Revision for G325 Media Studies Collective Identity Youth

1. A2 MEDIA
STUDIES -
G325
Section B:
COLLECTIVE
IDENTITY
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2. • What are the social implications of media representations?
• The media do not just offer us a transparent „window on the world‟ but a mediated version of
the world. They don‟t just present reality, they re-present it – David Buckingham
• Stereotypes are always about power: those with power stereotype those with less power
(Dyer, 1979). Can you find evidence to support or critique these views?
• Women were represented as passive objects of the male gaze – Laura Mulvey 1975 – true
when applied to these texts – or false?
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3. • Representation: the way reality is „mediated‟ or „re-presented‟ to us.
• Collective Identity: the individual‟s sense of belonging to a group (part of
personal identity); the idea is that through participating in social
activities –in this case, watching films and television - individuals can
gain a sense of belonging and in essence an "identity" that transcends
the individual.
• “A focus on Identity requires us to pay closer attention to the ways in
which media and technologies are used in everyday life and their
consequences for social groups” - David Buckingham.
• Application of Antonio Gramsci‟s theory of Hegemony – much of the
media is controlled by the dominant group in society and the viewpoints
associated with this group inevitably become embedded in the products
themselves (i.e. via representation of race, class, gender, sexuality, for
example), even if the promotion of these views isnt conscious –
dominant views come to be seen as the norm.
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4. • Can we resist this representation? Are
audiences passive or active?
• Can audiences be influenced by what they watch?
• There are a number of theories about this.
• The Hypodermic Syringe theory posits that audiences are passive and absorb what they see
in the media and can be influenced by it
• Uses and Gratifications suggests audiences are active viewers and use the media in various
ways to get some kind of gratification that will depend on the viewer.
• Hall and Morley‟s Encoding/Decoding model (1973) claims that audience reaction can be
broken uo into four basic groups:
• A preferred reading of a text would imply that the spectator may accept the dominant values
within the text and read it in a way consistent with the intentions of the producer.
• A negotiated reading means the spectator chooses whether or not they accept the preferred
reading as their own.
• An oppositional reading would mean the spectator completely rejects the preferred
reading.
• An aberrant reading means the spectator picks up an entirely different reading to that which
was intended by the maker.21/05/2014 4

5. • Giddens: The self is not something we are born with, and it is not
fixed
• Instead, the self is reflexively made- thoughtfully constructed by the
individual We all choose a lifestyle
• Latterly, a key figure in identity theory has been David Gauntlett.
• Gauntlett (2002): By thinking about their own identity, attitudes,
behaviour and lifestyle in relation to those of media figures - some
of whom may be potential 'role models', others just the opposite -
individuals make decisions and judgements about their own way of
living (and that of others). It is for this reason that the 'role model'
remains an important concept, although it should not be taken to
mean someone that a person wants to copy. Instead, role models
serve as navigation points as individuals steer their own personal
routes through life. (Their general direction, we should note,
however, is more likely to be shaped by parents, friends, teachers,
colleagues and other people encountered in everyday life).
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6. • Gauntlett (2002): Media messages are diverse, diffuse
and contradictory. Rather than being zapped straight
into people's brains, ideas about lifestyle and identity
that appear in the media are resources which
individuals use to think through their sense of self and
modes of expression.
• Because 'inherited recipes for living and role
stereotypes fail to function', we have to make our
own new patterns of being, and it seems clear that
the media plays an important role here (David
Gauntlett, 2002).21/05/2014 6

7. • Media products provide numerous kinds of 'guidance' - not necessarily in
the obvious form of advice-giving, but in the myriad suggestions of ways of
living which they imply. We lap up this material because the social
construction of identity today is the knowing social construction of
identity. Your life is your project. The media provides some of the tools
which can be used in this work. Like many toolkits, however, it contains
some good utensils and some useless ones; some that might give beauty
to the project, and some that might spoil it. (People find different uses for
different materials, too, so one person's 'bad' tool might be a gift to
another.) (Gauntlett, 2002)
• I don't believe that 'experts' can have the final word about
representations, since representations are only meaningful when
processed in the minds of individual audience members. – David
Gauntlett (2008) (an expert, who is, of course, trying to have the final
word…)
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8. Tackling the Question
• Before you begin your plan read the question
carefully
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9. Explain the role played by the
Media in the construction of
collective identity
Analyse the ways in which the
media represent groups of21/05/2014 9

10. Exam Question 2
January 2012
• How do media representations influence collective identity? You may refer to one group of
people or more in your answer.
