Definitions

Identity :People are not born with identities – rather, they have identities crafted for them by the society to which they ‘belong'. All forms of media, from television to radio to newspapers etc. can collectively encapsulate certain groups of people and ‘label' them with any given identity, or merely infer a certain identity, by their specific portrayal of the subject covered, and the way in which they display/compose the story. Identity is spawned from difference – 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 Idendity: 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 :Mediation refers to what media do, and to what we do with the media. It is a term that defines the media, both the media of mass communication (radio, television, the world wide web, but also the press) and the media of interpersonal communication (fixed and mobile telephony, e-mail, but also the letter), as actively creating a symbolic and cultural space in which meanings are created and communicated beyond the constraints of the face to face, and which is becoming increasingly significant for the conduct of public, institutional and private life. Readers, viewers and audiences are part of this process of mediation, because they continue the work of the media in the ways they respond to, extend and further communicate what they see and hear on the world’s multitude of screens and speakers

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.

Hegemony: Hegemony means a position of power or leadership in a given situation. A nation can hold hegemony in the world, a country can hold hegemony on a continent, and so on. In a media studies class, assuming you're talking about TV, Internet, news, entertainment, etc., companies like TimesWarner or Disney would have hegemony in the world of entertainment. Or a newspaper like The New York Times would have hegemony in the area of print journalism. You might talk about how the three big broadcast networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC, ruled with unchallenged hegemony before powerful cable stations like CNN and TNT came along.

Colonialism: 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.

Youth Subculture: A youth subculture is a youth-based subculture 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.

Postmodernism: It is used as a way of grouping and describing the styles of thought and culture attracting most critical attention during the final few decades of the twentieth century. It is sometimes affectionately referred to as 'pomo' by people with beards. 'Postmodernist thought' has caused a revolution across all academic disciplines, from Physics to English via Geography. Postmodernism offers a different way of both constructing and deconstructing ideas.

Urban Music :musical genre of the 1980s and '90s defined by recordings by rhythm-and-blues or soul artists with broad crossover appeal. Urban contemporary began as an American radio format designed to appeal to advertisers who felt that "black radio" would not reach a wide enough audience.