MEDIA- Class (section B)

Question 1

Traditional upper-Nairn

Answer 1

Nairn - discussed representation of the monarchy and said after ww2 the monarchy developed ties with the media to reinvent itself as ‘the royal family’ they have since been represented as a family that are “like us but not” and their lives are presented as a soap opera which encourages us to identify with them. Also states media representations of royalty reinforce a sense of national identity & royal events are a part of our calendar & royals attend national events- e.g the jubilee, coronation bank holiday. Also notions of being well bred and superior in hello/ok and the daily mail, pularist driven by audience (social media for celebs e..g kardashians)

Question 2

Traditional middle-Saunders

Answer 2

middle class are targeted by ads as they have the most disposable income and they want to buy things to portray a wealthy middle class identity (conspicuous consumption)

Question 3

Traditional middle-mertens and d’haenens

Answer 3

The digital divide between classes in Brussels. Link between class and internet usage (lower=81% users, upper=94%) lower used technology as a form of entertainment where upper used as a source of information. 79% of lower owned a games console as opposed to 65%. Class biggest indicator affecting digital inequality

Question 4

Traditional middle-leech

Answer 4

middle class lifestyles are presented as ideal in media advertising and developed the concept of the ‘cereal packet family’
Examples: location, location, location (home ownership, passive income, child centred ness)

Question 5

Traditional-working-Newman

Answer 5

there are few films, sitcoms or dramas that give a realistic image of life of the working class, despite the importance of this section in society. Argues the people are stereotyped and labelled in an unflattering and pitying light. Noted news organisations tended to use stories on working class that label them as being a problem & stories about youths were linked to moral panics. Issues like high unemployment suggested working class was the problem and not the government

Question 6

Traditional-working-devereux

Answer 6

found the working class could be presented positively in the media where they are seen to be happy and deserving with shows like ‘the royale family. They are also presented though, as negatively and living on benefits

Question 7

Traditional-working-Jones

Answer 7

wrote book “chavs- demonisation of the working class. Discussed use of the works chav and says this is a way of condemning working class cure and it’s people . Developed concept of chavtainment which is tv that portray a negative view of the working class as “bigoted” “slothful” and ”aggressive”. Means the working class has gone from salt of the earth to scum of the earth

Question 8

Traditional-underclass-baumberg et al

Answer 8

researched benefits stigma in Britain 6,600 articles between 1995-2011. Found disproportionate focus on benefit fraud= 29% of stories referenced fraud but the government’s estimate is 0.7% of benefit claims are fraudulent. Found common language used was dependency, undeserving, outsider status and lack of effort, dishonesty

Question 9

Traditional-underclass-Golding and Middleton

Answer 9

looked at moral panics surrounding the underclass. Carried out a content analysis and found welfare issues weren’t discussed unless connected to other social issues (crime, fraud, sex) demonisation of the underclass has led to justifying cuts in welfare state funding

Question 10

Traditional-underclass-hall

Answer 10

discussed the tv show benefit street. Two opinions left or right, right think the welfare system is failing and people don’t deserve money. Left thinks there is a demonisation of the underclass. How people decoded the show depended on their political preferences and social experiences

Question 11

Changing- upper-Nairn

Answer 11

although media representations of the upper class have been traditionally positive, this has changed over recent years- Prince Charles met with politicians which journalist critiqued as being inappropriate - also whale cancel culture celebs put down for carbon emissions Kylie, post modern there is more choice with negative representation of wealthy e.g. Russell brain trews

Question 12

Changing-upper-reiner

Answer 12

media representations of wealthy people are used to show examples of hard work, success and meritocracy. When people are portrayed as having a lot of wealth, their success is celebrated by the media. Audiences are encouraged to identify with the culture of consumption and materialism that’s portrayed in the lifestyle of the wealthy

Question 13

Changing-upper-giddens

Answer 13

there are now 3 types of upper class: traditional (ascribed status), entrepreneurial super rich like mark zuckerberg and jet set pop aristocracy leg. Adele

Question 14

Changing-middle-leech

Answer 14

Now presented as the ‘ideal’ in advertising. Bake off, location, location, location

Question 15

Changing-working-Dodd and Dodd

Answer 15

examined east Enders and suggest the show presents the nostalgic view of traditional working class communities but state this doesn’t reflect a modern working class culture. They note the show has introduced realism as they tackle issues like alcohol and drug abuse, crime, suicide, abortion, bullying
But still portray outdated view of communal supportive network

Question 16

Changing-underclass-Price

Answer 16

Developed the concept of poverty porn to describe shows like benefit street where the media exploit the participants and their lifestyle to shock and entertain their audiences. They also encourage the underclass to be condemned by the middle and upper class. They used a discourse analysis and found benefit street has narratives that often present characters as decent people captured by an unfair society, but these views are missed by views and commentators