Representation Flashcards
Why can the news not present the world as it really is?
Because the news is distorted. (Political views are biased)
The media constructs meaning about the world.
Messages are changed and adapted to suit the aims of the provider.
Reality has to be changed to re-present subject matter in an acceptable way.
What is Baudrillard’s theory?
Hyper-Reality - We are so dominated by the mass media, that people can no longer tell the difference between what is real and what is represented. Our ideas of the world are based on what we see on the internet and other people’s experiences. E.g. we only know Donald Trump as a representation, not the real guy.
What is post-truth?
No-one wants to accept the truth anymore.
What should you look out for in the media?
Absence.
What can we, as an audience, do about representation in the media?
Spot representations - by understanding how they are created.
Be critical of representations - by deciding whether or not they are ‘fair’.
Understand why familiar representations keep recurring - e.g. is it to do with society? Who is really in charge of the media?
Understand that absence signifies as much as presence.
What is Stuart Hall’s theory?
Suggests that an event has no meaning until it has been represented by the media.
What are Dyer’s four variations of representations?
A selective re-presentation of reality. - This is obvious in newspapers, where the form is completely different from the events reported, but less so in television serials, which often succeed in creating the illusion of a transparent window on the world with a similar time frame and rhythm to our own.
A typical representation of reality. - Media often use stereotypes to typify particular social groups as a form of shorthand,e.g. gender, race, age.
The process of speaking on behalf of or as a representative of a particular position. - Whose views are being put forward in particular messages? Whose voices are being heard?
The meanings which media messages represent for audiences. - What do readers bring to messages which affect how we interpret them? What actual sense is made when particular messages are understood?
What are stereotypes in the media?
A simplified representation of a character, appearance or belief.
Stereotypes can be positive or negative and tend to exaggerate.
What does Dyer say about stereotypes?
He says that stereotypes are made by the powerful about the less powerful and can therefore by ideological in nature. He says that the powerful people who control the institutions produce the media texts and therefore reinforce stereotypes.
What has stereotyping suggested?
That it is wrong to see people in categories.
What are Tessa’s 5 assumptions about stereotypes?
Stereotypes are not always negative. They are not always about minority groups or the less powerful. They can be held about one's own group. They are not rigid or unchanging. They are not always false.
What are the two points of view about media representation?
Constructionist
Reflective
What is the constructionist view of representation in the media?
It suggests that media constructs/shapes our view of the world and therefore affects our understanding. We are unable to distinguish fact from fiction.
What is the reflective view of representation in the media?
Suggests that media reflects reality. Audiences can tell the difference between fact and fiction and their understanding is not shaped by media constructs. However, certain perspectives are based on the mediation of existing reality.
What do you need to look out for when doing a representation analysis?
Themes
Balance - are all points of view included?
Bias - are particular points of view promoted over others? (e.g. values/ideology, political views)
Treatment of Subject Matter - what techniques are used?
Stereotypes
Meaning - what are the connotations?
Institutional Aspects - does the need to target advisors/audiences, profit motive etc. affect the representation of subject matter?
