Age REpresentation YOUNG

1. Representation of Age

2. 6 Point Plan: Case study template

4. Stereotypes of Age
• Write down some stereotypes of age in the
media for;
Old
Young

5. Stereotypical Characteristics
Young Old
Immature
stupid
greedy,
lazy
selfish
unfit
obese
violent
callous
gullible
unreliable
careless
self-entitled
never going to achieve anything
Grumpy
out-dated
slow
weak
whining
unable to use technology
unhealthy
miserly
hard-of-hearing
ugly
never go anywhere
Forgetful

6. YOUTH OLD AGE
POSITIVES Active
Sociable
Innocent
Strong
Long future ahead
Adventurous
Fun
Wise
Authoritative
Well educated
Freedom
Wealth
Stability
NEGATIVES Lazy
Rebellious
Rude
Hormonal
Vulnerable
Naive
Dependent
Weak
Vulnerable
Fragile
Mentally incompetent
Not in control of their own
bodies
Lonely
Dependent
Boring
Unwilling to try new things

7. Who is being represented?

8. History
• Media representations of young people have always
tended to be negative, e.g. ‘The Wild One’ (1953)
shows a motorcycle gang terrorising a small town.
‘Made in Britain’ (1982) focused on a delinquent, anti-
social youth.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCENBce_dls
(TWO)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFp5KkPp5EQ
(MIB)
• Both representations reflect anxieties of middle class
adult society, in relation to the threat to hegemony
posed by young people.

9. Representations which
are the same as the
dominant
representation
REINFORCE the
stereotype
Representations which
are different from the
dominant
representation
CHALLENGE the
stereotype

10. • Represented as….. Immature…stupid…greedy…lazy
The representation is (HOW)
• Modern
• Traditional
• Dominant
• Alternative
• Narrow
• Dis/ empowering
• Over/under-represented
• Reinforcing/ subverting a stereotype
• AVOID Positive/ Negative

11. What representation does the
front cover create?
How would the majority of
readers respond to this front
page?
Discuss the use of language on
the front cover how does this
create a response?
What visual codes are being
used?
How does the front cover as a
whole create a narrow/
disempowering representation
of young people?

12. Discuss – Are they true? Reason why media
use stereotypes? What can be the effects of
stereotypes?
Stereotypes of young people

13. • http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-
2024486/UK-RIOTS-2011-British-youths-
unpleasant-violent-world.html
• To print

14. Tessa Perkins
• Stereotypes…. “grain of truth”

15. Crime and Age – Is is right to rep as criminal?
• Age also makes a difference in criminal behavior
• Offending rates are highest in the late teens and early twenties and
decline thereafter. Accordingly, people in the 15–24 age range account for
about 40 percent of all arrests even though they comprise only about 14
percent of the population.
• Several factors again seem to account for this pattern
• First, peer relationships matter more during this time of one’s life than
later, and peers are also more likely during this period than later to be
offenders themselves. For both reasons, our peer relationships during our
teens and early twenties are more likely than those in our later years to
draw us into crime.
• Second, adolescents and young adults are more likely than older adults to
lack full-time jobs; for this reason, they are more likely to need money and
thus to commit offenses to obtain money and other possessions.
• Third, as we age out of our early twenties, our ties to conventional society
increase: Many people marry, have children, and begin full-time
employment, though not necessarily in that order. These events and
bonds increase our stakes in conformity, to use some social science jargon,
and thus reduce our desire to break the law

16. But…

17. Theorists
• Dick Hebdige (1979) explored the polarised
(contradictory) media representations of teens
as “trouble”(dominant) or “fun” (alternative).
• Michael Brake (1985) categorises the media
representations of teens into:
o Respectable (alternative)
o Delinquent (dominant)

18. More Theory
• Daren Garratt (1997) suggests that negative
media representations of teens as trouble
invite teens to be trouble. “Media coverage
represents how they should behave, even if,
largely, they haven’t been.”
• Graeme Burton (1999) argues that teen
subculture is in opposition to the dominant
culture (of adults). He uses the term
‘problematisation’ to describe the idea of
youths as problems.

