Topic 5: Media Representations Of Social Groups

Question 1

How are children represented in the media? (6 stages)

Answer 1

They are represented in a positive way. Content analysis shows 6 reoccurring stages: cute, little devils, brilliant , brave little angles, accessories and modern.

Question 2

How are young people represented in the media?

Answer 2

The media portrays them as vandals. The media tends not to
praise youth for their good achievement.

Question 3

What did Cohen say about young people?

Answer 3

He found that youths were blamed for all problems
in society and were used as a scapegoat. This causes the media to generate a moral panic.

Question 4

What did Wayne et al say about young people?

Answer 4

Many of the problems that have been caused by the government are ignored by the media. E.g. youth unemployment, mental health.

Question 5

How does the media represent older people?

Answer 5

They are presented in the media in quite negative ways.

Question 6

What are the stereotypes of older people?

Answer 6

Grumpy
Mentally challenged
A Burden
Enjoying second childhood

Question 7

How are the working class represented?

Answer 7

The media often represent the working class in a stereotypical context such as on soaps such as EasterEnders and Coronation Street.

Question 8

What did Dodd and Dodd say about the working class?

Answer 8

Working class communities are now threatened by criminal and racist forces.

Question 9

What did Lawler say about the working class?

Answer 9

Media purposefully stigmatises the working class as ‘white trash’.

Question 10

What did the GUMG say about the working class?

Answer 10

TV news is biased, coverage of the miners strike in the 1980’s illustrates the typical negative portrayal of the working class.

Question 11

How are the upper class represented? (Pluralist + Neo-Marxist view)

Answer 11

In a positive way, lavish lifestyles are often portrayed. Pluralists say the coverage of upper class in the media is what audiences want to see. Neo-Marxists see the coverage of upper-class lifestyles as a celebration of hierarchy and wealth, which promotes the dominant ideology and seeks to legitimise existing inequality.

Question 12

How are ethnic minorities presented?

Answer 12

In the media ethnic minorities are portrayed as a “problem” they are
reported as the cause of crime and social disorder.

Question 13

What did Van Dijk say about ethnic minorities?

Answer 13

White citizens were reported positively
Non – whites were reported negatively.
Van Dijk also showed that the voice of the British press was predominately white.

Question 14

What are stereotypes about ethnic minorities?

Answer 14

As criminals, sufferers of AIDS in Africa and underachievers in
school.

Question 15

Have there been moral panics about ethnic minorities?

Answer 15

Yes, especially to do with Muslims, immigrants and refugees.

Question 16

What does Poole say about Muslims?

Answer 16

Muslims are being demonised and presented as a threat to society.

Question 17

What are the traditional media representations of femininity?

Answer 17

Housewife and mother
Domestic servant
Domestic consumer
Sex object

Question 18

What does the media show about women working?

Answer 18

Feminists argue that when women are shown to be working they
experience problems. This suggests that women can’t have it all and are being pushed back into their submissive expressive roles.

Question 19

What did Tuchman et al say about femininity?

Answer 19

Women’s achievements are not reported, trivialised or
condemned by the media. This is known as symbolic annihilation.
If they appear in the news they are either celebrities or
declarations.

Question 20

What is said about ‘male gaze’ in the media?

Answer 20

The camera ‘eyes up’ women in a sexual way to provide erotic
pleasure for men.

Question 21

What are the traditional media representations of masculinity?

Answer 21

The joker
The jock
The strong silent
type
The big shot
The action hero
The buffoon

Question 22

What is the ‘New man’?

Answer 22

An 80‟s phenomenon.
GQ, Maxim & FHM aimed at middle class males showed men getting in
touch with their feminine side

Question 23

What is the ‘metro sexual’ male?

Answer 23

Wears designer clothes, has skincare products -
it is argued that this reflects changes in social attitudes to
masculinity. Men who are concerned with their appearance but still retain traditional male interests.

Question 24

What is retributive masculinity?

Answer 24

In newer mags, Zoo & Nuts appear to reject metro sexuality &
reassert traditional masculinity “birds, booze & football‟.

Question 25

How is homosexuality represented in the media?

Answer 25

Homosexuality - Illegal until 1967 In Britain
Homosexuals are subjected to periodic moral panics regarding
their supposedly “unnatural‟ practices.

Question 26

Why is homosexuality represented negatively?

Answer 26

The fear of loss of profits if investors, advertisers or media audiences are offended has meant that homosexuality has been treated by the media as deviant and perverse.

Question 27

What did Dyer say about homosexuality?

Answer 27

TV and film represent homosexuality on screen as stereotypical and over exaggerated. This leads to negative labelling. Homosexuals suffer from symbolic annihilation as only one aspect of their identity is being portrayed.

Question 28

What are the main stereotypes of disabled people?

Answer 28

As pitiable or pathetic
An element of atmosphere or curiosity
As sinister or evil
As the super cripple
As laughable or as an object of ridicule
As a burden
As non-sexual
As unable to partake in everyday life

Question 29

What did Barnes say about disabled people?

Answer 29

The majority of information about disabled people in books, films, the press and on TV is extremely negative, consisting of disabling stereotypes which medicalise, patronise, criminalise and dehumanise disabled people.