This document discusses representation in media and how audiences receive and interpret representations. It explains that representations carry implicit ideologies and values that shape how we see the world. Stereotypes are discussed as oversimplified representations of groups. The male gaze and ways women are objectified in media are also covered. The postmodern idea that media blurs reality is presented along with theories of how ideologies shape the representations used in media texts.

1. Representation
Section A 1B

2. Intro
• Representation relates to the representation
of reality in the media.
• When we study representation we look at
what representations are constructed, why
they are constructed that way and how
audiences receive and consume them.

3. Intro
• In many situations our only knowledge of
people or situations will come from these
media representations.
• For instance, the way in which you have
constructed your character types within your
production may well be influenced through
representations of such characters from other
media texts.

4. Representation
• It is impossible not to receive these
representations from the media
• It is not impossible to become aware of how
we receive them and to make conscious
decisions about why we accept or challenge
them.

5. Representation
• Whatever representations are used, there an
ideology
(‘ideology’ in media studies: system of belief that is
constructed and presented by a media text)
• Meanings and values are implicit (leaves you to
infer the meaning, the meaning isn't specifically
given) in that presentation.

6. (Levi Strauss, 1958).
• All representations have ideologies behind
them. Certain paradigms are encoded into
texts and others are left out in order to give a
preferred representation.

7. Task
• With your partner try and come up with as
many individual or group representations
there are in the media today.
• What ideologies are attached to such
representations?
• Can you think of a media text which has used
this representation?

8. 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

9. How are representations constructed?
Any representation is a mixture of:
The thing itself
The opinions of the people doing the
representation
The reaction of the individual to the
representation
The context of the society in which the
representation is taking place

10. Richard Dyer(1983)
Posed a few questions when analysing media
representations in general.
• 1. What sense of the world is it making?
• 2. What does it imply? Is it typical of the world
or deviant?
• 3. Who is it speaking to? For whom? To whom?
• 4. What does it represent to us and why? How
do we respond to the representation?

11. Gender and Ideology (FEMINISM)
• Masculinity and femininity are socially
constructed.
• Ideas about gender are produced and reflected
in language (O’Sullivan et al (1998).
• Feminism is a label that refers to a broad range
of views containing one shared assumption-
gender inequalities in society, historically
masculine power (patriarchy) exercised at right
of women’s interests and rights.

12. Gender and ideology
• Particularly in relation to music video and film -
objectification of women’s bodies in the media has
been a constant theme.
• Laura Mulvey(1975)argues
The dominant point of view is masculine. The female
body is displayed for the male gaze in order to
provide erotic pleasure for the male (voyeurism).
Women are therefore objectified by the camera lens
and whatever gender the spectator/audience is
positioned to accept the masculine POV.

13. John Berger Ways Of Seeing (1972)
• Men act and women appear. Men look at
women. Women watch themselves being
looked at. Women are aware of being seen
by a male spectator.

14. TASK
• Explain how you think the ‘male gaze’ and/or
‘the ways of seeing’ theory could apply to one
of your coursework pieces.

15. Paul Willis(1990)
• Based on a postmodern return to
feminism, that pop stars are symbolic
vehicles with which young women
understand themselves more fully...shaping
their personalities to fit the stars -alleged
preferences.

16. POSTMODERNISM AND
REPRESENTATIONS OF REALITY
• In a media saturated world, the distinction
between reality and media representations
becomes blurred or invisible to us
(Julian McDougall, 2009).

17. Jean Baudrillard (1980)
• Baudrillard discussed the concept of hyper
reality
we inhabit a society that is no longer made up
of any original thing for a sign to represent -it
is the sign that is now the meaning. He
argued that we live in a society of simulacra-
simulations of reality that replace the real.

18. • We can apply this to texts that claim to
represent reality - documentary, news.
Merrin(2005)argues that the media do not
reflect and represent the reality of the public
but instead produce it, employing this
simulation to justify their own continuing
existence.

19. Stereotypes
• Stereotypes are characters in a media text
who are ‘types’ rather than complex people.
• It is argued that stereotypes are usually
negative representations and most have a lot
of assumptions invested in them.

20. Stereotypes
• Boy bands are often accused of being
constructed to offer a calculated range of
representations, each to appeal to different
elements of the audience.
• E.g. sport member, casual member, quiet
member etc…

21. Stereotypes
• Stereotypes also usually represent an entire
social group in a single character.
• Such as the spoilt child, drunken Irishman
etc…

22. Orrin E. Klapp's(1962)
Stereotype vs. social type
• Distinction between stereotypes and social
types is helpful.
• Social types as representations of those who
'belong' to society. They are the kinds of
people that one expects, and is led to expect,
to find in one's society, whereas stereotypes
are those who do not belong, who are
outside of one's society.

23. Tessa Perkins (1979)
• says, however, that stereotyping is not a simple
process.
• She identified that some of the many ways that
stereotypes are assumed to operate aren’t true.
• They aren’t always negative (French good cooks).
They aren’t always about minority groups or those
less powerful. They are not always false.They are not
always rigid and unchanging. Perkins argues that if
stereotypes were always so simple then they would
not work culturally and over time.

24. Ideology and representation
• The representations used within a text act to
define the ideology.
• A family sitcom depends on the use of
stereotypes to find the comedy.
• We know the ideology of the programme, we
know what representations to expect!

25. Dominant ideologies and hegemony
• Gramsci defined hegemony as the way in
which those in power maintain their control.
• Dominant ideologies are considered
hegemonic – i.e. power in society is
maintained by constructing appropriate
ideologies which are usually promoted via the
mass media.

26. Identifying ideology
• Ideologies are promoted in many ways.
• Magazines are a good example because so
many present and ‘ideal’ lifestyle for their
readers to aspire to. This ‘ideal’ is directly
linked to the dominant ideologies in society.

27. video

28. Questions
• Who or what is being represented?
• Is this a positive or a negative representation?
• How is it being established? (mise en scene,
camerawork etc)
• How does this representation relate to the target
audience?
• What ideologies are suggested by this representation?
• Is it a stereotypical representation?
• It is a fair and/or accurate representation?
• Are the representations conventional or subversive?

29. Questions
• How does your video represent different social
groups/people/places/lifestyles?
• What values/ideologies are you representing/promoting?
• Does your production create a hegemonic
representation/does it represent and reinforce the
dominant ideology?
• What positive/negative/stereotypical connotations and
representations are you constructing/using/challenging?
• How are the representations in your production the
products of your own cultural
experience/background/ideology/values?
• What would Laura Mulvey say about your production?