meaningful social variable. Quite the contrary, everyone must have one, or
several. ‘Identity’ is the talk of the town, especially of the multicultural town,
and sociology has to explain why in the second half of the 20th century identity
suddenly became a central concern of common and scholarly deliberation.
Part of the problem is that identity is not given quasi-naturally by birth, but is
subject to many tugs of war between choosing and imputing, seeking and
imposing. In other fields of research discussed earlier, ‘Who am I?’ and ‘Who
are we?’ are critical questions of identity. In sociology, the question is this: ‘Who
or what do you identify with (and are allowed to do so)?’ The concept ‘to identify
with’, originally introduced by Sigmund Freud, functions as a channel
connecting the flows of an individual identity with those of a shared social
identity.
Identity became an issue when the appropriation of a station in life ceased to be,
for increasingly larger parts of the population, determined by birth. This implies
options and obligations, the possibility and the necessity to construct an identity
for yourself; or several. That people have ‘multiple identities’ in cyberspace
should not be misunderstood as a sloppy allegory. Digital identities connect us in
new ways and play an increasingly important role in our day-to-day activities.
‘Reinvent yourself!’ is an emblematic expression of our age. Such acts of
identity are both liberating, as children do not have to follow their parents in the
professional world, and demanding, as they have to navigate the uncharted sea of
social, economic, and cultural crosscurrents to construct their own identity, the
principal orientation marks being ads on their smartphones.
The answer lies in seeking membership, a we to which you might belong and
which alleviates the loneliness of the super-individualistic society: a school, a
fan club, a church, a political party, a civic organization, a choir, a fitness centre,
and of course a company. Membership in such organizations is often exclusive.
Joining the fan club of the Pinks means not joining that of the Blues, and that is a
crucial point of the whole operation. Sameness and belonging is to a
considerable extent dependent on difference from and rejection of others.
Distinction of corporate identity is essential. The easiest way to express it is by
dress (Figure 11).