AS MEDIA STUDIESRepresentations (3)

WALT• Exploring audience theory and how the Media can impact

a viewer and their interaction with the Media.

• What are the representations of Social Class?

• What are regional representations?

StarterKEY TERMS TEST

• Write the definitions for the terms listed below.

• Hegemony• Socophilia• Terminology

Test 2• Who created the Male Gaze?

• Define the Male Gaze theory

• Give one example of a TV show where this could be applied.

Audience Theories • These theories relate to the way the audience act to

information the media give to them and the impact it has on the viewer.

Hypodermic Model • Hypodermic Model – This is the most straight forward of

the theories this theory suggests that audiences are passive and whatever message they are given by the media they except and believe. This theory is also called the Magic Bullet Theory and that it suggest the mass media has a direct, immediate and powerful effect on its audiences.

Hypodermic Model • This model is often used to argue copycat violence and

the influence of the Media on individuals.

• Jamie Bulger – Child’s Play 3

• Stephan Pakeerah – Manhunt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt5MjBlvGcY

Two Stop Flow• Two Step Flow – This theory considers how we are given the media. It

suggests that opinion leaders select the media and the way to present that media and because we trust the view of the opinion leader we except what we are being told. The way the opinion leader gives their views has coined the term “personal influence”. The opinion leaders are very influential and are able to change are opinion and views to mirror theirs through these media products which the individual excepts because the opinion leader has similar views to those of the individual.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csGHExeP3uA

Uses and Gratification• Uses and Gratification - This assumes the audience are

active in their consumption of the media. The audience will seek out the selected media to satisfy their desires and needs. The viewer is engaged in finding chosen media products to enhance ones knowledge or for social interactions, diversions or escapism. This theory unlike the others below does not consider the impact of the media product on society / individual rather what 'people do with the media'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aopqPs7rb_Q

REPRESENTATIONS• Throughout todays analysis of the Regional and Social

class consider how these theories could be applied to these subjects

Social Classes? • How many social classes are there?

• How would you describe them?

Social Classes

• Three main social groups

• Working Class• Middle Class• Upper Class

• You could also consider using lower class, the group below working class this group tend not to work e.g. Jeremy Kyle.

Working class • Presented in the stereotypical context of traditional

working class communities such Eastenders and Corrie, Shameless

• Community values often praised but do not reflect reality, • Working class communities have declined with the

collapse of traditional industries such as coal mining, • Often presented in the context of trouble, undesirable

welfare scroungers, unable to cope with their delinquent children.

The middle class• Presented as educated and successful as well as able to

cope with problems, • Over represented in the media due to their lifestyle, • Representation fits in with the hegemonic ideology of the

dominant class in society, • Representation justifies the existing class structure and

inequalities by suggesting people need to become more competent and successful in order to cope with life.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp5U7J-7NTk

Representations of the middle class • Overrepresented on TV in dramas, soap operas, and

situation comedies, • Substantial percentage of newspapers and magazines are

aimed at the middle classes such as a Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph which focuses on their consumptions and taste,

• Content of newspapers expresses the concerns of the middle classes with regards to the declining moral standards along with their pride for their British identity and heritage,

Upper class

• Mainly done through the coverage of the monarchy, • Seen as well bred and cultured, • Represented through their accents, estates, and a taste

for shooting and hunting, • Usually represented in costume and period drama.

Nairn (1988) – Monarchy

• “Royal Family” concept = niceness, decency, ordinariness, • Royal family can be deemed to be “like us” but “not like

us” – the queen seen as ordinary working mother doing extraordinary things,

• Obsession with the royal family develops through the British society following WWII

Representations of poverty and underclass

• Portrayal usually negative and stereotypical, • Portrayed in the form of statistics in news bulletin such as

figures of unemployment, • Recent media interest in the labelling of the poor such as

“chavs” which according to Shildrick and MacDonald (2007) suggest that the poor are undeserving of sympathy,

• Hayward and Yar (2006) – the term chav is used as an amusing term of abuse for young poor people

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVjKVBf-AxI

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7BFZqQ4ruA

Representations of the upper class and wealth

• Neo-marxist believe that the mass media representations of social class tend to be celebrate hierarchy and wealth,

• UK mass media never portrays the upper class in a critical light,

• Upper classes usually portrayed in an eccentric or nostalgic way.