19. One more bit: Stuart Hall
(1978)
• Argues that the negative representations of
young men by the media, is deliberate as it
justifies social control by authority figures,
such as the police and government.
• Hall identifies the media as having a key role
in this ‘social production’ of news. Youths are
often portrayed by new media as a social
problem.

20. Moral panics!
Ideology
❖Stanley Cohen (1972)
❖A moral panic occurs when society
sees itself threatened by the
values and activities of a group
who are stigmatised as deviant
and seen as threatening to
mainstream society’s values,
ideologies and /or way of life.
❖Mods & Rockers (1960s), football
hooligans (1980s), hoodies,
muggers, vandals, knife/gun
crime, binge drinking, under age
pregnancy

21. Process of a moral panic
1. Occurrence of deviant act.
2. Act or problem widely reported in media:
news outlets; internet chat rooms;
fictional narratives; video games…
3. Call for government control either from
legislation/policy initiatives or the more
vigilant operation of already existing
social controls.

22. The Dominant
Representation of youths
‘Delinquent’
(Michael
Brake).
‘Trouble’
(Dick
Hebdige)

23. Dominant
Representation
of Youth
(Music Video
Example
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8GvLKTsTuI
In groups, using the case study template,
deconstruct this text

24. 6 Point Plan: Case study
template

25. Dominant/Alternative
Representation = (depending
on your reading: Skins seems
‘fun’ for a teen audience, but
more like ‘trouble’ for an
older audience).
THE POSTER WAS BANNED BY THE
ASA – COMPLAINTS OF ORGY
Channel 4 said it did not mean to cause
offence and the second series of Skins
clearly showed the "consequences of
hedonistic and irresponsible behaviour".
"could cause serious or widespread
offence" and was inappropriate for poster
sites that could be seen by children.

27. Skins

28. Representations
which are the same as
the dominant
representation
REINFORCE the
stereotype
Representations
which are different
from the dominant
representation
CHALLENGE the
stereotype
Alternatives

29. Positive Alternative
Representation Teen
Awards (Website/
video – Jack G 15)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/events/eqbc6q/video
s/p01klbck#p01ktlxd
In groups, using the case study template,
deconstruct this text – BBC Radio 1’s – Teen
Awards. TEEN HEROES HALL OF FAME Page

30. BBC Radio 1s Teen
Awards - WEBSITE
• Every year BBC Radio 1 host a special awards show in
honour of some outstanding teenagers who have acted
selflessly, bravely, with courage, or have inspired other
people.
• And to show the award winners they really have done a
good thing, a few famous faces from the world of pop
turn up to sing at the star-stuffed ceremony.
• Use of Pull Quotes
• Shots next to celebrities (two shot)
• BBC - remit

33. • Skyfall - James Bond meeting Q The scene in the
James Bond movie "Skyfall" where 007 and Q meet
each other for the first time.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57Uy9jPxxwI
• Representations? Subverting stereotypes

34. Reasoning
• 50th anniversary of the film Pillars of British acting, self-
parody jokes throughout – Sam Mendes plays with the
generic conventions of the Bond franchise to ensure
Skyfall is contemporary and offers something different for
the mass target audience.
• “Brave new World”

35. Context and Purpose
• The representation in a media text may have a
different purpose. This may change according
to the type of text it is, i.e. the context.
• Ill Manors (MUSIC VIDEO)
• Teen Awards (WEBSITE/ VIDEO)
• London Riots (Newspaper)
• Skins (Poster/ Trailer)
• What are the purposes of these?

36. Conclusion
• Sum up argument – As I have shown most media
representations of young people are negative. This is
because they reflect the concerns of their middle class
producers, and as a result usually reinforce hegemony…
• More positive representations can be found on television
channels aimed at younger people.
• The effect of media representations of young people is…
• In the future I believe…(social media, young people can
construct their own representations – Student Fees
protests, power of mass media).

37. A final thought…
• There is no single 'media representation'
of youth or older age; there may be
dominant representations
(delinquent/trouble/grumpy), but across
films, TV, fiction and documentary there
are significant differences and nuances
which need to be teased out and
considered.
AO!: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of media concepts, contexts and critical debates

38. Homework Written Task (50 mins)
• Using Representation Essay Template.
• With reference to your own detailed
examples, explore the representation of age
in the media today.
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of media concepts, contexts and
critical debates