• Discuss the different ways in which groups of people are represented by media. You may refer
to one group of people or more in your answer.
June 2011
• Discuss how one or more Groups are represented through the Media
• Explain the role played by the Media in the construction of collective identity
January 2011
• Analyse the ways in which the media represent groups of people
• What is collective identity and how is it mediated
June 2010
• With reference to any one group of people that you have studied, discuss how their identity has been mediated
• “Media representations are complex, not simple and straightforward”. How far do you agree with this statement
in relation to the collective group you have studied
January 2010
• Analyse the ways in which the media represent groups of people
• “The media do not construct collective identity; they merely reflect it”. Discuss
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11. Tackling the Question
Remember the basic rules
• Always use at least 2 Media examples – 1 historic and 1
current
• Always use at least 2 theorists
• Try to quote them correctly
• All texts should be referenced like this:
• Title (Director Surname, year)
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12. Essay Structure
• You can think of your Essay as needing 4 parts to
get an A
1. Explain – What is the topic? What do we know
already
2. What are the arguments? – Must give balance of
both sides
3. What are the theories – Use them to support
arguments
4. Link it back to the question
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13. Essay Structure
• Two most important things to remember
• Hi 5 your Essay!
• Don’t forget to PEE!
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14. Hi 5
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15. Introduction
• What is Collective Identity?
• What is Youth Identity?
• Explain what you are going to discuss and case
studies.
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16. Section 1
• Explain Historical Context
• Talk about representation of youth in the past – when
were they shown, how did they act, what was impact
of youth representation?
• Use Case Study to discuss history of Youth
Representation – Rebel without a Cause /
Quadrophenia / Punks etc
• Always back up points with quotes!
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17. Section 2
• Explain Current Context
• Talk about representation of youth today – where do
we see them, how are they shown, how do they act,
what was impact of youth representation now?
• Use Case Study to discuss current Youth
Representation – Skins / Misfits / News / Kidulthood
• Always back up points with quotes!
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18. Section 3
• Explain Future Context
• What do you think will happen in the future?
• Can you use any media texts to support your
ideas?
• Always back up points with quotes!
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19. Conclusion
• Summarise your answer in a few sentences
• Include your feelings on the question
• DO NOT finish on a question!
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20. PEE
Point
Evidence
Explain
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21. PEE
Point
• Young people today are dangerous to society as they do not respect
society’s rules
Evidence
• Films such as Kidulthood (Huda, 2006) show their teenage cast to all be
drug taking, violent characters with no respect to each other or adults
Explain
• Giroux’s theory states that young people are empty vessels and will
respond to any input to create their identity. By viewing films such as
Kidulthood they are learning behaviours that they consider to be correct.,
This is supported by Gerbeners cultivation theory. Gramsci’s theory of
hegemony tells us that those in power dictate the way that certain ideals
are created in society. By showing youth in this way the dominant social
power, wealthy adults, ensure that young people lack influence in society.
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22. Key Theories & Theorists
• Remember you MUST refer to 2 media
examples and 2 theorists in your answer!
• You can either write about the theorist or use
their quotes to support your point or do both!
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23. Theorist Checklist
• Ericson – Stages of
Development
• Durkheim – Functionalism
• Tafjal & Turner – Social
Identity
• McMillan & Chavis – Sense
of Community
• Jordaan & Jordann – Sub
Cultures
• Gramsci – Hegemony
• Lewin – Gatekeeping
• Galtung & Ruge – Selective
Gatekeeping
• Hall – Moral Panics
• Gerbner - Cultivation
• Acland – Protection
• Giroux – Youth as Empty
Catergory
• Vonnegut – Desensitisation
• Lazarsfeld – Hypodermic Needle
• Bulmer & Katz – Uses and
Gratifications
• Hall – Encoding and Decoding
• Jenkins – Participatory Culture
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24. Erik Ericson
• Concept
– Stages of Development
• Explanation
– Humans develop at 8 stages throughout their lives.
– Each of Erikson's stages of psychosocial development is marked by a
conflict for which successful resolution will result in a favourable
outcome, and by an important event that this conflict resolves itself
around.