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwtZuGvawwY&feature=related

Reiner (2007) and Young (2007)• Media tends to portray the UK as a meritocratic society

in which intelligence, talent and hard work are rewarded; • Neo Marxists argue that this concept of meritocracy is in

fact a myth as wealth rather than ability opens up the doors and access to Oxbridge and top jobs;

• This supports Cohen and Young (1981) theory, which believed that the British culture is a monetary culture characterized by a “chaos of reward”: • Top businessmen are rewarded for failure (e.g bankers), • Celebrities are over rewarded by their “talent”.

Newman (2006)• Argues that the tabloid media dedicate a great deal of

their content to examining the lives of another section of the wealthy elite,

• This dedication invites the audiences to admire the achievements of these celebrities,

• Media over focuses on consumer items such as luxury cars, costly holiday spots and fashion accessories

Lawler (2005)• Chav is used as a term of disgust and contempt, • Argues that the media use the discriminatory and

offensive language to vilify what they depict as a peasant underclass symbolised by stereotypical forms of appearance,

• Swale (2006) – usage of the term NEET (Not in Employment Education or Training),

• Newspapers suggest that those from the underclass are responsible for their own poverty.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHoOHfQWBME

McKendrick et al (2008)• Poverty is rarely explored in the media, • Programmes such as Shameless present a sanitized

picture of poverty, • Jeremy Kyle paints a picture of poverty which is seen as

entertainment.

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gfsh5NeCeLU&feature=related

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnI-3ez5jIU&feature=related

Cohen (2009)

• Argues that the UK mass media was so concerned about trumpeting the good fortune of British capitalism that it paid less attention to its casualties

Example of Social Class

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4GRPkND900

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QkaEDdNew8

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pJhL-A8XyE&t=8s

• How are social classes being represented?

Representation

• The next subject we are going to explore is:

Regional Identity

Regional Identity• What kind of regional identities do you know?

•Regional Identity refers to the part of the United Kingdom someone is from. It could refer to a general area such a “north” or “south”, a country such as “English” or “Scottish” or specific towns such as “London” or “Manchester.”

•There are several regional stereotypes widely seen on television:

• Scottish – often shown as being money obsessed, won’t pay for anything, drinks a lot of alcohol, loves the outdoors, wears kilts, eats haggis, quite aggressive and violent

• Welsh –Often shown as living in the middle of the countryside, with people making jokes about them “shagging sheep”

• Irish – often shown as living in the countryside, working in rural areas such as farms, being very religious, being good at dancing and singing, very friendly but less intelligent

• English – often shown as being racist, obsessed with beer and football living in London. Sometimes the stereotype goes in the opposite direction of showing English people as very rich, posh, happy, living in castles and being very “royal.”

• London – There are 2 main stereotypes of Londoners. One is that they are often shown as being rich, posh, snobby, upper class, Hugh Grant types from central or west london. The other is that they often shown as being from north, east or south London, poor, common, lower class, criminalistic, violent “Kidulthood” style

• Manchester / Newcastle / Liverpool – Often shown as being “chavs”, wearing fake designer labels, or tracksuits, drinking a lot, being aggressive, uneducated, criminals

• Essex – often shown as being glamourous but cheap, footballer’s wives, lots of partying, being quite stupid

• Yorkshire – Often shown as living in rural countryside, with rolling hills and cobbled streets, being quite old fashioned

• Cornwall / Somerset – Often shown as being “backwards”, living in rural areas, working on farms

• South England – often shown as being the centre of culture, modern, classy, clever, sunny, richer, doing middle class jobs such as managers etc

• North England – often shown as being poorer, bad weather, lower class, aggressive, less culture, less clever, doing working class jobs such as builders etc

Regional Example• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sNf-MwxTSE

• Consider how this scene represents regional characters.

If you get “regional identity” as an issue in the exam, you should be considering the way that region is being shown is it positive or negative depiction also consider the hardships being faced y the characters