Watch the youtube videos created by David Gauntlett to help you!

Make a short video or sound bite that answers these three questions and upload your findings to the wall.

How does media influence people?

What it means to be British?

How do you think Britain is portrayed in Media?

Summarise Stuart Hall's argument into 5 useful revision bullet points.

WARNING!! WE HAVE A TEST NEXT FRIDAY 07/02/14. BE READY TO DISCUSS AUDIENCE THEORY.

Collective Identity is not created by the media it is however enforced through the media.

Individuals gain their identity through individual events and can therefore relate through

 means of the media to other people.

Media can influence people through many different ways, this could have both positive and negative outcomes. We could use the Hypodermic Needle theory to propose these ideas. For example, there are case studies to prove that playing video games for a long time could lead to violence and even deaths. We can infer that, because of the violence in Video games such as Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty and Battlefield, people then mirror these actions, meaning they are very influenced. Ricour, on the other hand, believes media narratives to be a 'vast laboratory for thought experiments', suggesting that media causes some affect on our mind, and could potentially influence us.

What does it mean to be British?

Personally, when I think of being British, I think of our Queen, the famous landmarks, and our government. Being ruled by a Queen is not something that all countries have, and this has been a British tradition for centuries. There are many famous landmarks in Britain and very famous buildings, particularly in London. Traditional landmarks that people often think of is our big, red, double-decker buses, our red telephone boxes and red post-boxes. Although we might not even use these anymore, you can still find them and they are protected by the council, because they represent our traditions. We are also run by our PM, David Cameron, meaning we are a Conservative Society.

How do you think Britain is portrayed in the media?

Usually, American films stereotype British people as being stiff, posh, arrogant and sometimes over weight. On the film 101 Dalmatians (1961) there is an American family who have hired a British maid. This maid is short, fat and is always making them cups of tea and scones. She also uses different kinds of archaic language such as "'E's a bloomin' 'ero" which is 'He iss a blooming hero' to us. This would be the stereotypical Londoner to Americans. In more recent films such as...        

Media can influence people in a negative way, this has been argued by the Hypodermic Syringe theory, the idea that when we watch a programme, for example, the messages are being injected into us. There is things such as Copy Cat Crimes, where, children in particular, watch things and then re-enact them. Like the Jamie Bulger case, the killers where alleged to have watch Chucky before hand.

What it means to be British?

Stereotypically, we eat fish and chips on Friday and drink tea and eat scones in the afternoon and we're posh, however this isn't true. To be British, traditionally, it's about post boxes, telephone boxes, post offices, country sides, double-decker busses, black taxi cabs and being patriotic to the Queen. Now-a-days, to be British is hard to define, there has been a decline in religion and an uprising in the Mass Media (Post-Marxism) and so we are no longer a Christian dominated society, we have become a multi-cultural society, accepting of different religions and ethnicities.

How do you think Britain is portrayed in Media?

In Despicable II, Mr. Ramsbottom, is the stereotypical version of an English Man. Joseph Condrad's novella: Heart of Darkness, features two women. One is old, fat, and is knitting, the other one is young and slim, these are stereotypes of two different ages in Britain.

How does media influence people?

Media can influence people in positive and negative ways. For example, positive ways include celebrities being role models so that people have motivation to follow their ambitions. Campaigns are also created that are intentional for example 'stop smoking' adverts which attempt to make people healthier. However media can also influence people negatively for example, celebrities put pressure on people to look and act a certain way which can be fatal on the public. for example, thin celebrities often become idols and young girls believe that is is prettier to look like them. Gambling adverts can also have a negative impact, because although it is a serious addiction is is advertised as a fun and beneficial activity. The portrayel of sex and drugs is also an issue ( Rogers).

Children are influenced immensely by the media a famous example of this is the Jamie Bulger case. This can be used as a practical application to limit the violent/sexual material that children are exposed to for example only allowing certain programmers on post watershed.

What it means to be British?

Usually, British voices are stereo typically viewed as posh and well spoken however there are also stereotypes of other accents such as the Dorset accent. When people think of British weather, they will think of it being cold, cloudy and mainly rainy. And although there are negative portrayals of British people ewe are also known for our rich culture and Patriotism. The royal family is iconic to the image of British. Historically, British people have been known for their sophistication by the way we dress and our intelligence. A positive representation of Britain is usually the rural areas and the landscape.

How do you think Britain is portrayed in Media?

British people are more often then not represented negatively in the Media. For example, in the film 'Wild Child' the main protagonist is from California living a glamorous and fun life and as a punishment for misbehaving she is moved to an English boarding school. A juxtaposition is created between the female students at the boarding school and the female characters shown in California as the British students are presented as snobby and never break the rules, and therefore do not have as much fun with their lives. This, therefore, can be seen as negative representations of people from Britain. However it can also be seen in a positive way as British students are unified due to their school uniform suggesting we are a close,sophisticated culture. The characters are also hardworking and studious which suggesting people from Britain are intelligent and likely to be successful.