25. Stages of Development
1. Purpose - Initiative vs. Guilt - Preschool / 3–6 years - Does the child have the ability to or do
things on their own, such as dress him or herself? If "guilty" about making his or her own choices,
the child will not function well. Erikson has a positive outlook on this stage, saying that most guilt
is quickly compensated by a sense of accomplishment.
2. Competence - Industry vs. Inferiority - School-age / 6-11. Child comparing self-worth to others
(such as in a classroom environment). Child can recognize major disparities in personal abilities
relative to other children. Erikson places some emphasis on the teacher, who should ensure that
children do not feel inferior.
3. Fidelity - Identity vs. Role Confusion - Adolescent / 12 years till 20. Questioning of self. Who am I,
how do I fit in? Where am I going in life? Erikson believes, that if the parents allow the child to
explore, they will conclude their own identity. However, if the parents continually push him/her
to conform to their views, the teen will face identity confusion.
4. Intimacy vs. isolation - This is the first stage of adult development. This development usually
happens during young adulthood, which is between the ages of 20 to 24. Dating, marriage, family
and friendships are important during the stage in their life. By successfully forming loving
relationships with other people, individuals are able to experience love and intimacy. Those who
fail to form lasting relationships may feel isolated and alone.

26. Emile Durkheim
Concept
• Functionalism
Explanation
• Functionalism interprets each part of society in terms of how it
contributes to the stability of the whole society. Society is more than the
sum of its parts; rather, each part of society is functional for the stability of
the whole society. The different parts are primarily the institutions of
society, each of which is organized to fill different needs and each of which
has particular consequences for the form and shape of society. The parts
all depend on each other.
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27. Emile Durkheim
Concept
• Functionalism
Explanation
• For example, the government, or state, provides education for the children
of the family, which in turn pays taxes on which the state depends to keep
itself running. The family is dependent upon the school to help children
grow up to have good jobs so that they can raise and support their own
families. In the process, the children become law-abiding, taxpaying
citizens, who in turn support the state. If all goes well, the parts of society
produce order, stability, and productivity. If all does not go well, the parts
of society then must adapt to recapture a new order, stability, and
productivity.
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28. Tafjal & Turner
Concept
• Social Identity Theory
Explanation
• In the Social Identity Theory, a person has not one, “personal self”,
but rather several selves that correspond to widening circles of
group membership. Different social contexts may trigger an
individual to think, feel and act on basis of his personal, family or
national “level of self”
• Apart from the “level of self”, an individual has multiple “social
identities”. Social identity is the individual’s self-concept derived
from perceived membership of social groups
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29. McMillan & Chavis
• Concepts
Sense of Community
• Explaination
McMillan & Chavis (1986) define sense of
community as "a feeling that members have of
belonging, a feeling that members matter to one
another and to the group, and a shared faith that
members' needs will be met through their
commitment to be together."
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30. McMillan & Chavis
• Concepts
Sense of Community
• Explaination
McMillan & Chavis's (1986) theory (and instrument) are the most broadly validated and widely
utilized in this area in the psychological literature. They prefer the abbreviated label "sense of
community", and propose that sense of community is composed of four elements.
Four elements of sense of community
There are four elements of "sense of community" according to the McMillan & Chavis theory:
Membership
Membership includes five attributes:
boundaries
emotional safety
a sense of belonging and identification
personal investment
a common symbol system
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31. McMillan & Chavis
• Concepts
Sense of Community
• Explaination
Influence
Influence works both ways: members need to feel that they have some influence in the group,
and some influence by the group on its members is needed for group cohesion.
Integration and fulfillment of needs
Members feel rewarded in some way for their participation in the community.
Shared emotional connection
The "definitive element for true community" (1986, p. 14), it includes shared history and shared
participation (or at least identification with the history).
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32. Antonio Gramsci
Concepts
• Cultural hegemony
Explanation
• Gramsci developed the idea of "cultural hegemony". As I mentioned
before, this is the idea that one social class within a culture
dominates society, therefore making their views and values
acceptable and "normal" behaviour.
