this research is the concept of Subotica Theatre City established by National Theater-Nepszίnház-KPGT in the context of creating a (multicultural) identity of the community, while the focus is on socio-anthropological, philosophical and aesthetic analyse of the play Madach, the comments, which was the inaugural project of the new aesthetic and cultural policy of the city of Subotica in the former Yugoslavia in 1985.

Impact of the introduction of standardised packaging on smokers' brand awareness and identification in Australia.

The introduction of standardised packaging (SP) in Australia in December 2012 has heightened interest in how image and branding might affect smoking. This paper tests the hypothesis that brand awareness and identification among smokers will decline after the introduction of SP. Longitudinal study of three waves of smokers in Australia, conducted between October 2011-February 2012 (pre-SP) (n = 1104), February-May 2013 (post-SP1) (n = 1093) and August-December 2014 (post-SP2) (n = 1090). We explored the extent of changes in two variables, brand awareness (noticing others with the brand of cigarettes you smoke) and brand identification (perceiving something in common among smokers of your brand), and examined change in a number of other measures of brand appeal, brand characteristics and determinants of brand choice. Brand awareness 'at least sometimes' reduced from 45.3% pre-SP to 26.9% at post-SP2 [odds ratio (OR) 0.35 (0.27-0.45)]. Brand identification also decreased from 18.2% to 12.7% [OR 0.62 (0.42-0.91)]. Significant decline was also found in measures of perceived brand prestige [OR 0.51 (0.39-0.66)] and choice of brand for health reasons [OR 0.45 (0.32-0.63)]. Liking the look of the pack was strongly associated with brand identification, but only post-SP (P = 0.02 for interaction across the three waves). The introduction of SP of tobacco products in Australia has been associated with reductions in brand awareness and identification, and changes in related measures. The findings support the notion that SP has reduced the capacity for smokers to use pack branding to create and communicate a desired identity. [Balmford J, Borland R, Yong H-H. Impact of the introduction of standardised packaging on smokers' brand awareness and identification in Australia. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015;00:000-000].

The Western brands in the minds of Vietnamese consumers

Purpose– This paper aims to explore the complexity and dynamics in the process of negotiation and re-negotiation of brand associations within a Vietnamese cultural context, focusing on the identity construction created through local consumption preferences. t It explores how Western brands are symbolically important in Vietnamese consumers’ self-image.Design/methodology/approach– A total of 600 Vietnamese youth between 18 and 35 years living in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City completed the survey. A projective technique (storytelling) was applied to elicit the hidden thoughts and motivations among respondents.Findings– Vietnamese consumers increasingly attach themselves to certain brands to affirm their desired identity. They believe in “material goods bring happiness”. The symbolic meanings of brands (which we describe around six themes) become very important in their patterns of consumption in shaping their lived experience and the way they want to communicate their self-images.Practical implications– The paper’s insights can be of value to marketing and advertising professionals and to those with responsibility for consumer regulation in emerging markets.Social implications– The paper contributes to our understanding of how socio-political tensions are played out and managed in consumer culture and identifies particular contradictions which may drive future changes.Originality/value– The paper reports on a study which uses a neglected method to provide the latest data on consumer culture in Vietnam and links features of consumption-based identity to the specific Vietnamese historical, political, economic and socio-cultural context.

“Managing identities” and parental disclosure of HIV sero-status in Zimbabwe

Drawing from a small sample of HIV infected respondents, this paper examines parents’ perceptions on the decision to disclose or not to disclose their HIV sero-status to their children. It explores how parents control the information in the interactional ritual with their children. The paper uses Goffman's concept of dramaturgy to analyse how parents manage and control disclosure within a context where HIV and AIDS is associated with stigma. Disclosure is a strategic encounter in which the interactants (parents) manage to create a desired identity or spoil an identity. Qualitative research incorporating focus group discussions and in-depth interviews was used to examine the perceptions of parents who are HIV positive on disclosure of their status to their children. Such a methodological approach allows for a nuanced understanding of the context in which decision to disclose status happens. The study findings show that in a social context involving parents and children as actors there are complex expectations which affect parental disclosure of HIV sero-status to their children. The desire to manage an expected identity militated or enabled disclosure in a parental relationship.

