Identity Performance Final - Kaitlin Bennet PDF

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You are required to respond to one of the three possible essay prompts for this assessment. (Refer to the Task Instructions sheet below.). Use terms and concepts discussed in class, and conduct independent research, to reflect on how identity performance/s on social media are created through comple...

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Extreme Audio-Visual Identity Performances: Kaitlin Bennet In this highly technological era, people are increasingly using and relying on social media platforms as a channel for identity performance. As stated by Baym,in his novel Personal Connections in the Digital Age, “The digital age is distinguished by rapid transformation in the kind of technological mediation through which we encounter one another”; meaning we are increasingly encountering identity performances to which we oppose [ CITATION Nan15 \l 3081 ]. Youtuber Kaitlin Bennet is highly controversial. Her identity performance is created by her race, political beliefs and religion. Known as “Kent State Gun Girl”, Kaitlin Bennet is a right-wing, conservative, transphobic, gun activist. This identity performance is created through a complex socio-technical system. Bennett is a media figure who regularly posts far-right activism and the pro-gun agenda on her social media platform. Each platform specialises in a specific kind of interaction service, including YouTube, Twitter and Instagram [ CITATION Car16 \l 3081 ][ CITATION Saq16 \l 3081 ]. Goffman's dramaturgical approach to identity performances focuses on the notions of "front and backstage";[ CITATION Hog10 \l 3081 ]. "Frontstage" actions are visible to the audience. These are the elements we choose to share. Comparatively, “backstage” behaviours refer to our natural actions/thoughts that occur when no audience is present[ CITATION Sch15 \l 3081 ]. Social media platforms provide digitalised “front stages”, all with differing content allowing audiences to learn different elements of a person’s identity. Bennet is most infamous for her content on Liberty Hangout’s YouTube channel and for this essay I will focus specifically on her digital YouTube identity. As the name suggests, Liberty Hangout is a "libertarian media outlet" and "alternative news source" focused on boiler-plate conservative issues[ CITATION Uni20 \l 3081 ]. Bennet regularly visits universities, where she interviews college students on topics ranging from gun rights to transgender rights. Through these videos, Bennet’s identity performance

is watched by millions. Her identity can be summarised largely by her beliefs: her far-right activism and pro-gun agenda. YouTube allows content creators like Bennet to post audio-visual content to their audiences. Audiovisual identities like Bennet's are established not just by what is spoken but through symbols of identity[ CITATION Joa11 \l 3081 ]. How Bennet speaks, the clothes she wears, badges, flags and her body language all contribute to her identity [ CITATION Woo04 \l 3081 ]. Bennet is well known for making polarising and outlandish statements which evidentiate her beliefs about the right to bear arms, abortion and race. The American flag, guns (both physical and images/icons) all signify her far-right activism. Her body language in the sense of how she holds the microphone also signifies a sense of power in the way she sees herself. By not allowing her interviewees to hold the camera she invites her audience to see that she is in charge; that she is who you should listen to. Bennet’s intersectionality as a white woman increases her visibility vastly more than those she opposes[ CITATION Nat18 \l 3081 ]. Often victim to her racist rants are black women, whose voices are increasingly oppressed both on and offline. Bennet considers her YouTube videos to be “Promoting the message of peace, prosperity, and property rights”. Comparatively, I see her to be promoting hateful, racist and prejudicial beliefs and values. Further demonstrating the understanding that identity performance is not always perceived in the way the creator intended[ CITATION Woo04 \l 3081 ]. Kaitlin Bennet is someone who I fundamentally disagree with. While I can identify with Bennet in the fact—we are both white and female—we see those elements of our identity in different capacities. I can acknowledge the privilege that comes with having pale skin, while Bennet sees her skin tone as superior and disputes the existence of white privilege. Likewise, while I acknowledge the privilege that comes with being born the gender to which I identify with, Bennet completely ignores the difference between gender and sex and does acknowledge members of the transgender community.

Bennet and I have a severe clash of beliefs and values. Whilst I can typically accept the fact that people will not always see things the same way I do, this isn't the case with Bennet. Bennet is unwavering in her beliefs and tries to make others feel the same, yet she is so closed-minded. I dislike the way Bennet uses her platform to spread ill-informed beliefs which are rooted in hatred. In her videos, she often bullies and belittles her interviewees, regardless if their point/argument is valid. She thrives on eliciting anger and frustration in her interview subjects. My frustration with Bennet is one which is held by many, not only those in her interview videos but also the audience in comment sections and reshares. Liberty Hangout regularly has to turn off the comment sections for their videos due to the channels being inundated with hate - which is ironic considering Bennet claims to be an advocate for free speech. Users are then forced to look elsewhere to voice their opinions of Bennet. Despite not owning a TikTok account herself, she has become a phenomenon on TikTok. TikTok is a Chinese video-sharing social networking service which allows uses to create and share short videos[ CITATION Tik20 \l 3081 ]. Users upload videos of Bennet to point out how ridiculous or silly she seems; the comment sections of these TikTok videos are filled with others who agree and jump on this hate bandwagon[CITATION Roh20 \l 3081 ]. This hatred for Bennet unearthed rumours that she had soiled her pants at a college party. A snippet of Bennet’s video went viral on TikTok in which an interviewee turned the tables on her by asking, "Your name's Kaitlin Bennett, right? I think there's one really important question and it's: Did you shit yourself at a frat party?”[ CITATION Tab20 \l 3081 ]. This post resulted in a massive trend on TikTok, where users would upload videos to make fun of Bennet’s bathroom mishap. While there is huge opposition to Bennet’s identity performance, she does still have a community supporting her views. Most people tend to choose to interact with like-minded people/identity performance. This is especially predominant among those who have deep-

