Communicating identity through wearable technologies: The case of the action film

Abstract

The wearable technologies market claims to be growing continually, and yet the question if wearables have actually assumed an indispensable place in fashion and mass consumerism remains. Apart from a number of practical problems such as high price, poor design and numerous reservations over privacy, wearable technologies also seem to give rise to identity issues. Leaning on research conducted by Natalia Berger of Inholland University (the Netherlands) on mass media texts and the manner in which they communicate the idea of smart fashion/wearable technologies to the mass consumer, the article attempts to look at the field of action film and the message that this specific genre communicates to its audiences about wearables. The argumentation focuses on the issue of identity and how wearable technologies participate in its creation within the realms of real life and the fictional reality of action film. The findings of the discussion concur with those of Berger, i.e. that, to enhance the popularity of wearable technologies and devices in real life, action films, like other mass media, must apply an inclusion policy, rather than communicating them as a niche market for minorities, such as a special, elitist group like government agents or superheroes. Following recommendations from experts and enthusiasts in the field, the article suggests that wearable devices be communicated as empowering their users in everyday life.