Blog 7: Identity

Chapter 11: “Identity” from BBG is all about how we identify ourselves. The chapter consists of essays and articles about self-identification as well how we are seen by others. This was a very interesting chapter as it provided many different perspectives on identity as a whole. The first section was about how we can identify others by the things they own. What we wear, what kind of music we listen to, even how we choose to organize our spaces are all things we use to identify ourselves. Whether we realize it or not, everything we do and create reflects on our character. Advertisements are made to appeal to certain people which ultimately divides humanity into sections according to what items we value. While it seems unfair to judge someone merely by what they own, if you take everything into account, this can actually be an accurate way of identifying someone. Later in the chapter, different authors discuss what influences us to choose things to identify ourselves with. Whether it be books, TV shows, or movies, we allow ourselves to identify, if not become, the characters within these fictional worlds, just for a moment. Our personality changes based on where we are, what we’re doing, or who we interact with. Reading this chapter helped me understand the different ways I identify myself and the dangers of identifying oneself incorrectly (such as taking on the roles of fictional characters and replace their identity with your own). This chapter helped me while writing projects 1 & 2 as I now have a better understanding of how the communities I’m a part of help to shape my identity.