From Dishwasher To Celebrity Restaurateur: Narrating Entrepreneurial Identities

The concept of identity is of central importance to understanding how individuals make sense of their lives and how they enact environment to be able to achieve their goals. Identity is the internalized self-view that emerges from identification with particular roles and reflects the integration of experiences and events into coherent life trajectory. Identity construction reflects the adjustment towards emerging career aspirations in order to provide fit with the changing life goals. Building on the Optimal Distinctiveness Theory, we analyze narratives of celebrity restaurateurs by examining how they construct and tell their stories over time. The analysis shows that individuals construct their identity by balancing two needs – need for belonging and need for distinctiveness; that self-narratives help construct the desired identities stressing belonging early on and later on highlighting distinctiveness; and that the level of effort put into construction of desired identity depends on the salience and le...

Being Mexican : Identity, Location, and Rosa Nissán(IV)

“Hisho que te nazca – in search of desired identity” and “Sephardic narrative in Mexico : Impact, Reception, and Nissan’s photographic eye” A wider vision of education and employment After Oshinica and Lalo separate, the circumstances surrounding her attendance at the institute do change and she is now able to participate without domestic conflict. Her classmates also become a more active part of Oshinica’s life. They spend more time together and since there is no one to limit these friendshi...

Analysis of Identity of Banks in Bosnia and Herzegovina by Using ACID Test

In order to keep the present and attract the new clients, banks need to be clearly positioned on the market, and they can do this through the creation of identity. In the modern literature in the area of bank marketing, the identity is defined more and more as an effective tool for banks to gain competitive advantage. The unique identity of a bank represents competitive advantage that is impossible to copy. This is highly significant for banks, since bank services have a short cycle of development that cannot be patented, and this enables the competition to simply imitate the innovations and create similar offers. This paper analyses bank identity in Bosnia and Herzegovina applying the ACID test used to manage corporate identity. The application of the ACID test contains three basic phases, that is: to determine the actual, communicated, ideal, and desired identity; to determine the relation between those identities; and to diagnose actions that need to be taken in order to minimize their non-consistency. According to the research results, it can be concluded that there are significant deviations between the actual, communicated, ideal and desired identity of banks on the market of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is a consequence of the lack of systemic approach to manage this phenomenon. Therefore, suggestions are given on how to remove, that is, to minimize non-consistency between the four named identities.

Body Integrity Identity Disorder and Gender Dysphoria: A Pilot Study to Investigate Similarities and Differences

Objective: Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID) describes a phenomenon in which physically healthy people feel the constant desire for an impairment of their body. M. First [4] suggested to classify BIID as an identity disorder. The other main disorder in this respect is Gender Dysphoria. In this paper these phenomena are compared. Method: A questionnaire survey with transsexuals (number of subjects, N=19) and BIID sufferers (N=24) measuring similarities and differences. Age and educational level of the subjects are predominantly matched. Results: No differences were found between BIID and Gender Dysphoria with respect to body image and body perception (U-test: p-value=.757), age of onset (p=.841), the imitation of the desired identity (p=.699 and p=.938), the etiology (p=.299) and intensity of desire (p=.989 and p=.224) as well as in relation to a high level of suffering and impaired quality of life (p=.066). Conclusion: There are many similarities between BIID and Gender Dysphoria, but the sample was too small to make general statements. The results, however, indicate that BIID can actually be classified as an identity disorder.

Advertising and Consumers' Communications

Until recently, brand identities were built by firms via brand image advertising. However, the flourishing consumer communication weakened the firms' grip on their brands. The interaction between advertising and consumer communications and their joint impact on brand identity is the focal point of this paper. We present a model in which consumer preference for functional attributes may correlate with the identity they desire to project of themselves. This correlation is known to the firm but not to the consumers. Both the firm and the consumers can communicate their desired brand identity, although the actual brand identity is determined endogeneously by the composition of consumers who purchase it (i.e., what types of people consume the brand). We find that sometimes the firm can strengthen the identity of its brand by refraining from advertising. This result is based on the following intermediate finding: advertising can diminish the endogeneous informativeness of consumer communications by making it one-sided. Furthermore, it turns out that refraining from brand image advertising may be optimal for the firm when the product is especially well positioned to create a strong identity—i.e., when consumer preferences for functional and self-expressive attributes are highly correlated.