media representations - ppt 1

Question 1

symbolic annihilation

Answer 1

george gerbner - absence of representation, misrepresentation or under-representation of some groups in the media

Question 2

monarchy

Answer 2

nairn - media supports monarchy, reinforces traditions of family, focuses on trivial details such as clothing, customs and their hobbies. creates social solidarity

Question 3

upper-classes/elite

Answer 3

newman - suggests a positive focus on elites in society, focus on consumer lifestyle so we want to be like them. news cented on the interests of the wealthy (for the economy) - recently though it has been more balanced and elites are criticised

Question 4

middle classes

Answer 4

over-represented, seen as the ‘norm’ - most families in dramas are middle-class, papers focus on middle-class interests, most journalists and editors hail from middle-class backgrounds - moral entrepeneurs, conservative, don’t like changes such as immigration

Question 5

working-class

Answer 5

• newman - positive representations are rare
• jones - coverage of working-class is ‘liberal bigotry’, assault by middle-classes assuming working-classes are racist, homophobic and sexist
  curran and seaton - media aimed at working-class ignores issues and dumbs down media to working-class audiences - pluralists say it’s what they want

Question 6

poverty

Answer 6

• mckendrick - coverage of poverty is minimal
• cohen - narrative played out by media is economic success, poverty doesn’t fit with this; poor also portrayed as scroungers deliberately, poverty is a personal trait rather than being a victim of circumstance
• lawler - media deliberately use labels like ‘chav to describe poverty to avoid sympathy

Question 7

pluralist perspective

Answer 7

• representations of the rich are justified since the media views uk as meritocratic, they’re motivational which benefits the economy, focus on finance and shares reflects the importance of these in society
• different classes reflects realities of society, fits with news values (relatable or can feel superior)
• portrayals reflect what w/c want, supported by sales of newspapers (daily male selling 12 million per week)

Question 8

neo-marxist perspective

Answer 8

• gatekeepers socialised into m/c ideology, reinforces m/c agenda since it’s from their pov
• representations of m/c the result of the media gaze of the m/c establishment
• cohen - uk mass media focused on praising ‘good fortune’ of capitalism, don’t explore the plight of the poor, underclass are ‘scroungers’

ao3: recently more sympathetic coverage of underclass, cost of living crisis blamed on politicians

Question 9

marxist perspective

Answer 9

• capitalist ideology - celebrity gossip and trivial interests to distract from the inequalities of capitalism
• isa and false class consciousness - positive of m/c and u/c
• marcuse - cultural imperialist, western capitalist societies glorify consumer culture, make the wealthy the group to aspire to
• milliband - media is the opium of the people, own the means of production
• fcc for w/c, prevents people from perceiving the true nature of their social/economic situation

Question 10

headliners - 7 deadly stereotypes (name 4)

Answer 10

• victims of horrendous crimes
• brilliant
• modern
• little devils
• cute
• active consumers
• accessories
• little devils
• brave

Question 11

heintz-knowles

Answer 11

• most representations motivated by peer relationships, sports, romance & least often by community, school related or religious issues
• rarely shown coping with racial issues or family problems like child abuse - only positive representations
• ao3: over past 15 years there has been a move to more realistic drama featuring issues from a child’s rather than an adult’s pov

Question 12

mcqueen’s three strands of childhood

Answer 12

• commercial strand - children are socialised to become active consumers through cartoons and merchandising - led to pester power
• public service strand - educational programmes
• adult strand - acknowledges children like adult programmes

Question 13

evaluation of childhood

Answer 13

• limited research on representations of children in media
• most based on american sources
• representations intersect with other aspects like gender, ethnicity, class, religion. e.g. islamic children represented differently to christian children
• limited studies that focus on how children interact with media and interpret their representations