• Gramsci believes hegemony is constantly causing problems within
societies arguing what is actually a "normal" way of life. For
example, this arguing is shown through negative and positive
representation of youths from different classes, most commonly
underclass
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33. Antonio Gramsci
Concepts
• Cultural hegemony
Quote
• So one could say that each one of us changes
himself, modifies himself to the extent that he
changes the complex relations of which he is the
hub... If one's own individuality means to acquire
consciousness of them and to modify one's own
personality means to modify the ensemble of
these relations. (Gramsci)
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34. Jordaan & Jordaan
• Concepts
Sub Cultures
• Explaination
“A subculture group is a social-cultural formation that exists as a sort of island or enclave within the larger
society”. Sub cultures within society are smaller groups who do or do not conform with societies
expectations. These subcultures all share similar trates:
• The collection of people share an awareness of membership;
• The collection of people are interacting with one another - they intercommunicate on an informative level and on a
metacommunicative level;
• The collection of people share one or more implicit or explicit objectives or motives which provide the reason for them being
in the group (a group must have a goal, even it it's just to have fun, since without a goal interaction cannot be easily
maintained for long);
• The collection of people develop explicitly or implicitly a set of norms or rules which put pressure on the members in respect
of the permissible behaviour within the group, and sometimes also in respect of the attitudes and behaviours of group
members towards other groups. Group norms and the consequent pressure can lead to conforming behaviour aimed at
achieving the group's goals.
• The collection of people can consider consensus within the group so highly that the phenomenon of group thinking
manifests;
• If the interaction between the members of the group of people is long-lasting, a leader and followers pattern develops
within the group’
• If the interaction is long-lasting there develops between the members of the group a network of interpersonal attraction
based on the likes and dislikes members have in respect of one another."
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35. Kurt Lewin
• Concepts
Gatekeeping
• Explanation
• Gate keeping is nothing but to block unwanted or useless things by using
a gate. Be it publication, broadcasting, the Internet, or some other type of
communication.
• Lewin first observed food habits in families (and seeing housewives as
gatekeepers at that time); this was later applied in a major way to the
editors in news publications.
• “A person who controls access to something, decide whether a given
message will be distributed by a mass medium”.
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36. Galtung & Ruge
Concept
• Information is filtered by those who deem it
worthy
Explanation
• Selective Gatekeeping.
• Galtung and Ruge selective gatekeeping theory
suggests that news from around the world are
evaluated using news values to determine their
newsworthiness.
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37. Stanley Cohen
Concepts
• Moral panic
Explanation
• He argues that occasionally what he calls "folk devils" emerge
within society, reflecting the anxieties and fears of adult culture.
"Moral Panic" emerges when exaggerated media coverage appears
of these "folk devils" leading to politicians and police to act. When
this occurs, the aim is to return the social values of hegemony,
clearly stating what is not a socially acceptable way to behave.
• Cohen's theory suggest that youths have become a cultural "folk
devil" leading media to exaggerate their behaviour.
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38. George Gerbner
• Concepts
Cultivation Theory
• Explanation
Gerbner studies the effect of television on the audience's perception
of crime. His theory suggests that people who watch a large amount of
television have an over exaggerated opinion on crime and how much it
occurs as well as how severe the crimes actually are. He called this
"mean world syndrome". His theory states that because media forms
such as news reports, television programmes and films contain over
exaggerated representations of crimes, mostly negative, people's
perceptions are dramatically influenced. The term used by Gerbner to
describe this is "cultivation theory".
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39. George Gerbner
• Concepts
Cultivation Theory
• Quotes
Fearful people are more dependent, more easily manipulated and
controlled, more susceptible to deceptively simple, strong, tough
measures and hard-line postures... They may accept and even welcome
repression if it promises to relieve their insecurities. (Gerbner)
Who tells the stories of a culture really governs human behavior. It
used to be the parent, the school, the church, the community. Now it’s
a handful of global conglomerates that have nothing to tell, but a great
deal to sell. (Gerbner)
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40. Charles R Acland
Concepts
• Ideology of protection; deviant youth and reproduction of social
order
Explanation
• Acland argues in his theory that the representation of deviant
youths reinforces hegemony, the idea that a culture is ruled by one
social class. Media creates the image of "normal" youth and adults,
then contrasting this with behaviour that contrasts against what we
deem to be socially acceptable. This is what the audience finds
entertaining and interesting, as it is going against these "normal"
views of society. Acland also makes the point that by the media
representing youths in such a way, it allows the state to have more
control over them.
