How do young people form their collective identity through reality TV?

Young people form their collective identity through varies different aspects in reality TV. The 2 different realities TV shows that I am going to compare is Geordie Shore and Made in Chelsea, these 2 shows are reality based programmes with young people with 2 different collective identities.

Michel Foucault had a range of theories and he stated that as a society, we have constructed he idea that people’s identities are the person we are on the inside. We believe this is defined by factors such as gender, age, class, sexuality. We are looking at this specifically in reference to youth. Michel Foucault said that we are born with a basic identity but we develop our collective identity when we get older and also we change it as we get old. Thus, we therefore, mediate that personality based on whom we meet; we do this during our discourse. Foucault therefore believes that it can be limiting for what actually develops is a stereotypical group and people then begin to make assumptions, forming a collective identity.

In Geordie shore the characters have their collective identity through what they do, how they are dressed. The way that Geordie shore characters act, it gives a stereotypical view to the media and the audience of how young people are and the ways they act. Geordie shore character shave identified with themselves from what they do and how they dress, as they all dress similarly and the things they do are similar, for example, the lads in the programme are always out to find girls when going clubbing. Also they have identified with one another through colloquialism (the way they talk) as they are all from Newcastle and have the same accent. Geordie shore also create their collective identity through participating in social activities, for example, they go clubbing often, to the beach, and they are often wild, they get drunk and basically live a wild life, thus through this they create their collective identity.

In Made in Chelsea the characters have their collective identity through their elegance, fortune and their pre-determined status as they are all rich. Their high status gives them a collective identity and also the things they do, for example, the girls love to shop in their expensive branded stores and have a common interest in clothing. This therefore, would give them a stereotypical view as well and also their collective identity.

Thus, to conclude, young people form their collective identity through Michel Foucault’s theory, as they identify with people who have the same common interests as them and whom they can form a bond with easily.