age representation young
TRANSCRIPT
Representation of Age
6 Point Plan: Case study template
Stereotypes of Age
• Write down some stereotypes of age in the media for;
Old Young
Stereotypical CharacteristicsYoung Old
Immaturestupidgreedy,lazyselfishunfitobeseviolentcallousgullibleunreliablecarelessself-entitlednever going to achieve anything
Grumpyout-datedslowweakwhiningunable to use technologyunhealthymiserlyhard-of-hearinguglynever go anywhereForgetful
YOUTH OLD AGEPOSITIVES Active
SociableInnocentStrongLong future aheadAdventurousFun
WiseAuthoritativeWell educatedFreedomWealthStability
NEGATIVES LazyRebelliousRudeHormonalVulnerableNaiveDependent
WeakVulnerableFragileMentally incompetentNot in control of their own bodiesLonelyDependentBoringUnwilling to try new things
History
• Media representations of young people have always tended to be negative, e.g. ‘The Wild One’ (1953) shows a motorcycle gang terrorising a small town. ‘Made in Britain’ (1982) focused on a delinquent, anti-social youth.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCENBce_dls (TWO)• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFp5KkPp5EQ (MIB)
• Both representations reflect anxieties of middle class adult society, in relation to the threat to hegemony posed by young people.
Representations which are the same as the dominant representation REINFORCE the stereotype
Representations which are different from the dominant representation CHALLENGE the stereotype
• Represented as….. Immature…stupid…greedy…lazy
The representation is (HOW)• Modern• Traditional• Dominant• Alternative • Narrow • Dis/ empowering • Over/under-represented• Reinforcing/ subverting a stereotype • AVOID Positive/ Negative
What representation does the front cover create?
How would the majority of readers respond to this front page?
Discuss the use of language on the front cover how does this create a response?
What visual codes are being used?
How does the front cover as a whole create a narrow/ disempowering representation of young people?
Discuss – Are they true? Reason why media use stereotypes? What can be the effects of
stereotypes? Discrimination
Stereotypes of young people
• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2024486/UK-RIOTS-2011-British-youths-unpleasant-violent-world.html
• To print
Tessa Perkins
• Stereotypes…. “grain of truth”
Crime and Age – Is is right to rep as criminal?• Age also makes a difference in criminal behavior• Offending rates are highest in the late teens and early twenties and decline
thereafter. Accordingly, people in the 15–24 age range account for about 40 percent of all arrests even though they comprise only about 14 percent of the population.
• Several factors again seem to account for this pattern • First, peer relationships matter more during this time of one’s life than later, and
peers are also more likely during this period than later to be offenders themselves. For both reasons, our peer relationships during our teens and early twenties are more likely than those in our later years to draw us into crime.
• Second, adolescents and young adults are more likely than older adults to lack full-time jobs; for this reason, they are more likely to need money and thus to commit offenses to obtain money and other possessions.
• Third, as we age out of our early twenties, our ties to conventional society increase: Many people marry, have children, and begin full-time employment, though not necessarily in that order. These events and bonds increase our stakes in conformity, to use some social science jargon, and thus reduce our desire to break the law
But…
Theorists• Dick Hebdige (1979) explored the polarised
(contradictory) media representations of teens as “trouble”(dominant) or “fun” (alternative).
• Michael Brake (1985) categorises the media representations of teens into:oRespectable (alternative)oDelinquent (dominant)
More Theory• Daren Garratt (1997) suggests that
negative media representations of teens as trouble invite teens to be trouble. “Media coverage represents how they should behave, even if, largely, they haven’t been.”
• Graeme Burton (1999) argues that teen subculture is in opposition to the dominant culture (of adults). He uses the term ‘problematisation’ to describe the idea of youths as problems.
One more bit: Stuart Hall (1978)
• Argues that the negative representations of young men by the media, is deliberate as it justifies social control by authority figures, such as the police and government.