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41. Charles R Acland
Concepts
• Ideology of protection; deviant youth and reproduction of social
order
Explanation
• For example, the mass of media reports about negative youth
behaviour led to the introduction of ASBO's, which then led to even
more media coverage. Acland calls this "ideology of protection"
which is the idea that youths need this constant surveillance and
monitoring in order to "protect" them. Similar to Giroux's theory,
youths are impressionable it is a time in their life when they learn
about roles and values from adult culture. Media coverage of
negative behaviour allows the state to reinforce hegemonic values
and tell youths what is wrong and socially unacceptable.
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42. Charles R Acland
Concepts
• Ideology of protection; deviant youth and
reproduction of social order
Explanation
• For example, the idea in "hoodie horrors" that
youths are like monsters often included in horror
themes leads some youths to relate these
representations to things they fear, such as
demons, which moves them in the opposite
direction of this sort of behaviour.
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43. Henry Giroux
Concepts
• Youth as empty category
• Explanation
Giroux's theory addresses the media's influence on
youths. He believes that youths act as a sort vessel
open to influences of adult culture and how the
media chooses to represent them, therefore
shaping the youths cultural contexts.
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44. Henry Giroux
Concepts
• Youth as empty category
• Explanation
The media chooses the way they represent race, class, gender,
ethnicity, sexuality, occupation, age and so on, therefore leaving an
influence on the youths that are not necessarily true. The media acts
upon what it's audience wants. When appealing to a adult audience,
the media will reflect fears and anxieties that adults may find
entertaining, therefore giving an unrealistic view on youths.
Giroux suggests that the media influences them in a certain way as
youths are so impressionable, for example, if they are represented as
loud and abusive in films, they will act on this because they are being
told to act in such a way.
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45. Henry Giroux
Concepts
• Youth as empty category
• Quote
“Youth as a complex, shifting, and contradictory category is rarely
narrated in the dominant public sphere through the diverse voices of
the young. Prohibited from speaking as moral and political agents,
youth become an empty category inhabited by the desires, fantasies,
and interests of the adult world. This is not to suggest that youth don't
speak, they are simply restricted from speaking in those spheres where
public conversation shapes social policy and refused the power to make
knowledge consequential with respect to their own individual and
collective needs.” (Giroux, 1998)
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46. Michele Paludi
Concepts
• Media Desensitization
• Explanation
• Constant repetitions of violence in the media makes people jaded towards
violence. The reaction becomes less prominent because as consumers of media we
are used to seeing explosions, blood and guts and mayhem on a regular basis.
• One of the reasons desensitization can be dangerous is because it is so closely
related to the pleasure of watching television or movies. The act of watching TV is
an unlearned pleasurable behavior. When you combine that pleasure with violent
images and content then the person beings to associate the pleasure of watching
television with the consumption of violent media. Images that might have initiated
a negative response before, now give the viewer a sense of calm because of its link
to relaxation.
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47. Albert Bandura
Concepts
• Social Learning Theory
• Explanation
• There are three core concepts at the heart of social learning
theory.
– First is the idea that people can learn through observation.
– Next is the idea that internal mental states are an essential part of this process.
– Finally, this theory recognizes that just because something has been learned, it does not
mean that it will result in a change in behavior.
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48. Albert Bandura
Concepts
• Social Learning Theory
• Explanation
• Observational Learning
• In his famous Bobo Doll experiment, Bandura demonstrated that children learn and imitate
behaviors they have observed in other people. The children in Bandura’s studies observed an
adult acting violently toward a Bobo doll. When the children were later allowed to play in a
room with the Bobo doll, they began to imitate the aggressive actions they had previously
observed.
• Bandura identified three basic models of observational learning:
– A live model, which involves an actual individual demonstrating or acting out a behavior.
– A verbal instructional model, which involves descriptions and explanations of a behavior.
– A symbolic model, which involves real or fictional characters displaying behaviors in books, films, television programs,
or online media.
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49. Paul Lazarsfeld
Concepts
• Hypodermic Needle Theory
• Explanation
• The media (magic gun) fired the message directly into audience head
without their own knowledge. The message cause the instant reaction
from the audience mind without any hesitation is called the “Hypodermic
Needle” or “Magic Bullet Theory”.
• The media (needle) injects the message into audience mind and it cause
changes in audience behavior and psyche towards the message. Audience
are passive and they can’t resist the media message is called “Hypodermic
Needle Theory”.
