Representation in the media
In media,
representation is the way that different forms of media portray and shape various
social groups or issues in a certain way whether it is based on prejudice, bias
or stereotypes. Representation can be shown in either a negative way or a
positive one. The different social groups that are categorised in media are
gender, age and ethnic background, race and identity. However, these groups can
be portrayed in a positive or a negative way.
Ethnic
backgrounds, race and identity is another main social group that people around
the world are put in due to their representation in the media. The difference
between ethnicity and race is that ethnicity is normally defined by language,
cultural and national customs as well as beliefs whereas race can be defined by
physical attributes and characteristics that could link to skin colour. Media
and society today can make representation of ethnicity powerful whether it is good
or bad. Certain ethnic groups are seen more positively. One predominant racial
and ethnic stereotype for Muslims and Arabians is that they are terrorists, but
they are only seen as this because the media has swayed people into believing
that this is true by striking fear into society’s eyes by labelling them due to
the previous events of terrorist and bomber attacks such as 9/11. Other
stereotypes include things like the French are the best chefs and are very
romantic or that black people are violent are normally apart of gangs which all
of these stereotypes can easily be debunked but due to the media picking
certain ways to portray these people, it is affecting how society sees them in
general.
The first
example of representation in the media is through the music video of Childish
Gambino’s (aka Donald Glover) “this is America”. It is said to be a narrative
video as it displays the various problems that black people in particular have
had to face over the years. This music video is well known for its subliminal
messages and meanings behind the work. The first representation is through the
stance he does at the beginning of the video while holding a gun. This is known
as “Jim Crow”. The stance is named after a racist fictional character which
labelled African-Americans as stupid, lazy and inhumane while being performed
and created in the early 1800s to represent the ethnic minority. Another
representation is in the background. As Glover is singing and dancing in the
foreground, many people do not notice the events occurring behind him such as
riots and even a man jumping off a railing. This is to show that society is so
fixated on good things that they fail to come to terms with reality and that we
don’t focus on details.
Also in the beginning when Glover shoots the man, we
soon see that the gun he used is taken with a red cloth and treated with care. However,
the body of the deceased man is dragged off to the side. This makes audiences
believe that in America, guns are more valued for than individuals. Another intriguing
representation is through the choir scene where the choir begin to sing and
then get shot by Glover. This is a reference to the 2015 Charleston church
shooting performed by white supremacist Dylann Roof while killing nine innocent
black people in South Carolina. Glover put this in the video to raise awareness
about the situation as well as to show people that black people are mistreated
daily due to the colour of their skin. The final way that representation is
shown through the video is at the very end where you see Glover running from a
group of white people. This represents the fact that black people in America
particularly are still living in fear while running away from the social
injustices in society today. This can also be viewed as a slave running away
from their slave owners as Glover, a black male, is running away in fear from white
people. All of these representations relate to Stuart Hall’s Reception Theory
and George Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory as the video uses media language and
concepts in the narrative to convey meaning. It also helps to tackle some of
the various problems people are dealing with in society.
In media
today, men and women are noticeably different in the way that they are
portrayed. The portrayal of women in the media has changed progressively in the
years to view them in a more positive and acceptable light. However, women are
still seen in a negative light due to what the media called “the male gaze”.
The male gaze is how different media texts visualise women through the
perspective of a male and their attitudes towards women. This also plays in
with the typical stereotypes of a woman which are to be submissive and inferior
to men, domestic, infatuated with looks, feminine and vulnerable. This also
pals on they are meant to dress. In the 20th century, women were
seen as housewives and are expected to be seen in dresses, heels and skirts
with their hair done whereas now, women are sexualised more than ever as they
are seen with heaps of makeup and hardly any clothing to wear at all. Due to
social and cultural aspects in the media, this is how society sees women now. Just
like women, the representation of men has also changed over the years. The
traditional stereotypical attributes of men are to be athletic, dominant,
superior, independent, heroic and highly intelligent. However, metro sexuality
is slowly emerging into the media where a man gets in touch with his femininity
while being into fashion, health and fitness and romance.
The second
example of representation in music videos is in The Weeknd’s “Earned It”. The main
representation that is predominant through the whole video is gender. Throughout
the whole video, audiences can see that he is wearing a black suit which gives
connotations of a strong, powerful and authorial man. Linking to this, he is
sitting in the audience while a group of women who are wearing a minimal amount
of clothing are dancing for him. This reflects on the view that in media, women
are seen as inferior to men who are seen as dominant and superior. Later on in
the video, the audience see a woman descending from the ceiling while being
tied up. This makes viewers seem as if she and the other women in the video as
objects which plays on the “male gaze”. This is when the director makes a media
product through the male’s perspective. This relates to Liesbet van Zoonen’s
Feminist theory where men and women are represented differently in the media
while women are normally objectified due to media these days in society.
In conclusion, even though
representations of certain groups of people may not seem wrong, the media can
be manipulative as it can paint anyone as good or bad without really knowing
who the person they are targeting or talking about personally or what
challenges they have endured during their life. They may not always be
negative, but it may not give audiences a true look into the social group and
could really damage our society which can influence someone’s knowledge of the
group and actions as well as behaviour towards them.
