Representation intro 2014
- 2. What is Representation? • The media do not present reality they ‘re-present it’ – they are representing things that have already occurred. How does Representation work? • Representations invite audiences to understand them and agree with them in certain preferred ways. Different interpretations are possible to some extent, depending on the audience.
- 3. The Power of Representations Ideologies, meanings and values are implicit in that presentation. Clearly this gives great power and responsibility to media institutions as the representations, to some extent can influence social attitudes to social groups in many ways. In particular some institutions could be accused of starting what Stanley Cohen coins ‘moral panics’.
- 4. Stereotypes Stereotypes are used to enable an audience to instantly identify and understand the meaning of a text. Stereotypes are an extreme form of representation . Certain aspects are focussed on and exaggerated. In texts, stereotypes are characters who are ‘types’ rather than complex people. Stereotypes are usually negative representations and most have a lot of assumptions. Stereotyping is often evident when there is a power imbalance between members of society. For our study lets consider the binary opposition of youth vs adult.
- 5. TASK What stereotypes exist in society about British Youths? Are these stereotypes perpetuated by the media? How?
- 6. TASK In your Blog…….. create a new post……”Representation” Blog what you understand about the terms; Representation and stereotype Outline what stereotypes exist in society about youth culture and how they’re perpetuated.
- 7. Ideology What is it? TASK Spend 10 minutes researching Ideology and the theorists associated with it.
- 8. Ideology O’Sullivan States that underpinning most of the media, various powerful vested interests operate to ensure that particular representations are manifested. Noam Chomsky argues that the media serve the interests of the state and corporate power. Ideology then is a set of beliefs and ideas that are presented in a media text. Dominant Ideologies those which are accepted and understood by the majority of people as part of our culture and expectations. How do stereotypes in media texts help to re-affirm and reinforce ideologies that exist about youth culture?
- 9. Hegemony Gramsci defined hegemony as the way in which those in power maintain their control. Dominant ideologies are considered hegemonic. An accepted hegemony, in our culture, is that the police are always right. Althusser argued that ideology is a force in it’s own right – ideologies reinforce ‘common sense’ assumptions, attitudes and expectations e.g. women are better parents, men are stronger, homosexuality isn’t natural. What Ideologies have become hegemonic about youth culture?
- 10. TASK Blog what you understand about the terms; Ideology and Hegemony. Outline what ideologies exist about youth culture, how the media works to reinforces these and how they have become hegemonic.