Transcript
Page 1: Social transformation and media

Social Transformation and Media: Realities and Challenges

GENDER & MEDIA: Connections and Possibilities

Mira K Desai Associate Professor & I/C HOD

University Department of Extension EducationSNDT Women’s University, Juhu Campus, Mumbai

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Social Transformation……..

• Isn’t it an inevitable process of time? • Is it a ‘reality’ of today or future?• Is it our creation of the world that we live in?• What is getting TRANFROMED!! People or

Technology or both? • Is there anything SOCIAL about it?• Is it happening in reality?

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Whose REALITIES…..?!

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Indian Media Journey in NumbersMEDIA THEN NOW

Newspapers and Periodicals

3000 in 1947 including 300 dailies

93,985 registered publications by Dec 2012

Television Two-hour/day transmission on ONE channel and 41 TV Sets in 1962

850 channels with 24X7 telecast and from 127 million in 2008 to 253 million households in 2010

Films 280 films in 1947 and had 150 theatres in 1921

1250 productions in 2010 having 13000 Cinema halls

Radio 1 AM radio channel in 1947

Multiple Stations: AM , FM, Community, Campus

Internet Inception in 1995, 4.55 million users in 2004

160 ISPs, 71 million ‘claimed’ users

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Audio Media

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Visual Media

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Media Sector Avenues

Mass Media:Print: Newspapers & Magazines

RadioTV

Films

Other Media:Publishing: BooksMobile & Telecom

InternetOutdoors & Events

AdvertisingActing

JournalismPublic relations

Graphics-Gaming

Beauty & Make UpArt & Design

Computer AnimationFitnessFood

Transport

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Main Stream Media TODAY……..

• Creates ‘HAPPY HAPPY’ or ‘Sad Sad’ realities• Skewed representations- one way realities• Promotes PRESENT orientation• Projects LIFESTYLES, Values consumerism, Rejects

idealism, Negates rationalism• Alliances with other sectors of society making the

circle of influence deeper

UNREAL Realities

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Trends in last two decade

OwnershipCo-existence

of big and small

DistributionDigitisation &

Last mile, Globalisation

ConsumptionMultiple access points, Lack of loyaltyFragmented attention

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What is Gender?

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Gender is constructed……

INSTITUTIONS

• Family• Education• Religion• Caste• State• Media• Market

Definitions

Role

Qualities

Behaviour

Valuation

CONTROLS

• Fertility• Labour• Mobility• Property• Resources• Sexuality

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WE define……PEOPLE-men/women?AGECASTE

SEX

CLASS

RELIGION

OCCUPATION

DESIGNATION

RACE

EDUCATION

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GENDER/Women - Media

• Women as shown in Media (subjects)• Women who use Media (as audiences) • Women who work in Media (professionals)• Women’s media ( media created by

women)• Women who work for those who work in

media (Support services- makeup, hair, catering, stylists, etc.)

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Women as News Subjects

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Women as Communicators

• Novelists• Journalists• Writers• Directors• Producers• Financers• Painters• Sculpture artists

• Poets• Singers• Dancers• Actresses• Folk Artists• Presenters• Anchors• Photographers

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PRIVATE ROLES attached to SEX

WOMEN• Mother• Wife• Sister• Friends• Daughter• Daughter-in-law• Mother-in-law• Sister-in-law

MEN• Father• Husband• Brother• Friends• Son• Son-in-law• Father-in-law• Brother-in-law

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Behaviour expected from SEX

WOMEN• Agree with what

others say• Behave as

expected in a given role

• Defined boundaries of movement

MEN• Lead the way• Take control of

situation• Lead others and

given discounts to women as stupid

• Free to do anything

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Valuation attached to SEX

WOMEN• What they do in

house is not of much value

• If she is working outside and independent she is ignoring family

MEN• IF they do any

work in house they are obliging women

• If he is working from home, helping wife, he is good husband

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Why difference in these women!!!

• Media likes to show women as suffering, sacrificing, submissive, silent, subdued, passive individual driven by others.

