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Exploration Seven - Representation



Exploratation Seven explores media representations. Students will be able to:

identify media stereotypes
recognize how mediation shapes representation
create a representation learning activity

Any media text is someone's version reality. Media take something that is real, a person or an event, and they change its form to produce a media text. This is called mediation and this version of reality becomes the representation.

Mediation occurs through selection (what to show and not show), organization (how to arrange the elements and focusing (directing the audience to focus on a particular aspect while ignoring others).

These representations are either accepted or rejected. If accepted by the vast majority of people in a culture, they become part of their beliefs about how people should behave and how things should be.

The mass media often use simplistic representation. An individual's interpretation of these representations can lead to stereotypes.

Representation is the way groups are presented in the media and popular culture. These representations affect our views of gender, race, class, age and ability.



Activities:

Activity One

Finish the phrases below. Do not try to reason out a response, but rather, just go with your first instinct.
  1. Trevor is energetic, eager and (intelligent/stupid).
  2. Sophie is bright, lively and (thin/fat).
  3. Jade is handsome, tall and (flabby/muscular)
  4. Kristen is attractive, intelligent and (likeable/unpleasant).
  5. Michelle is cheerful, positive and (attractive/unattractive).

Once you have completed each phrase, check your responses with others. Are they similar?

Activity Two

1. What is your opinion of any of the following:Jessica Simpson, Brad Pitt, J-Lo, Brittney Spears.

Share your response with a classmate.

Activity Three:

Complete the following quiz.

Reflection

Each of the activities in Take 1 dealt with representation and some with stereotypes. Reflect on your responses to each activity by completing the following questions.

  1. If I were a gambler, I would bet that your answers to Activity One matched the following responses: intelligent, thin, muscular, likeable, and attractive. This does not mean that your answers were correct. In fact, there are no correct answers, but the fact that most of you would complete these phrases in exactly the same manner does indicate something about representation and stereotypes. How would you explain the fact that the majority of people would respond in the same manner?
  2. When you shared your responses about the celebrities in Activity Two, did you find that each of you shared some common ideas and feelings about the celebrities? How would you account for the similarity of opinion? If your opinions differed, how did you account for the difference?
  3. Did you get 100% in the quiz in Activity Three? If you had any incorrect answers, were you able to select the correct response on the second try? On what information did you base your responses?

 

Celebrities often find themselves in the media spotlight. Since most of us do not have first hand knowledge of the stars, we rely on the media for information. However, some mass media representations are inaccurate. Through selection of details, organization, and focusing, representations can be misleading.



Representation Gap

Michael Jackson has received a great deal of media attention. Whether or not you are a fan of Jackson's, you have probably seen or heard media texts about him. Have you noticed any gaps in the recent media representations of Jackson from "star" to "potential criminal"?

  1. What information is missing in the gap of representation of Michael Jackson from pop star to criminal?
  2. Think about any recent biographies, news articles, or interviews that you have seen or heard about Michael Jackson. What mediation techniques have your noticed in the representation Michael Jackson? Have certain events been played over and over? What information appears to be missing? Is the coverage based on photos, video, print or a combination? Are headlines designed to produce shock? interest? What impact do these constructions have on your "read' of the text.

Media representations of men and women can influence your self-image. Media stereotypes can influence your perception of others. Our views of the elderly, women, men, teens, minorities, and people with disabilities are influenced by media images.


Interpretive Analysis

  1. Find three internet articles on representation in the media. Read each article carefully. You may choose from a variety of the following topics:
    • representation of the elderly in prime time television
    • representation of women in music videos
    • representation of teens in teen movies
    • representation of female heroines in children's literature/children's movies
    • representation of males in advertising
    • representation of minorities in prime time television (choose one minority group)
      representation of people with disabilities in any medium
2. Translate what you learned about representation from the articles into one of the following interpretive analysis.
  • Construct a visual which depicts what you discovered about the representation. Attach a written analysis of the visual.
  • Choose a visual metaphor and explain how the representation relates to the metaphor.
  • Choose a piece of music which you believe reflects the representation. Explain why the music is reflective of the representation. If possible, supply a link to listen to listen to the music.

You will be evaluated on:

Discussion of Activities
Interpretive Analysis

Interpretation Rubric

Interpretation Rubric