Have you read Roland Barthes’ Mythologies? It was one of the first books to look at the mythological structures at work in popular culture. Those French geezers took the anthropological theory of Levi Strauss’ and applied it to their own culture.

Barthes observed that the mass media puts people into pigeon holes. Once you have a media presence you are quickly classified as an archetype. Jordan the slut, Cheryl Tweedy the victim (have you noticed how often she is “frail”, “tormented” etc?). Once you are classified as an archetype it’s very hard to cross the line to become a different archetype. Once a slut, always a slut.

Psychologist Oliver James observes that this mechanism also works within families. Each child gets characteristics ascribed to it at an early age which soon become defining. “She’s the lazy one of the family”. Even when you’re having a civilised meal with your grown-up siblings they can so easily get under your skin with the tiniest reference to the stereotyping you have suffered within the family. “You’ve never been very good at taking a joke have you?”

So, the way of the press, is the way of the family, is the way of human psychology. We navigate our way through the complexity of personal relations with the crude tool of labelling people.

Famous people now have so-called Google reputation managers. But you and I don’t. So, be careful with your on-line identity. Once you are defined it’s a tricky job to change your label. Although as an Indian proverb has it: a bad reputation is better than no reputation at all.

In the light of all this, it is with some trepidation that I announce my internet acting debut. I play a Danish geeky businessman. I’m really very macho and fit you know…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5a943p9QmQ&feature=player_embedded#