1. REPRESENTATION

2. What is Representation?
• The media do not present reality they ‘re-present it’ – they
are representing things that have already occurred.
How does Representation
work?
• Representations invite audiences to understand them and
agree with them in certain preferred ways. Different
interpretations are possible to some extent, depending on
the audience.

3. The Power of
Representations
Ideologies, meanings and values are implicit
in that presentation.
Clearly this gives great power and
responsibility to media institutions as the
representations, to some extent can influence
social attitudes to social groups in many
ways.
In particular some institutions could be
accused of starting what Stanley Cohen coins
‘moral panics’.

4. Stereotypes
Stereotypes are used to enable an audience to instantly
identify and understand the meaning of a text. Stereotypes
are an extreme form of representation . Certain aspects
are focussed on and exaggerated.
In texts, stereotypes are characters who are ‘types’ rather
than complex people.
Stereotypes are usually negative representations and most
have a lot of assumptions.
Stereotyping is often evident when there is a power
imbalance between members of society.
For our study lets consider the binary opposition of youth vs
adult.

5. TASK
What stereotypes exist in society about British Youths?
Are these stereotypes perpetuated by the media? How?

6. TASK
In your Blog……..
create a new post……”Representation”
Blog what you understand about the terms;
Representation and stereotype
Outline what stereotypes exist in society about youth culture and
how they’re perpetuated.

7. Ideology
What is it?
TASK
Spend 10 minutes
researching Ideology and
the theorists associated
with it.

8. Ideology
O’Sullivan States that underpinning most of the media,
various powerful vested interests operate to ensure
that particular representations are manifested.
Noam Chomsky argues that the media serve the
interests of the state and corporate power.
Ideology then is a set of beliefs and ideas that are
presented in a media text. Dominant Ideologies those
which are accepted and understood by the majority of
people as part of our culture and expectations.
How do stereotypes in media texts help to re-affirm
and reinforce ideologies that exist about youth
culture?

9. Hegemony
Gramsci defined hegemony as the way
in which those in power maintain their
control. Dominant ideologies are
considered hegemonic. An accepted
hegemony, in our culture, is that the
police are always right.
Althusser argued that ideology is a
force in it’s own right – ideologies
reinforce ‘common sense’
assumptions, attitudes and
expectations e.g. women are better
parents, men are stronger,
homosexuality isn’t natural.
What Ideologies have become
hegemonic about youth culture?

10. TASK
Blog what you understand about the terms;
Ideology and Hegemony.
Outline what ideologies exist about youth culture, how the media
works to reinforces these and how they have become hegemonic.