Advertising and the symbolic formation of sociocultural identity and diversity: reflections from the perspective of communication

This text is a reflection from the field of communication on the role of the media, especially advertising, in the symbolic formation of people’s identities and their views on sociocultural diversity. We investigate this subject by studying what we understand by the formation of contemporary sociocultural identity and diversity. We question and discuss how the media, especially advertising, interrelates with these processes in a context of social mediatization. We also examine different perspectives from which to understand media reception, and the locus where mass media referents are of significance to social subjects and can influence the symbolic formation of their identity and sociocultural diversity.