Soc. 118 Media, Culture & Society

1. Soc. 118Media, Culture & Society Chapter Six: Social Inequality and Media Representation

2. Overview • The Significance of Content • Comparing Media Content and the Real World • Social Inequality and Media Content • Inclusion, Role Portrayal, Control of Production • Race • Class • Gender • Sexual Orientation • Video Presentations

3. The Significance of Content • Approaches to Studying Content • Producers • Content reflects intent of producers • Audiences • Content reflects audience taste and interests • Society • Content reflects social values and norms • Effects • Content analysis and influence on audience • Independent of Context • Content as self-enclosed text

4. Comparing Media Content to the Real World • How does media represent the real world? • Gap between reality and representation • Researchers study media to make inferences about society • How media reflects social reality • How media shapes values and norms • The most powerful characteristic of media • The pervasiveness of white male perspectives

5. Comparing Media Content to the Real World • Representations are not reality • Media is inevitably incomplete and narrow • Measuring and comparing media with reality • Media may not try to reflect reality • Media genres of fiction and fantasy • Still tell us about the social world • Potential social significance • Disagreement about whether media should reflect reality • Irrelevant issue for many • Use of the media for escape

7. Understanding Social Inequality • Social inequality • Stratification leads to discrimination • Unequal access to social resources • “Minority” groups • Unequal treatment • The social construction of race • The meaning and consequences of racial distinctions • Whiteness as the norm • “Master status” and stigma • The language of social inequality • Stereotypes • Over-generalizations • Racial signifiers • Gender marking

8. Inclusion • Minorities are underrepresented in the media • Compared with their numbers in general population • Representations were very limited until 1960s and 70s • More African-Americans but few other groups • 1970: 6% of characters on TV; 11% of population • 1980: 8%; 12% • 1990: 11%; 12% • Inclusion has changed dramatically • Under-representation is still the norm • Latinos: • 2007: 6% of characters on TV; 12% of population

9. Racial Diversity in Prime-Time

10. Racial Diversity of Characters1999-2003

11. Minority Regular Characters by Race/Ethnicity and Sex

12. Race, Characters and Programs

14. Minorities are usually stereotyped Overly-simplified, distorted image of a group Case Studies: Race Traditional Racism Early images blatantly racist History of White-produced stereotyped images Minstrel shows and “blackface” Trend toward new roles for minorities Influence of civil rights movement Examples: Discrimination-themed movies 1960s “Blacksploitation” films of 1970s Idealized Native Americans in 1990s Challenges by media watchdog organizations Fighting stereotypes Role Portrayal

15. Asian Stereotypes and Stereotype-Busters

16. Video Presentation: “Picturing Oriental Girls”

17. Role Portrayal:Modern Racism • Hostility, rejection and denial • Toward activities, aspirations and achievements of minorities • More subtle, but still powerful • Stereotypes reinforced at levels below conscious awareness • Unintentional messages conveyed through media • New villains and political correctness (CNN clip: “The Siege”) • Exclusion and inclusion as racist • Focus on bizarre, unusual, or pathological elements of minority communities (TV news) • Norms of production linked to new stereotype of “problem people” • Intersection of race and class • Images of middle-class Blacks on TV, celebrities, newscasters • Contrasted with focus on underclass in the news • Suggests that failure to succeed is individual’s fault • Since others have achieved American Dream

19. Race and Occupation

20. Minorities in the Media • The inequality that minorities face in society is reflected in their treatment in the media • Media reflects and reinforces inequality • The history of minorities in the media • Content analysis of messages related to the issue of race • Three levels of analysis • Inclusion • Role portrayal • Control of production

21. Role PortrayalCase Study: Gender • More portrayals of men than women • Women included but in secondary roles • Marginalized • Traditional notions of women and femininity (men and masculinity) • Different occupational roles • Women as sex objects or mother/housewives • Stereotypical but changing gender roles • “Backlash” against feminism • Example of sportscasting and women athletes • Differential use of language

22. Gender by Role Type

23. Gender and Occupation

24. Class and the Media • Class permeates media content • American society depicted in media is more wealthy than in the real world • Heavily populated by middle-class professionals • Elite professionals vastly over-represented • Domestic-based sitcoms • 70% feature middle-class families • 45% headed by professionals • Lifestyle of characters • Lots of disposable income • Few working-class programs • Stereotypes of working-class people

25. Video Presentation

26. Control of Production • White men historically controlled the media • Minorities produce a “culture of resistance” • Counterculture that opposes racist stereotypes • Example of rap music as ideological critique • 2 strategies for gaining control: • Develop alternative media • More feasible • But producers sacrifice reaching larger audience • Change mainstream media • Women and minorities in more positions of authority and influence • Still underrepresented and concentrated in lower levels • Change in minority control • Bigger share of the market • Narrowcasting in programming • Minority ownership trends