Definitions

IDENTITY: Identity is something that defines someone, 'without cultural/political/social differences one cannot have an identity. Unfortunately, sometimes these differences are amplified and a strive for a unified nationalistic identity is forfeited when certain groups, such as the Muslim members of society, are subjectified and ‘labelled' through certain media forms, newspapers particularly'.

COLLECTIVE IDENTITY: The concept of a collective identity refers to a set of individuals' sense of belonging to the group or collective. For the individual, the identity derived from the collective shapes a part of his or her personal identity. It is possible, at times, that this sense of belonging to a particular group will be so strong that it will trump other aspects of the person's personal identity. To put it another way, Collective Identity is the idea that through participating in social activities, individuals can gain a sense of belonging and in essence an "identity" that transcends the individual.

MEDIATION: Within media studies the central mediating factor of a given culture is the medium of communication itself. The popular conception of mediation refers to the reconciliation of two opposing parties by a third, and this is similar to its meaning in both Marxist theory and media studies. For Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, this mediating factor is capital or alternately labor, depending on how one views capitalist society (capital is the dominant mediating factor, but labor is another mediating factor that could overthrow capital as the most important one).

REPRESENTATION: Representation refers to the construction in any medium (especially the mass media) of aspects of ‘reality’ such as people, places, objects, events, cultural identities and other abstract concepts. Such representations may be in speech or writing as well as still or moving pictures for example, class, age, gender and ethnicity.

HEGEMONY: The strong influence, as of a state, region, group, over another or others. The importance given to the dominant class’s ideas, values, belief systems. Labels those of other classes as ‘minority’, and so further controls production of future ideas, values.

COLONAILISM: is known as the policy of acquiring and maintaining colonies, especially for exploitation. Electronic colonialism theory explains how mass media are leading to a new concept of empire. It will not be one based on military power or land acquisition but one based on controlling the mind. It is a psychological or mental empire. It is an evolving global "Empire of the Mind." The global media are collectively influencing the minds, attitudes, values, and languages of individuals around the globe.

POST-COLONIALISM: Postcolonialism deals with cultural identity in colonised societies. The dilemmas of developing a national identity after colonial rule; the ways in which writers articulate and celebrate that identity (often reforming it from and maintaining strong connections with the coloniser).

YOUTH SUBCULTURE: A youth subculture is a youth-based term with distinct styles, behaviors, and interests. Youth subcultures offer participants an identity outside of that ascribed by social institutions such as family, work, home and school. Youth subcultures that show a systematic hostility to the dominant culture are sometimes described as countercultures. Youth subcultures are often distinguished by elements such as fashion, beliefs, slang, dialects or behaviours. I feel that it could be relevant to collective identity as youth subculture also involves socioeconomic class, gender, intelligence, conformity and ethnicity can be important in relation to youth subcultures. Youth subcultures can be defined as meaning systems, modes of expression or lifestyles developed by groups in subordinate structural positions in response to dominant systems — and which reflect their attempt to solve structural contradictions rising from the wider societal context.

SYNCRETISM: Is known as the attempted reconciliation or union of different or opposing principles, practices, or parties, as in philosophy or religion.

POST-MODERNISM: Involves the belief that many, if not all, apparent realities are only social constructs, as they are subject to change inherent to time and place. It emphasizes the role of language, power relations, and motivations; in particular it attacks the use of sharp classifications such as male versus female, straight versus gay, white versus black, and imperial versus colonial. Rather, it holds realities to be plural and relative, and dependent on who the interested parties are and what their interests consist in.

URBAN MUSIC: Is a format of a certain type of music. Mainstream urban is a term used to describe a radio format similar to an urban contemporary format. The format differentiates itself due to two factors: playlist composition and target demographic. The majority of the stations cater to younger listeners; they tend to have a more hip-hop-heavy playlist compared to the R&B-heavy playlist that is very common among urban contemporary-formatted radio stations. Also, mainstream urban stations tend to target both genders with its playlist compared to urban contemporary station that tend to target mainly females.