seated views on polarising topics such as gun control, abortion and affirmative action[CITATION Hov08 \l 3081 ]. Those who agree with Bennet are typically also libertarians. Kaitlin Bennet is a victim (albeit deservingly so) to cancel culture. Cancel culture occurs when viewers take control and attempt to silence and 'boycott' problematic media personalities like Bennet[ CITATION AKh20 \l 3081 ]. Viewers regularly try to have Bennet's accounts taken away from her, not just on YouTube but Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. While all accounts remain active to this day, both Twitter and Facebook have seen themselves banned for periods at a time after Bennet has posted something particularly outrageous[ CITATION Lib17 \l 3081 ]. Social media hashtag #bankaitlinbennett is not a rarity on social media platforms. Many who oppose her views argue the ethics of YouTube allowing Bennet to use its platform, classifying her content as hate speech. YouTube positions itself as a champion of freedom of expression, and ‘platform’ works here too, deftly linking the technical, figurative and political [ CITATION Tar10 \l 3081 ]. Further, within YouTube, Bennet is given an unbarred capacity for identity performance regardless of how offensive or radical her views are. YouTube released the following statement regarding its thoughts on free speech, “YouTube encourages free speech and defends everyone’s right to express unpopular points of view. We believe that YouTube is a richer and more relevant platform for users precisely because it hosts a diverse range of views, and rather than stifle debate we allow our users to view all acceptable content and make up their own minds” [ CITATION You08 \l 3081 ]. YouTube does, however, use commercial content moderation (CCM) which identifies content that is in violation of site guidelines or the law and deletes it. While egregious or obvious racist, homophobic or threatening content is typically prohibited, or at least limited on YouTube, it does not mean that the platform is not still rife with such material, as evident by Bennet’s channel[ CITATION Rob16 \l 3081 ].

Audience opinion, intersectionality, ethics and platform affordances are all factors which add complexity to Bennet’s social media Identity. The elements of Bennet’s identity that she chooses to ‘perform’ are controversial and radical. Her identity performance is one which is both fascinating and infuriating. In the online world we will always encounter digital identity performances that we identify with, admire or oppose and it’s up to us to friend, follow or block.

Works Cited National Association of Independent Schools . (2018, June 23). Kimberlé Crenshaw: What is Intersectionality? Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=ViDtnfQ9FHc&t=39s Baym, N. K. (2015). Personal Connections in the Digital Age. Polity Press. Gillespie, T. (2010). The politics of ‘platforms’. New Media & Society, 347-364. Hogan, B. (2010). The Presentation of Self in the Age of Social Media: Distinguishing Performances and Exhibitions Online. Bulletin of Science, 30(6), 377-386. Hoven, d., Jeroen, v., & Weckert, J. (2008). Information Technology and Moral Philosophy. Cambridge University Press. Khaled, A. (2020, January 3). ContraPoints Gave a Masterclass on Cancel Culture. Retrieved from The Startup: https://medium.com/swlh/contrapoints-buck-angelcancel-culture-breadtube-b41c70cc13ba Liberty Hangout. (2017, January 23). Got banned from Facebook for 24 hours for posting this meme. Retrieved from Twitter: https://twitter.com/libertyhangout/status/823218599502508033?lang=en Macotela, C. (2016). Social Media as a new Mass Media tool for environmental consciousness; Case study of social media campaign #Kohälsa by Skånemejerier. Retrieved from Lund University Libraries: http://lup.lub.lu.se/studentpapers/record/8892053 Raza, T. (2020, January 14). All these gun girl videos are reminding me of the time I gave her the business. Retrieved from Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mustafa_Raza_/status/1216820524644433920

Roberts, S. T. (2016). Commercial Content Moderation: Digital Laborers’ Dirty Work. In S. U. Noble, & B. M. Tynes, The intersectional Internet: race, sex, class, and culture online (pp. 147-159). New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc. Schwartz, R., & Halegoua, G. R. (2015). The spatial self: Location-based identity performance on social media. New Media & Society, 17(10), 1643–1660. Shah, S. (2016, May 14). The history of social networking. Retrieved from Digital Trends: https://www.digitaltrends.com/features/the-history-of-social-networking/ Smith, J. (2011). The Youtube Revoloution: Engagement, Perception and Identity. Special Session, 100-1003. Smith, R. (2020, January 20). University ‘gun girl’ goes viral again. Retrieved from Seniors News: https://www.seniorsnews.com.au/news/university-gun-girl-goes-viralagain/3924814/ TikTok. (2020). About. Retrieved from TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/en/ University Wire. (2020, January 30). Opinion | don't give kaitlin bennett the reaction she wants. Retrieved from University Wire: https://gateway.library.qut.edu.au/login? url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2348299224?accountid=13380 Woodward, K. (2004). Questions of identity: Gender, Class, Nation. London: Routledge. YouTube. (2008). A YouTube for All of Us. Retrieved from Youtube Blog: http:// www.youtube.com/blog?entry=AEX3_7h40mk...