1. “With reference to any one
group of people that you
have studied, discuss how their
identity has been mediated.”
*Mediated  It has been altered and is different to reality. It is what
we end up seeing.

2. Introduction
• Giroux argues that in media representations “youth becomes an empty category” which reflects the
anxiety of the adults.
• All youths are portrayed as being the same and there in no attention drawn to any positive behaviour.
• Media representations of young people reinforce hegemony as the adults feel like they need to take
control.
• I will be exploring what these media representations are and how they are not necessarily accurate.
Historical Representations
• We have always had these negative representations
• Heslod (8th Century BC)  “reckless” “frivolous” “impatient”
• Wild Ones  Large groups (intimidating). No youths shown outside of this group suggesting that they are
all the same.
 “I don’t like cops”  Shown as having no respect
 Blown horns on their bikes  Noisey, disrespectful
• Rebel Without A Cause  Opens with a drunk youth playing with a toy (conflicting, empty category, no
identity
 HOWEVER  One character says “I don’t want any trouble” and late unloads the gun so there is no
trouble. It is unfair to show all youths in a negative light. Broken homes (need better guidance)

3. Film
• Hoodie cinema article (November 2009)  “Writing about them sells papers because people are
innately attracted to what’s scary” – Writing about them in a negative light as a form of entertainment,
it is not necessarily true.
 Refers to them as “zombies” and “vampires” which are mythical creatures which shows that the
representation they are creating is just a form of entertainment and not based on facts.
• Harry Brown  Justifies the fears the adults have when they kill an innocent man. This was after him
confiding that he is “scared all of the time”
 Once again there are no signs of any positive behaviour from the youth
• Kidulthood  Drive a girl to commit suicide. Teenage pregnancy. Once again no sign of positive
representations.
 Films are meditated in a way that shows all teenagers in a negative light as this reflects the anxieties
of middle class adults and helps to reinforce hegemony.
Newspapers
• 2009 – “Hero hospitalised by a group of hooded thugs.”
• 2014 – “Group of teenagers assault a woman wearing scream masks.”
 They are only ever represented negatively and when they are doing good things (Reclaim
project) the newspapers don’t want to know.
• They are mediated negatively to help reinforce hegemony as the adults will associate all youths the
same and want to do something about it. (Acland/Gramsci)
• Gerbners cultivation theory  The more we see it, the more we believe it.

4. Conclusion
• Most media representations are negative
• Help to reinforce hegemony as they reflect the middle class adults anxieties and they are the ones that
create them
• In the future, teenagers have more of a voice due to social media but I think that the negative
associations will remain