🔒 Given identity
Fixed by birth and background. Your family, class and community tell you who you are and what you will do.
Social Identity » Postmodernism: Is Identity Chosen?
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Cambridge spec: 2.3.4
- What postmodernism is and why it sees identity as chosen rather than given
- How digital identities and consumption and lifestyle fit this view
- Why critics say class, gender, ethnicity and money still limit our choices
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Unlock This CourseGiven or chosen?
Grandparents' roles were often given at birth; postmodernists say young people today choose their identity
Think of your grandparents' generation. In many societies, a person's job, religion, home town and role in life were mostly decided by the family they were born into. Now think of a young person today who can change their look, their friends, their hobbies and even their online name in a single afternoon. Has identity moved from something we are given to something we choose? That is the big question in this lesson.
Key terms:
- Postmodernism: the view that modern societies have changed so much, through media, technology and globalisation, that old fixed structures and roles no longer decide who we are, so identities are chosen and can change.
- Given identity: an identity fixed by things like family, class or community that a person is born into.
- Chosen identity: an identity a person builds for themselves by making their own choices.
- Consumption: buying and using goods and services, such as clothes, music, food and phones.
- Lifestyle: the way a person lives, shown by their tastes, habits and the things they buy and do.
The postmodernist view
Postmodernists argue that we now live in a very different kind of society. Traditional guides such as class, religion and the local community matter less than they once did. Meanwhile, the media, global brands and technology give people a huge range of styles and beliefs to pick from.
🎨 Chosen identity
Built by you. You can try things out, change your mind and become someone different over time.
On this view, identity is never finished. People can keep changing who they are, and no single identity is more "real" than another. Two main ideas support this view: digital identities, and identities linked to consumption and lifestyle.
Digital identities
Earlier in the course you studied the digital self in general (see the lesson on The Digital Self and Online Identities). Here we look at it only through the postmodernist lens.
- Online, a person can choose a name, a picture, a profile and the groups they join.
- A person can have different identities on different platforms, such as a gamer name in one place and a study group profile in another.
- Online, a person is not limited by where they live, their age or how they look in everyday life, so they can try out identities they might not show offline.
Postmodernists see this as strong evidence that identity can be chosen and changed. The same person might be a fan of a band, a member of a gaming team and a sports supporter, all at once and all by choice.
Consumption, lifestyle and the pick and mix society
Pick and mix society: postmodernists say we build identity by choosing styles, like sweets from a counter
Postmodernists say that in modern societies, what we buy and the way we live help to make us who we are. This is called a pick and mix society, like choosing sweets from a counter. People can pick the parts they like from many different cultures, styles and beliefs, and mix them into an identity of their own.
- A person might choose clothes from one style, music from another, and food from a third part of the world.
- Someone might decide to be a vegan, a keen cyclist or a fashion lover, and show it through what they buy, wear and share.
- Brands and shops sell more than goods. They sell images and ideas, such as being adventurous or caring about nature, which people can buy into.
Worked example
Question: Explain one way in which consumption may help to shape a person's identity. Answer: People often choose clothes, music and other goods that show the kind of person they want to be. For example, a student who buys outdoor clothing and goes hiking may be seen by others, and see themselves, as an adventurous person. This shows identity being chosen through lifestyle rather than given by birth.
Criticisms: how free is the choice?
Many sociologists say the postmodernist view goes too far. Choice is not equal for everyone, and some parts of identity are still given.
💵 Money
Choosing a lifestyle often costs money. People with little income cannot afford many brands, hobbies or travel, so their pick and mix menu is smaller.
🏆 Social class
Class background affects the education, contacts and tastes a person grows up with, which shape what choices they think are open to them.
👫 Gender
Expectations about how men and women should behave can still limit what people feel able to choose, or how others react to their choices.
🌍 Ethnicity
Others may still label a person by their ethnicity, and racism or stereotypes can limit the identities they are allowed to take up, whatever they choose.
Other criticisms are worth remembering:
- Other people can reject the identity you choose. Identity is also decided by how others see and treat you, not only by you.
- Some identities are very hard to change, such as age or a visible ethnicity.
- Choosing through consumption can mean companies and advertisers are shaping the choices, so people may be less free than they think.
A balanced view is that people today have more choice than in the past, but the choice is shaped and limited by their position in society.
Common mistakes
Do not say that postmodernists think identity is given by society. They say it is chosen. Do not describe the whole digital self lesson again. Link digital identities to the idea of choice. And always include criticisms in a longer answer: money, class, gender and ethnicity still limit choice. Do not say that postmodernism is simply wrong. It shows real changes, but it overstates how free people are.
Exam-style question
(a) Define the term postmodernism. [2 marks]
(b) Give two examples of how a person's identity may be linked to their lifestyle. [2 marks]
(c) Explain three reasons why some sociologists criticise the view that identity is chosen. [6 marks]
Model answer
(a) The view that modern societies have changed so much through media, technology and globalisation (1) that old fixed roles no longer decide who we are, so identity is chosen and can change. (1)
(b) Any two from: choosing clothes or music that show a style; following a diet such as veganism; taking up a hobby such as cycling and sharing it online; buying brands that fit an image. (1) (1)
(c) Money: choosing a lifestyle costs money, so people on low incomes have fewer options. (2) Social class: class background shapes the tastes and opportunities a person grows up with, so their choices are limited. (2) Other people: ethnicity and gender stereotypes mean others may label a person whatever identity they choose, so identity is not fully free. (2)
Exam tip
In a "three reasons" question, make three different criticisms and add a "so" or "because" link to the idea of choice. For example, "money limits lifestyle, so choice is not equal" earns the second mark.