Representation of Age
Different age groups are represented differently in the media. Younger generations generally are represented negatively, where older generations are represented more positively- the stereotypes of different ages play into these representations.
Generally, youths in today's society are represented as dangerous and violent due to an small minority of the youthful population- very rarely are articles published that represent younger generations positively. The negative representation of youths fuels the idea that youths are vicious and boosts the fears about teens other generations already have. Many videos portraying some teens having a 'battles' with fireworks in a housing areas, have surfaced on the internet in recent years. Media outlets such as the news pick theses videos up and used them as excuses to bash teenagers and show how they're violent all the time (article)
The Elderly
Contrastingly, in most media texts, the elderly are represented as vulnerable; with most news articles involving the elderly, being about a crime committed against them or health related news. This representation of age informs the idea that the elderly are feeble and need extra support from other generations. However there are also representations where old age isn't always represented as positive, for example Catherine Tate's nan character is a parody of the stereotype of older people being stubborn, and grumpy. Although this is a comedic act, it serves as a real representation of old people.
Representation of Events
Event representation refers to the way the media presents events such as football, or the royal wedding. Depending on the event, and the general audience who will take interest into the event, some events will be represented positively and some will be represented negatively. Due to the image and reputation of the royal family, the royal wedding was represented positively in order to present the royal family in a good light to both the UK's population, but also to the whole world. Events such as football can be represented either negatively or positively. Football events that are more international, such as the world cup, will be represented more positively than football events that are not as big or international as the world cup
Representation of Issues
Issue representation refers to the way media outlets represent and portray social issues in society. Social issues included are homophobia, Islamophobia, and racism. Media outlets are able to influence people’s ideologies through the way the represent these issues- with the way they represent these issues depending on their own beliefs and opinions.Islamophobia
In 2014, the Sun published an article about an older woman who was tragically the victim of a random attack in which she was beheaded. The Sun chose to word the headline in a way which boosted the issue of Islamophobia, by calling the suspect a 'Muslim convert'. This negative representation of Muslims not only fuelled the already crazed stigma associated with Muslims in the UK, but also the idea that all Muslims follow ISIS' ideology and hates the UK's population which doesn't agree with ISIS' ideas.
Contrastingly, the Sun also posted this front page which depicts a Muslim woman wearing a hijab with the British flag as the design. By using this main image with a hijab made from the British flag, the consumer is shown British pride, which British readers can relate to, and will in turn feel a sense of unity- therefore this positive representation of Muslims, aims deconstruct the social issue of Islamophobia.
Comments
Post a Comment