Media Representation

 This week we watched 3 videos on the ethics of media and how different representations are represented in media. 

These representations are Gender, Ages, Sexualities, Ethnicities, Cultures, Nations and Regions

Why does representation matter? Well, it matters so that media is represented in the proper way, to allow people to see themselves and validate them. People want to see content that they can resonate with, not a misconception of society. But why do people want this? We as people want to feel something that we see such as a movie. Movies are a great way of entertainment but watching a movie and seeing a certain race or empowerment can make you doubt yourself. Media heavily influences our opinions so seeing something that doesn't resonate with you can set a big effect on you. Media can create lies that damage viewers. Having an inclusion of every race and gender can heavily impact how we see media, it can make you feel accepted and help you to understand that you as a person are seen and represented. But up to now in 2021 there is a progression in this however the industry still needs work. 

Stuart Hall is a known sociologist, cultural theorist and political activist who came up with his own representation theory in media (Guilsborough 2019). But before we get into that let's talk about representation. Representation is one of the cornerstones in media, media has a huge influence on our society as it is how we learn about the world and events taking place. However, we need to see if the media is truly accurate and does it represent society. We can look at certain examples such as Donald Trump, we all know about him through media and there are many different representations of how he is viewed....whether he has done good or bad things. But how many of us know who he is? Not a lot which brings us to Stuart Halls theory. Stuarts theory is basically that there is no true representation of people or even in events. It all relies on the media producers producing and putting to these pieces of media based on their agendas and how they view it. In my opinion, I do feel this is very true as so many certain articles and pieces of media are put out showing different views and different parts to influence you to believe in their agendas. 

A serious issue in society now is the misrepresentation of female leadership. Most kids have dreams to become the president or a political figure however when these kids reach the age of 15 you can witness a huge gap between these dreams as leadership is considered to be for men. Women are discouraged from being leaders as for many years society and media have shown women to be not capable. An example of this is Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. Through media, Hillary Clinton received a lot of hate and backlash for trying to run for president against Obama. You can see many people saying she isn't suited and saying misogynistic terms towards her. Hillary portrayed a feminine yet a masculine sense of power. But when you look at Sarah Palin she was seen as a very feminine person and was sexualised incredibly. These women were not looked at for what they have done but for what they are. 

There has to be more representation of gender, ethnicity and sexualities and many more as from what we are seeing it is giving us the wrong impression and making us feel we have to be something different, as the media portrays it. We can say there have been many changes in recent years of this however it is still not enough. I personally hope over time this will progress.

-  Kate O Toole

                                                                    Sources

Why Representation Matters: https://youtu.be/ILmrpdxWgaU

Stuart Halls Representation Theory Explained: https://youtu.be/yJr0gO_-w_Q

Miss Representation Of Female Leadership: https://youtu.be/QcxeQFuUqJM

Stuart Hall: Guilsborough, S. (2019) Media Studies @ Guilsborough Academy: Stuart Hall- Representation Theory.Available at: https://guilsboroughschoolmedia.wordpress.com/2019/06/12/stuart-hall-representation-theory/#:~:text=Stuart%20Hall's%20REPRESENTATION%20theory%20(please,or%20events%20in%20their%20texts. (Accessed 30 Nov 2021)