3. Representation
Define what representation is
1. To represent something is to
describe or depict it, to call it
up in mind by description or
portrayal
• The media are in the
business of describing things
to us
• They represent people and
types of people to us so that
we end up feeling that we
know what they are like
• We are often so used to this,
that we take these kinds of
representations for granted
4. Representation
Define what representation is
2. To represent also
means to symbolise or
stand for
• A representation is
something that
symbolises something
else. Often there will be
ideological values
attached to this
• Sometimes individuals
are used by the media
to stand for a group of
people or whole type of
people
5. Representation is…
• The constructed and mediated
presentation of people, things, ideas,
places
• Representation is the process by which
the media present the ‘real world’
• Most importantly to represent is to ‘re-
present’
6. You can represent…
• Individuals – Jade Goody (Big Brother,
2007)
• Groups – Teenagers
• Places – New York
• Nations – Iran
• Ideas – Religion/ the family
• Regions/Location – North of England
7. What are important questions to
ask?
• WHO or WHAT is being represented?
• HOW is the representation created?
• WHO has created the representation?
• WHY is the representation created in that
way? What is the intention?
• WHAT is the effect of the representation?
8.
9.
10. • All of these conflicts were based on taboos, on
the impossibility of co-existence, on a difference
that separates rather than unites. By
acknowledging these differences and
prohibitions, the brand appeared more involved.
It took sides, rather than presenting a simple
“objective” portrayal of the world; it made a
commitment to foster the cohabitation of
opposites, to break down barriers and ensure
dialogue. Benetton had a plan: to integrate
opposites, to unite differences under a single
flag, the flag of its own logo.
11. How are representations
constructed?
• Any representation is a mixture of:
1. The thing itself
2. The opinions of the people doing the
representation*
3. The reaction of the individual to the
representation*
4. The context of the society in which the
representation is taking place*
12.
13. So what’s mediation?
• A representation is the final product after all of the
decisions have been made.
• Meaning is made in the construction of the
representation and the combination of all the choices
coming together (MEDIATION) in order for the audience
to ‘read’ and interpret the information provided*
• The selection process is:
• The decision over what is chosen to be represented and
what is rejected
• The choices made when organising the representation
• The options taken to focus the audience in a certain way,
mediation always ends up with us, the audience being
pushed towards concentrating on one aspect of the text
and ignoring others
14. Audience Perceptions of
Representations
1. Representations as Reflections (the
reflective approach)
2. Representations as Deliberate
Constructions (the intentional approach)
3. The Constructionist Approach
15. Representations as Reflections
(the reflective approach)
• Sometimes representations are assumed
by an audience to simply replicate the real
world
• News
• Documentaries
• Reality TV
• Soap Operas
16. Representations as Deliberate
Constructions (the intentional
approach)
• Sometimes, representations are seen to
be a deliberate attempt to create
associations and ideas for the audience
• Documentaries (Fahrenheit 9/11)
• Advertising
17. The Constructionist Approach
• Meanings are created by the relationship between the
producers, the text and the audience:
• The representation is constructed with a set of ideas and
values (producer’s intent/ intended meaning)
• The context of the representation is part of the
representation (media language choices, anchorage,
media form, placement/location, genre expectations)
• The audience reacts to this representation and this
depends on their own personal interpretational context:
age, gender, political/religious beliefs, nationality, etc.
(negotiated meaning)
18. The Constructionist Approach
• Thinking about representation in this way takes
into account the personal interpretations made
by individuals and accepts that one
representation may create different meanings for
different audience members. This is a useful
way to consider media texts – if the target
audience for the text is taken into account when
thinking about representations it can help with
determining the different responses that texts
can create.
19. TOP TIP
• When discussing representations, you will need
to consider HOW they are constructed through
the media language choices made. However,
you should also consider WHY they are created
the way they are and impact of the
representations, the meaning they create and
the effect on the audience.
20. TASK
• Address the following in essay format – min 800
Analyse the ways in which the media represent one group of people you
have studied
• Consider/ discuss:
• What you have learnt today about representation
• The films we have watched so far (Sapphire and Pressure)
• Contextual issues of representations in those films
• Independent research you have conducted (e.g. homework tasks)
