1. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Media representations of young people have always tended to be negative, and
focus on the idea of ‘youth as trouble’ as Hebdige argues. Rebel Without a Cause was
part of a cycle of JD (juvenile delinquency) movies that emerged during the
1950s. Giroux argues media representations of youth reflect adult anxieties, and this is
seen in Rebel Without a Cause which reflects concerns about both juvenile delinquency,
and a perceived post-war crisis of masculinity. In Rebel Without a Cause young people
are associated with crime and violence, however the film is sympathetic in its portrayal
of teenagers suggesting juvenile delinquency is the fault of the parents.
Rebel presents an adult perspective on youth, and reinforces hegemonic values
by both demonstrating the negative consequences of failing to conform, and showing
the main character Jim moving away from his rebellious ways into adulthood. This
relates to Acland’s argument that one of the functions of media representations of
deviant youth is to reinforce hegemony and display moral boundaries. The adult
perspective in youth representations identified by both Giroux and Acland suggests that
representations construct an image of youth that may not relate to reality (it could be
argued these representations have become hyperreal). However, the film’s iconic status
does suggest that media does influence our understanding of youth identity (James
Dean as the ‘first American teenager’).
Hoodies or Altar Boys study (2009)
Hoodies or Altar Boys (2009) was a study of the representation of teenagers in
local and national newspapers in Britain over a year. The study found that over of
newspaper stories about teenage boys were in relation to crime, and that the most
popular terms used to describe them were sensationalised language such as ‘yob, scum,
inhuman, feral’. These representations are so extreme they can be related to Cohen’s
theory of moral panic, in which a social group (in this case teenager boys) are perceived
as a threat to the social order. Sensationalised media representations lead to a deviancy
amplification spiral in which the problem becomes exaggerated. The ultimate effect of a
moral panic is usually to reinforce dominant social values by demonstrating what
values are acceptable and unacceptable. This is similar to Acland’s argument that media
representations of deviant youth have the social function of reinforcing hegemonic
values. This also suggests that the media functions as part of what Althusser calls the
ideological state apparatus, maintaining social order by creating consensus about
hegemonic values.
Gerbner would argue that the Hoodies or Altar Boys study suggests the
sustained, negative coverage (over 4,000 newspaper stories about teenagers and crime
in 12 months) is likely to influence people’s perceptions of young people as his
cultivation theory it is the repetitive nature of the media which has the power to
cultivate people’s views over time. Fiske would challenge this view arguing that the
interpretation of media texts is ultimately down to the audience, and that media
producers cannot enforce ideological messages. Similarly Stuart Hall argued that the
audience are likely to use their own experience and values when decoding meaning and
could take oppositional or negotiated positions in relation to the preferred reading of
the text. Overall this suggests the media may have some influence on how people
perceive identity, but their own values are likely to be the most important factor in their
interepretation of media representations of social groups.

2. Misfits (2009-13) and Attack the Block (2011)
Misfits is a television series which employs negative stereotypes associated with
working class youth, representing them in relation to crime and ‘chav’ stereotypes. As
such it initially appears similar to the negative representations found in newspapers
and films such as ‘Harry Brown’ (2009). However Misfits can be seen as a direct
attempt to challenge these stereotypes as it represents the young people as likable,
funny, and gives them super powers. This is contrasted with the negative portrayal of
adult characters, for examples Nathan’s mum who kicks him out, and the probation
worker who describes them as ‘scum’. As such he represents the venomous was in
which the media constructs representations of young people. Whilst Misfits attempts to
challenge negative perceptions of young people, Sadie Wearing has argued that it has
the potential to reinforce the negative stereotypes it tries to challenge, as it continues to
associate working class youths with violence, and anti-social behaviour.
Misfits is similar to Attack the Block (2011) which also uses negative stereotypes
about working class youths, who are shown mugging a middle class female character in
the film’s opening sequence. However, as the film develops the representations
becomes more positive depicting the youths as heroes fighting against an alien
invasion. This culminates in the climactic scene in which the middle class victim of the
mugging describes the youths as her ‘neighbours’. Here the films can be seen to employ
some of Dyer’s utopian categories such as community and energy to resolve the social
tensions between middle class adults and working class youth.
Both texts can be seen as a conscious attempt to challenge negative media
representations of youth, suggesting the importance of the media in constructing our
understanding of identity. However it also demonstrates that media representations of
young people are complex and contradictory, thus unlikely to have a clear and direct
effect on perceptions of identity.
The Selfish Giant (2013)
The Selfish Giant is similar to Attack the Block in that it focuses on working class
youths and attempts to create a sympathetic representation of the characters. Whilst
the film shows the young characters in a stereotypically negative way - being excluded
from school, stealing, it ultimately suggests the characters are victims of their
upbringings and the failings of society. The film depicts the failure of the state attempts
to control the youths as both the ideological state apparatus (in this case the school) and
the repressive state apparatus (the police) are unable to control Arbor, the young
protagonist. As a result he is excluded from mainstream society, allowing him to be
exploited by the scrap merchant which ultimately leads to the death of his best friend.
The film suggests that there are groups within our society who will be unable to
conform to the demands and expectations of hegemonic society, and challenges the
ways in which these groups are demonised in the mainstream media (e.g. in Channel 4’s
documentary series Benefits Street (2014).
The film suggests that the mainstream media is influential in shaping our
perceptions of social groups, linking to Althusser’s concept of the ideological state
apparatus. However what the film demonstrates the plurality of media representations,
suggesting that media representations of youth cannot be seen as one specific
viewpoint.