How do I shape my identity?

For this blog, I’m going talk about the many things that can influence or construct our identities that I didn’t really consider in the same way before this class. I think just about every unit ties in to our desires, how others view us, and how we view ourselves. From addiction, to the biological and cultural aspects of mental illness, to technology and digital media, to food, to corporate control and consumerism, I never thought about how much these things impact who we are and how we live.

Something I found very interesting and most terrifying is how companies can collect data on us online from what we share and do online. I think the internet shapes who we are in a lot of different ways. It can be used as a marketing took to target consumers, use data to target a certain population to think a certain way, but can also just change the way we think by how we can also freely use it to access information. The more we learn, think, and hear different ideas (hopefully accurate information) we are forming new views and beliefs about the world. This 100% changes who we are and how we think. This can be seen in Economix (one of my favorite texts of the course). You can't explain economics without a history, social, political, and cultural background.

The biggest thing I will take from this class is probably a greater awareness of how we are targeted as consumers and as a product and how through this process are identity is being changed or targeted. I’ve already become way more investigative and aware of the information I share online and who has access to it. As I grow up, I think I will more easily be able to recognize how different marketing schemes are used to get me to buy, use, and believe a certain thing/way.

All in all, you’ve convinced me! Science, politics, and culture are extremely important in many ways and are constantly interconnected. Can they act separately? Yes, but do they more often act together and on each other? Maybe... most definitely.