• Media creates stereotypes of mother-daughter-wife-sister which fits into subordinate roles.

• Media promotes women as body- worker without strength- person without own power.

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MEDIA- What does it do?

• MIRRORs the Society…..• Creates MARKET by selling you ideas,

products, services…..• MEDIATES experiences of its audiences….• Provides MYTHs…..Circulates and

sustains them……• CREATES definitions of NORMAL

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Media and Gender• Media creates definitions about: Who are ‘these’ people?

What wo/men should wear? When and where wo/men should move? How should wo/men behave? • Media stereotypes Gender realities.• Media perpetuates Gender existences.• Media conditions gendered experiences.

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Media creates Definitions

• Man should be metro-sexual.• Woman should be sexy.• Woman should be size ZERO.• Girls are cute/vulnerable/sweet.• Man can/should control women.• Man is the head of the household.• Woman have to/must marry.• Man is free to make multiple alliances.

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Media stereotypes Realities

• Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law always fight, What about Father –Son?

• Women can’t be friends to each other, how many friendships do we have!!

• Husband has a ‘rights’ over the wife, What about rights of the wife?

• Children are mother’s responsibility, aren’t they joint pleasures/responsibility?

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Media perpetuates Gender existences

• Women are dying to get male attention.• Women need to look ‘beautiful’.• Woman are body and man are brain.• Woman can not survive without man.• When woman say NO it is yes?• Woman has no SAY in decisions of her life!• Woman’s first priority is HOME.

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Role of MEDIA • Informal educator for the young• Interface for individual with society• Mirror-voices of the society• Preserver of Culture• Representation of ‘voiceless’• Inclusion of excluded population• Space for sustaining democracy

NOT merely a PRODUCT to make & sell

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GMMP- Global Media Monitoring Project• largest and longest longitudinal study on the gender in the

world’s media. • largest advocacy initiative in the world on changing the

representation of women in the media. • participants ranging from grassroots community

organizations to university students and researchers to media practitioners

• www.whomakesthenews.org and www.waccglobal.org

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GMMP over the years• FIVE so far: 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015• 2010-10 November 2015- March 25• Volunteer groups in 140 countries across the

world monitored national newspapers, listened to radio newscasts and watched local television

• A snapshot of the representation and portrayal of women and men in news media around the world-

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WOMEN and Media….as

News Providers/

Sources

Media Professionals

News Subjects

Portrayal in news

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GMMP 2010• Sample: 6,902 news items and 14,044 news subjects,

including people interviewed in the news.• Themes: Politics/government dominate the biggest chunk

of coverage (27% of the total number of stories), crime/violence comes second at 20%, and the economy third at 18%.

• People: 24% of the people interviewed, heard, seen or read about in mainstream broadcast and print news are female; only 16% of all stories focus specifically on women.

• Change: GMMP 1995 recorded only 17% of the people in the news were women which became 24% n 25% in 2015. ONLY 8% rise in visibility of women in last 20 years.

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GMMP: Global – Local….Gender??Global India Mumbai

Women as News subjects

24% 76% M

22% 78% M

20% 74% M

Women news reporters 37% 34% 14%Women central stories 13% 12% 8%Gender policy reference 10% 9% 6%Highlighting G. equality 6% 5% 8%

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LOOKING

SEEING

THINKING

UNDERSTANDINGWords have Meanings.Meanings create world.

BELIEVING

ENGAGING

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Challenges

• Women/people as human being • Individual with aspirations, needs, life• People as equal partners of civilization• Women for being ‘what she is’ rather

than ‘what she should be’• Men as essential players in the process of

empowerment of women

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Possibilities• Media literacy and gender sensitization as

curricular change for general public as well as media students and professionals

• Individual users can boycott media that represent gender in inappropriate manner

• Support ‘alternate’ media spaces• Media houses can take on gender sensitive

portrayal and education as their mandate• Society to give women their ‘dues’

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THANK YOU for your TIME & ATTENTION

feel free to connect@[email protected]@hotmail.com


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