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50. Bulmer & Katz
Concept
• Audience chooses media for different reasons
which effects how they respond to text
Explanation
• This approach focuses on why people use
particular media rather than on content. In
contrast to the concern of the 'media effects'
tradition it focuses on 'what people
do with media', allowing for a variety of
responses and interpretations.
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51. Bulmer & Katz
Concept
• Audience chooses media for different reasons
which effects how they respond to text
Explanation
• This approach focuses on why people use
particular media rather than on content. In
contrast to the concern of the 'media effects'
tradition it focuses on 'what people
do with media', allowing for a variety of
responses and interpretations.
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52. Audience Revision
Information
• finding out about relevant events and conditions in
immediate surroundings, society and the world,
seeking advice on practical matters or opinion and
decision choices, satisfying curiosity and general
interest, learning; self-education, gaining a sense of
security through knowledge
Personal Identity
• finding reinforcement for personal values, finding
models of behavior, identifying with valued other
(in the media), gaining insight into one's self
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53. Audience Revision
Integration and Social Interaction
• gaining insight into circumstances of others; social
empathy, identifying with others and gaining a sense of
belonging, finding a basis for conversation and social
interaction, having a substitute for real-life
companionship, helping to carry out social roles,
enabling one to connect with family, friends and society
Entertainment
• escaping, or being diverted, from problems, relaxing,
getting intrinsic cultural or aesthetic enjoyment, filling
time, emotional release
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54. Stuart Hall
Concept
• Active audiences interpret texts in different ways depending on their
needs
Explanation
• This theory points out that meaning of any text is created by the audience
- not the producer. Meaning is encoded into the text but it is up to the
audience what they take from it depending how they decode the signs
within the text. Encoding-decoding is an active audience theory which
examines the relationships between text and it's audience
• Encoding is a process by which a text is constructed by it's producers
• Decoding is the process by which the audience reads, understands and
interprets text
• Hall states that texts are polysemic, meaning they may be read differently
by different people, depending on their identity, cultural knowledge and
opinions
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55. Stuart Hall
Concept
• Active audiences interpret texts in different ways
depending on their needs
Explanation
• Preffered Reading
• When an audience interprets the message as it was meant
to be understood, they are operating in dominant code.
• The position of professional broadcasters and media
producers is that the messages are already signified within
the hegmonic manner to which they are accustomed.
• The producers and the audience are in harmony
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56. Stuart Hall
Concept
• Active audiences interpret texts in different ways depending on
their needs
Explanation
• Negotiated reading
• Not all audience may underatand what media producers take for
granted. There may be some acknowlwedgment of differences in
understanding.
• Decoding within the negotiated version contains a mixture od
adaptive and oppositional elements: it acknowledges the legitimacy
of the hegemonic definitions to make the grand significations
(abstract) while at the more restricted situational (situated) level it
makes it own ground rules
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57. Stuart Hall
Concept
• Active audiences interpret texts in different ways
depending on their needs
Explanation
• Oppositional Reading
• When media consumers understand the
contextual and literary infections of a text yet
decode the message by a completely
oppositiional means.
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58. Henry Jenkins
• Concepts
Participatory Culture
• Explanation
• As technology continues to enable new avenues for communication, collaboration, and circulation of
ideas, it has also given rise to new opportunities for consumers to create their own content. Barriers like
time and money are beginning to become less significant to large groups of consumers.
• For example, the creation of movies once required large amounts of expensive equipment, but now movie
clips can be made with equipment that is affordable to a growing number of people. The ease with which
consumers create new material has also grown. Extensive knowledge of computer programming is no
longer necessary to create content on the internet.
• Media sharing over the Internet acts as a platform to invite users to participate and create communities
that share similar interests through duplicated sources, original content, and repurposed material

59. Henry Jenkins
• Affiliations — memberships, formal and informal, in online communities
centered around various forms of media, such as Friendster, Facebook,
message boards, metagaming, game clans, or MySpace).
• Expressions — producing new creative forms, such as digital sampling,
skinning and modding, fan videomaking, fan fiction writing, zines, mash-
ups).
• Collaborative Problem-solving — working together in teams, formal and
informal, to complete tasks and develop new knowledge (such as through
Wikipedia, alternative reality gaming, spoiling).
• Circulations — Shaping the flow of media (such as podcasting, blogging)