ICMC217

ICMC217
Media Psychology
Week 2: Representation in Media
Dr. Supathida Kulpavaropas

Today’s Agenda
01 Meanings
02 Representation
03 Representation in Media
04 M
Exercise: Analyzing Meaning in Media
Katy Perry’s 2010 “Firework” music video.
As you watch, consider the following questions to guide

your analysis. Discuss these questions in teams:
• What messages are being conveyed through the

song and visuals?
• Who is the intended audience for this message?
• What might be the purpose behind creating

this song and video?
• How does it aim to impact the audience?

Meanings
• Meanings are tools we use to shape our identities, interact with others, and
position ourselves in society.
• They are not simply attached to a particular image but are influenced by cultural norms
relevant to the time and place of their use.
• From birth, individuals are immersed in a constructed world where they

learn and internalize societal norms and meanings.
• These ingrained ideas and meanings form the basis of their worldviews and influence
social relationships.
Meanings
• People employ these meanings to forge their identities, which define their
social affiliations and personal self-concept.
• Media play a crucial role in positioning people, ideas, technologies, institutions, and
more within cultural contexts.
• The ability to generate meanings is not uniformly distributed.

• Individuals with greater access to symbolic, cultural, and economic resources wield
more influence in creating meanings.
• Those who control the media and cultural outputs can shape societal norms and
maintain power through preferred narratives.
Understanding Representation through Hegemony
• Developed by Antonio Gramsci in the 1930s
• Hegemony involves the establishment of a dominant culture that is

perceived as common sense.
• This includes a specific set of ideas, practices, and values
• Hegemony allows a dominant class to exercise social and cultural

leadership, influencing the economic, political, and cultural direction of
society.
• Hegemony creates consent.
Understanding Representation through Ideology
• Ideology
• Systems of beliefs and ideals, particularly those that undergird the dominant politics
and social values in a society.
• Representation is inherently ideological.
• Media and cultural texts play crucial roles in supporting the interests of dominant
groups by propagating content that reflects their ideologies.
• Discourse
• Socially sanctioned ways of thinking that define what can be said about a topic and how
it is represented.
• Discourse can be understood as hegemonic in function.

Representation
• “The meanings associated with mediated images and narratives, such as
television episodes, films, and music videos”
• Meanings of the representations depends on who creates and circulates them, the
cultural schema where the circulation takes place, and who receives them.
• Representations take place within the context of power relations.
• Media images and narratives convey meaning that matters for social groups
and for society as a whole.
• The politics of representation
Studying Representation
• Image Analysis
• Examines media images in relation to questions of equity
• Stylistic or Formalist Analysis

• Examine aesthetic choices and how they lend meaning
• Narrative Analysis
• Examine stories in media texts
• Ideological or Discourse Analysis

• Examine ideological messages or discourse embedded in media texts
Representation in Media
• Media products have the potential to teach us about our society, embodying
significant social insights.
• Audiences gain an understanding of the social world through their interaction with
both entertainment and news media.
• Media representations do not necessarily align with the external 'real' world.
• Media representations are selective, highlighting some realities while omitting others.
• Media does not typically aim to mirror the “real” world precisely.
• Every media product has the potential to convey “social messages.”
• The premise that the media should reflect society is not agreed on.
The Significance of Content
• Media content is all around us, from the news we watch to the social media
posts we read.
• Researchers study media content to understand how it shapes our society.
• Media content can reflect the values, norms, and beliefs of a society.
• Media content can also influence the way we think about the world.
The Significance of Content
• Media content can be used to infer about other social processes & to assess
the significance of that content.
• Ways to assess the significance of that content

• Content as reflection of producers
• Content as reflection of audience preference
• Content as reflection of society in general
• Content as an influence on audiences
• Content as self-enclosed text

Assess the Significance of Media Content
• Content as Reflection of Producers
• Media content can mirror the intentions of its creators.
• Ex. High number of child characters in sitcoms might reflect the demographics or
interests of the writers and producers.
• Content as Reflection of Audience Preference

• Media reflect what audiences prefer or the demographic characteristics of its viewers.
• High viewership for a particular program may suggest the content reflects the interests
of the audience.
• Example: Sitcoms with children appealing to viewers who are parents.

