My favourite all-time classic movie would be The Little Rascals. As a child, I watched The Little Rascals more times than I could count, to the point where I memorized the lines (though when recited, I probably sounded really incoherent being only 6 – 7 years old then).

One of the many scenes I remember until this day.

As for television shows, I have two favourites; Friends and That 70's Show.

Clip from That 70s Show

The purpose of this entry relates to the personal excerpt of my favourite television shows and movie because the question I will be answering will provide explanations as to how television and film shapes a person's identity. With “identity” being the main focus of this entry, sociological jargons will thus be utilized frequently.

With television nowadays being accessible to many, it cannot be denied that television will unconsciously effect ones behaviors and perceptions to some things – influences from television integrates itself with the construction of identity.

But, what exactly is identity? Identity is created by an individual during adolescence in order to “create a sense of self”, to distinguish themselves from others (Harris, 2003). The construction of identity begins from an early stage in life until death, and the process where one learns the norms, roles and values of their society is known as socialization (Marsh, 2005). As the process of socialization is an on-going process – therefore, identity is constantly being restructured and altered.

As individuals learn norms and values from a variety of domains - mass media, inclusive of television and film, is one of them. According to Shepard (2010), although the direct effects of mass media during socialization is not obvious, it is however said to be one of the contributing factors towards the creation of “self”. Shepard (2010) further states that this is because “the media provides information, promote social continuity and integration, supply entertainment, explain and interpret events and information” (pg. 116). Therefore, from what is portrayed through television, individuals will pick up on some characteristics portrayed by the actors and make it their own. Though this does not necessarily mean that when one watches violent movies, they will become violent too.

Personally, That 70s Show had influenced the way I interact with my friends. At times I can be quite sarcastic and I think this is due to the extensive use of sarcasm in the show. In a sense, what I watch on the television screen is transmitted to me to form a part of my identity. That however, is just a part of my identity that is influenced by television. In extreme cases, the influence of television and film is a lot more evident.

For instance in http://youtu.be/oYCew-nq-X0. The two characters in the clip are heavily influenced by Lord of the Rings, to the extent where they are able to communicate in Elvish (a language used among Elves in the story). They have assimilated the language of the Elves, and integrated it with their identity. For them to be communicating with each other in "Elvish", it suggests that to them, the influence of Lord of the Rings is so strong that it becomes an intergral part of their identity.