• Hall identifies the media as having a key role in this ‘social production’ of news. Youths are often portrayed by new media as a social problem.
Moral panics! Ideology
❖Stanley Cohen (1972)
❖A moral panic occurs when society sees itself threatened by the values and activities of a group who are stigmatised as deviant and seen as threatening to mainstream society’s values, ideologies and /or way of life.
❖Mods & Rockers (1960s), football hooligans (1980s), hoodies, muggers, vandals, knife/gun crime, binge drinking, under age pregnancy
Process of a moral panic
1. Occurrence of deviant act.2. Act or problem widely reported in media:
news outlets; internet chat rooms; fictional narratives; video games…
3. Call for government control either from legislation/policy initiatives or the more vigilant operation of already existing social controls.
The Dominant Representation of
youths
‘Delinquent’ (Michael Brake).
‘Trouble’ (Dick
Hebdige)
Dominant Representation of Youth
(Music Video Example
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8GvLKTsTuI
In groups, using the case study template, deconstruct this text
6 Point Plan: Case study template
Dominant/Alternative
Representation =
(depending on your
reading: Skins seems
‘fun’ for a teen audience,
but more like ‘trouble’ for
an older audience).
THE POSTER WAS BANNED BY
THE ASA – COMPLAINTS OF
ORGYChannel 4 said it did not mean to cause offence and the second series of Skins clearly showed the "consequences of hedonistic and irresponsible behaviour".
"could cause serious or widespread offence" and was inappropriate for poster sites that could be seen by children.
Representations which are the same as the dominant representation REINFORCE the stereotype
Representations which are different from the dominant representation CHALLENGE the stereotype
Alternatives
Positive Alternative
Representation Teen Awards
(Website/ video – Jack G 15)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/events/eqbc6q/videos/p01klbck#p01ktlxd
In groups, using the case study template, deconstruct this text – BBC Radio 1’s – Teen Awards. TEEN HEROES HALL OF FAME Page
BBC Radio 1s Teen Awards - WEBSITE
• Every year BBC Radio 1 host a special awards show in honour of some outstanding teenagers who have acted selflessly, bravely, with courage, or have inspired other people.
• And to show the award winners they really have done a good thing, a few famous faces from the world of pop turn up to sing at the star-stuffed ceremony.
• Use of Pull Quotes• Shots next to celebrities (two shot)• BBC - remit
• Skyfall - James Bond meeting Q The scene in the James Bond movie "Skyfall" where 007 and Q meet each other for the first time.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57Uy9jPxxwI
• Representations? Subverting stereotypes
Reasoning• 50th anniversary of the film Pillars of British acting, self-
parody jokes throughout – Sam Mendes plays with the generic conventions of the Bond franchise to ensure Skyfall is contemporary and offers something different for the mass target audience.
• “Brave new World”
Context and Purpose• The representation in a media text may have a
different purpose. This may change according to the type of text it is, i.e. the context.
• Ill Manors (MUSIC VIDEO)• Teen Awards (WEBSITE/ VIDEO)• London Riots (Newspaper)• Skins (Poster/ Trailer)• What are the purposes of these?
Conclusion• Sum up argument – As I have shown most media
representations of young people are negative. This is because they reflect the concerns of their middle class producers, and as a result usually reinforce hegemony…
• More positive representations can be found on television channels aimed at younger people.
• The effect of media representations of young people is…• In the future I believe…(social media, young people can
construct their own representations – Student Fees protests, power of mass media).
A final thought…
• There is no single 'media representation' of youth or older age; there may be dominant representations (delinquent/trouble/grumpy), but across films, TV, fiction and documentary there are significant differences and nuances which need to be teased out and considered.
AO!: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of media concepts, contexts and critical debates
Homework Written Task (50 mins)
• Using Representation Essay Template. • With reference to your own detailed
examples, explore the representation of age in the media today.
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of media concepts, contexts and critical debates