Assess the Significance of Media Content
• Content as Reflection of Society in General
• Media content can reflect a society’s concerns, interests, and priorities.
• Ex. A high number of crime dramas on television may reflect a society’s concern about
crime.
• Content as an Influence on Audiences

• Media content can affect audience behavior and societal attitudes.
• Ex Influence of media on family planning or social attitude.
• Content as self-enclosed text

• Focus on internal elements like narrative, language, and symbolism.
Race, Ethnicity, and Media Content
• Inclusion
• Are images, voices, and cultural representations of different racial and ethnic groups
included in media content?
• The nature of media roles

• How are members of racial and ethnic minorities portrayed in media content?
• The control of production

• Do individuals from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds have control over the
creation and production of media images featuring their groups?
Gender and Media Content
• Inclusion of Gender
• Do media producers represent the images, voices, and cultures of different genders in
their content?
• The nature of media roles

• How are different genders portrayed in media content by producer?
• The control of production

• Do individuals from various genders have control over the creation and production of
media images that represent their gender?
Portrayals of Gender
• How do media representations inform our understanding of what it means
to be a woman or a man or an LGBTQA+?
• Perceptions of Women
• Numbers
• Physical Appearance
• Concerns of Women
• Women and Violence
• Perceptions of Men
• Media portrayal of men may be positive in some ways sends the message to young boys
about what men are supposed to be like. If a man fail to do this, he is not a real man.
EXERCISE
In a team of 5-6 members:
• Collect 10 pieces of media as assigned by

instructors.
• Observe and note how the media portray

LGBTQ+.
• Identify any patterns in the portrayal of

LGBTQ+ content.
• Examine if there are any differences

between the portrayals of LGBTQ+
individuals and those of other genders.
• Present your findings to the class.

We will discuss “Learning from Media”
Next
Read:
Week
• Bandura, A. (2001). Social Cognitive Theory of Mass
Communication. Media Psychology, 3(3), 265-299.
• Krcmar, M. (2019). Social Cognitive Theory. In M. B. Oliver, A. A.
Raney, & J. Bryant (Eds.), Media Effects: Advances in Theory and
Research. (pp. 100-114). Routledge

ICMC217 - Week2 Representation in Media

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

ICMC217 - Week2 Representation in Media

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

ICMC217 - Week2 Representation in Media

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Week 2: Representation in Media

Dr. Supathida Kulpavaropas

As you watch, consider the following questions to guide

• What messages are being conveyed through the

• Who is the intended audience for this message?

• What might be the purpose behind creating

• How does it aim to impact the audience?

• From birth, individuals are immersed in a constructed world where they

• The ability to generate meanings is not uniformly distributed.

• Hegemony involves the establishment of a dominant culture that is

• Hegemony allows a dominant class to exercise social and cultural

• Representation is inherently ideological.

• Discourse can be understood as hegemonic in function.

• Representations take place within the context of power relations.

• Stylistic or Formalist Analysis

• Ideological or Discourse Analysis

• Every media product has the potential to convey “social messages.”

• Researchers study media content to understand how it shapes our society.

• Ways to assess the significance of that content

• Content as reflection of audience preference

• Content as reflection of society in general

• Content as an influence on audiences

• Content as self-enclosed text

• Content as Reflection of Audience Preference

• Example: Sitcoms with children appealing to viewers who are parents.

• Content as an Influence on Audiences

• Ex Influence of media on family planning or social attitude.

• Content as self-enclosed text

• The nature of media roles

• The control of production

• The nature of media roles

• The control of production

• Collect 10 pieces of media as assigned by

• Observe and note how the media portray

• Identify any patterns in the portrayal of

• Examine if there are any differences

• Present your findings to the class.

You might also like