Option One

As we have established, Michel Foucault proposes that systems of social order, control, and

domination are exercised through four major types of technology: 1. technologies of

production, 2. technologies of sign systems, 3. technologies of power, and 4. technologies of

the self. Of these, Foucault was most concerned with the latter two: technologies of power,

which externally regulate the way individuals conduct themselves, and technologies of the

self, which have to do with how people control themselves (their bodies, thoughts, and

actions) through internal practices of self-monitoring, self-scrutiny, and self-regulation.

Technologies of the self avail individuals the opportunity to transform themselves in order

to attain a state of 'happiness, purity, perfection, wisdom, or immortality' (Foucault 225).

But as Foucault makes clear, the main point is not to accept this knowledge at face value,

but rather to critically analyse the specific techniques that people use to understand

themselves, particularly in relation to dominant discourses and ideologies.

Choose a lifestyle influencer who has a prominent digital media presence a case study.

Critically analyse your case study's social media in relation to technologies of the self.

Depending on your own interests, you might pick an influencer whose speciality is health

and fitness, fashion and cosmetic, travel, food, or some other lifestyle. The influencer may

endorse or subvert dominant social norms. It is up to you, as long as they are relevant to

technologies of the self.

While the theoretical foundation of your analysis needs to be Foucault, you may weave

Butler's work on gender performativity, and any other relevant material covered in the

course so far, into your discussion.

Reminder: You will need to read and employ Foucault's "Technologies of the Self" for this

option. It is linked with this assessment on Blackboard, and is available under "Big Ideas I."

**Do not analyse any of the influencers from the the celebrity lecture. Additionally, your

influencer MUST have achieved their fame through social media in the first instance. They

must not be a celebrity who THEN went on to be a social media influencer. So, for

example, any of the Kardashians are NOT suitable case studies for this assignment.

Similarly, someone like Gwyneth Paltrow is also NOT a suitable case study. If you have

any doubt about the suitability of your influencer, please check with your tutor.

1/nOption Two

Expanding on Simone de Beauvoir's assertion that "one is not born, but, rather, becomes a

woman" (de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 27), Judith Butler maintains that gender differences

are not biological or natural, instead they are socially constructed. In other words, gender

identity is tenuously instituted over time through the stylised repetition of bodily gestures,

movements, and enactments, which work together to create the illusion that gendered

identity is natural and stable. As Butler states, gender is "a constructed identity, a

performative accomplishment [...] the stylised repetition of acts over time, and not a

seamless identity" (Butler, Performative Acts, 520). These gendered performances are acted

out in accordance with dominant ideals and discourses, which provide a framework for our

activities.

We have explored Butler's theories of gender performativity in relation to the construction

of celebrity identity, but how do these accounts influence everyday life? Examine scholarly

material on gender identity presented in the course so far in relation to YOUR OWN social

media presence. You may choose to focus on selfies and other images that you post on a

single platform such as Instagram, or you might like to take a multimedia approach and look

at your self-presentation across different platforms or different formats. Either way, you

should provide a close critical analysis of a sample of relevant images/texts. Remember,

though you are using your own social media identity as the object of analysis, you will still

need to maintain a critical scholarly approach.

While the theoretical foundation of your analysis needs to be Butler, you may weave

Foucault's work on technologies of the self, and any other relevant material covered in the

course so far, into your discussion.

Reminder: You may use any or all of the course texts relating to gender performativity to

address this topic. However, you must read and employ Butler's "Performative Acts and

Gender Constitution" as the foundation of your analysis. It is linked with this assessment on

Blackboard, and is available under "Big Ideas I."

Tips

This paper should be presented in essay format (Introduction, main body, conclusion, and

works cited list).

Your introduction should be approximately 10% of the overall essay length, so one