Representation: an introduction

Representation is a vital key concept in Media Studies: how are people, social groups, places and issues represented in the media?

We need to able to analyse media texts and discuss whether representations are fair, accurate, stereotypical or unusual based on our knowledge of the media and the way texts are constructed.

Social and cultural contexts

Whenever we study a media product, we need to think about how it reflects British society and what message it may be sending to audiences.

Social contexts: How do media products influence or affect people in society?

Historical contexts: How has society (and media products) changed over time?


Cultural contexts: How the media reflects the typical ideas, opinions and beliefs in society.

Representation

What is Representation?

• The way the media portrays the world. 
• The media takes a story/set of facts and (re)presents them in a certain way. 
• In Media Studies we are particularly interested how the media portrays events, issues, individuals and social groups.
• Some groups are misrepresented (represented inaccurately) or under-represented by the Media.

It is the combination of media language choices that construct the representation audiences see. Indeed, everything we see in the media is a re-presentation because the media intervene or stand between the object they are presenting and the audience and therefore they affect or ‘mediate’ every text we see! 

Stereotypes

• Media messages have to be communicated quickly which often means relying on stereotypes. 
• A stereotype is a standardised, oversimplified picture of a person, group, place or event.
• Stereotypes act like codes that give audiences a quick, common understanding of a person or group of people—usually relating to their gender, class, ethnicity or race, sexual orientation, social role or occupation.

How are representations created?

• In print media (news and magazines), a picture editor selects the photo from a whole series of images to be used to illustrate a news story. The image may be cropped, resized and, in some cases, photoshopped so it does not reflect reality.
• A news editor will decide on the way the news story will be presented, and the use of captions to affect the meaning of the image. 

Glossary words

Conventional- typical, the usual, expected representation. 
Subversive- untypical or unexpected representation, differing from the norm.
Stereotype- A ‘set’ idea that people have about what someone or something is like (not necessarily accurate).
Mediation- process by which texts are presented and received.
Representation- how groups or events or individuals are presented / portrayed.

Representation: blog task

Create a new blogpost called 'Representation'.

Look at the film poster for Kidulthood above and answer the following questions on your blog:

1) List the people, places and groups represented in the poster. E.g. men, women, teenagers etc.

2) Are there any stereotypes you can identify?

3) What is the preferred reading of this poster?

4) What is the oppositional reading of this poster?

Extension: What does this poster suggest about British society?