The Theory.org trading cards have led an odd double life for years, existing somewhere between an inside joke and a valid teaching tool. The majority of media studies students unintentionally come across them while studying for a test, typically in search of a quick way to comprehend Stuart Hall or Judith Butler. Each card summarizes a theorist in a few short sentences and is printed in a flat, slightly retro style. They are strangely endearing. They have an almost punk-like quality. Occasionally, a teacher will then point out that one card is more difficult to locate than the others while grinning conspiratorially.
It’s a David Gauntlett card. It was an earlier, nearly forgotten version that briefly surfaced in the early 2000s, not the typical one printed in bulk and distributed via PDFs and lecture handouts. Some academics assert that it was real. Some say they had a copy once. Others maintain that it was only ever a draft and was never printed. The argument is minor, a little ridiculous, and strangely persistent. The amount of energy expended on something so insignificant is difficult to ignore.
| Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | David Gauntlett |
| Nationality | British |
| Field | Sociology, Media & Communications Studies |
| Education | Graduated from the University of York, 1992 |
| Known For | Identity Theory, Media, Gender and Identity (2002, 2008), Making is Connecting (2011, 2018) |
| Notable Project | Theory.org.uk Trading Cards (a long-running project featuring social and media theorists) |
| Current Focus | Everyday creativity, online making and exchange, digital identity |
| Featured In | UK A & AS-Level Media Studies curriculum |
| Key Argument | Media act as triggers for experiences, conversation, and self-construction |
The fact that Gauntlett has changed his perspective over time contributes to the obsession. The cards from that earlier era discussed identity in the context of Media, Gender, and Identity, where viewers perused media offerings like consumers in a self-supermarket. Even Gauntlett acknowledges that the language is out of date. He candidly stated in a 2017 speech at the BFI Media Conference that his emphasis had shifted from consumption to creativity, making, and how people develop their identities through production. The older card, if it exists, depicts a version of him that no longer accurately reflects the work, and the shift is real.
That’s where the scholarly debate begins. Some academics contend that the rare card’s historical significance stems from its preservation of the older framing—the supermarket-of-identity Gauntlett—that A-level textbooks continue to subtly rely on. Some argue that it should remain hidden since it distorts the true direction of his thought process. The argument seems to be more about which Gauntlett the discipline wants to continue teaching than it is about a particular card.
You can still find worksheets that quote his earlier lines in a sixth-form classroom in the UK. Due to time constraints, educators frequently omit the section in Making is Connecting where he revised his concepts. Therefore, if the rare card ever comes to light in its entirety, it becomes a type of evidence in a slow argument that nobody wants to have. Some of these copies might be hidden in outdated filing cabinets in media departments at universities. It’s also possible that the entire thing has been exaggerated beyond what the original artifact merited.
In any case, the battle provides insight into the field. Media theory advances slowly, and those who teach it become fixated on particular phrases, examples, and cards. In this case, Gauntlett’s own claim that media are disorganized networks full of tiny sparks makes perfect sense. One tiny card, perhaps imaginary. Some professors won’t let it go. A theorist who has quietly moved on without them.
