Representation - intro


Representation

 - Representation is the process by which the media presents the 'real world' to an audience.
- Media texts are artificial, constructed version of reality
- Even factual media - such as news - goes through processes of selection, organisation and editing - that shapes its content.

Stereotypes
This is the process of repeatedly passing social information from person to person can result in the unintentional and spontaneous formation of cultural stereotypes. Stereotypes can be used to describe characters quickly, relying on existing audience recognition. Stereotypes are dangerous as they can lead audiences to generalize about people or places.

 Mediation
Media text are a construction of reality, and play an important role in the way we view the world.
Reality is therefore subject to mediation which is the process that takes place when a media texts meaning is created.
When mediation takes place an institution, individual or even technology comes between the actual event and the audience.

 Representation: dominant or alternative? 
A representation in the media will either reinforce or challenge the stereotype.
If it reinforces the stereotypes, it is a dominant representation.
If it challenge the stereotype, it is an alternative representation.

 TASK: WATCH 'TAKEN' TRAILER
1) LIST THE DIFFERENT PEOPLE/GROUPS REPRESENTED IN THE TRAILER AND IDENTIFY IF WHETHER IT REPRESENTS A DOMINANT OR ALTERNATIVE PORTRAYAL.
- Women suffering - DOMINANT
- Men - DOMINANT
- Americans - DOMINANT
- Kidnappers/Criminals - DOMINANT

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Advertisement worksheet - Score advert

Image
Advertising: Score case study and wider reading We have already studied the changing representation of women in advertising but there is no doubt that the portrayal of men and masculinity has also changed significantly too. Our first advertising CSP, the 1967 Score hair cream advert, provides a compelling case study for the representation of both men and women. Notes from the lesson and the blog task are below. Hypermasculinity in advertising Hypermasculinity is defined as: a psychological term for the exaggeration of male stereotypical behaviour, such as an emphasis on physical strength, aggression, and sexuality. Advertising in the 1950s-1980s often featured a hypermasculine representation of men – and some representations in the media today still continue this. Gelfer: Changing masculinity in advertising Joseph Gelfer, a director of masculinity research, suggests that the way masculinity is represented in advertising is changing. Looking at advertising over the...
Read more

Billie Jean and Letter to the Free exam question

Steve Neale argues that the appeal of genres is that they are ‘instances of repetition and difference’. How valid is Neale’s claim? In your response you should refer to your music video close study products, Billie Jean and Letter to the Free. (20 Marks) In Billie Jean By MJ, it contains the typical conventions of a music video which are lip-syncing, high fashion costume, dance routine and a narrative. Gerbners cultivation theory shows that music video viewers  are more likely to be influenced by the messages . In Billie Jean, MJ is seen moon-walking which is a dance he invented, and nowhere days people learn and still do the moonwalk. Same with MJ costume in modern day, they have created replicas of MJ costume for kids and adults that he wore in the music video showing how MJ culturally influences his fans.  However in Letter to the free, there are no dance moves and the costumes are quite basic going against the conventions of a music v...
Read more

Teen Vogue: Industry and social media blog tasks

Teen Vogue: background Teen Vogue was launched in 2003 as a print magazine ‘little sister’ title to US Vogue. It focused on fashion and celebrity and was a conventional magazine aimed at teenage girls. In 2015, in response to declining sales, the magazine cut back its print distribution and focused on digital content. After single-copy sales dropped 50% in the first six months of 2016 alone, the magazine went quarterly (four issues a year) before announcing the closure of the print magazine completely in November 2017. Online growth Led by digital director Phillip Picardi, the Teen Vogue website grew substantially as the print magazine declined. Between January 2016 and 2017, Teen Vogue’s online traffic rocketed from 2.9m US visitors to 7.9m. The magazine then surpassed 10m unique users later in 2017. In addition, the magazine has 6m Facebook likes, 3.5m Twitter followers and a huge following on Snapchat. Evolution and activism The spectacular digital growth of ...
Read more