In the TV series 'Friends' during the episodes filmed in London, Britain in general is presented stereotypically. For example, during Emily's first appearance in Friends she is presented as arrogant, rude and sarcastic. Her voice is also well spoken and posh in comparison to the American Friends characters, When Ross flies out to London to surprise Emily, it is raining which is a stereotype of British weather. Furthermore, when the characters are in London and Joey explores the various landmarks, Britain is presented in a positive way as historical landmarks are shown to present our rich culture,

The media is all round us, which many people may or may not be aware of, by the media being basically everywhere it would be hard to ignore it. The media comes in many different forms from billboards to magazines and even radio channels. The media can be a positive or a negative influence, for instance social networking sites, this has been in a public eye for some time and shown the negative sides to this.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-23825049

Some of the positives could be role models, as many kids could come from broken homes and do not have a positive influence, so look to celebrity role models, many have broken away from poverty so could look to them, so they could as well.

How do you think Britain is portrayed in the media?

Over weight, benefit scroungers with a lot of underage pregnancy and also binge drinking. The accents of individuals from different areas are emphasised through their stereotypes.  

The media is all round us, which many people may or may not be aware of, by the media being basically everywhere it would be hard to ignore it. The media comes in many different forms from billboards to magazines and even radio channels. The media can be a positive or a negative influence, for instance social networking sites, this has been in a public eye for some time and shown the negative sides to this.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-23825049

Some of the positives could be role models, as many kids could come from broken homes and do not have a positive influence, so look to celebrity role models, many have broken away from poverty so could look to them for hope and inspiration. Some of these celebrities include Mariah Carey, Halle Berry, Mark Walhberg and even J.K Rowling, many of these celebrities can all be seen as positive influences. By the media presenting them, for example in films or magazines then it enhances their fame and also status.

http://www.therichest.com/expensive-lifestyle/money/top-10-poorest-before-they-became-celebrities/

What does it mean to be British?

We think that there isn't just one definition to define 'what being British means' over the years England has become a more diverse country and we  have accepted other ethic groups. We have become a more diverse country, which we think is a good thing as it allows us to learn from other traditions  and embrace other cultures, we are a country of 'Freedom of speech'  whereas other countries are not, England can be seen as a safe country where many come too. By allowing other members form other countries in  we are protecting them.

Many associate British people as being patriotic to the Queenand bring the community together. We think that England has achieved this ideology, as the royal wedding and birth allowed the community to create a cohesion and celebrate certain events together, as many lined the streets to participant within this celebration.

How do you think Britain is portrayed in the media?

The negative stereotypes include:

Over weight, benefit scroungers with a lot of underage pregnancy and also binge drinking. The accents of individuals from different areas are emphasised through their stereotypes.

Whereas the traditional associations are:

Tea drinking, 'posh' accents, love for the Queen, Big Ben, red buses , Shakespeare, fish and chips on a Friday due to Christianity, bad weather and roast dinners on a Sunday. 

Words other countries associate with us:

* Splendid

* Cheerio

* Spiffing

Audiences can passively accept media which could be a negative thing as it is could encourage people to act in a certain way. For example audiences may feel they should act and be how celebrities are such as those who are too slim. Especially the effect on teenage girls who see some celebrities as role models. On the other hand the media could have a positive effect on peoples thoughts and make them want to act differently. There may be a lot of people that choose to ignore what they see in the media.

What it means to be British?

A typical stereotype of a British person is that they are posh and drink tea. When I think of Britain I think of the Royal family, our government and landmarks in capital cities such as Big Ben and the London Eye. There are some negative stereotypes to what the British are like, however this is normally stated by different nationalities and countries who have their own interpretation of what it is like to be British. Being British you view yourself differently to what others think of you as we do not want to conform to the stereotype that is set for us such as being 'football hooligans' who drink and smoke all of the time.

How do you think Britain is portrayed in the media?

In the news for example there is always over exaggerations of what a typical teenage in Britain is like when in fact it is the minority of people. The news likes to put a binary opposition between the elderly and the youth claiming that the youth are 'bad' and the elderly are 'good' as they are seen to always adopting traditional values and norms. Within films and TV programmes for example stereotypes always seem to be over exaggerated such as the way we speak is with received pronunciation especially in comparison with people from other countries. It through fictional events that these stereotypes are mostly exaggerated. Through reality TV and documentaries Britain get a more true view of what different areas of Britain are like. Overall the media normally portrays Britain in the same way and that it is like that all through the country when in reality it is very different. Some areas are more traditional and carry on this stereotype when some areas are less economically developed. Therefore Britain is not always portrayed positively through the media.

what it means to be BRITISH?

The meaning is overlooked by stereotypes and misconceptions. unique aspects of our culture have become trademarks for our society e.g roast dinners, tea and scones

http://www.phmedia.blogspot.co.uk/p/year-13-media-and.html

Media influences people in a number of ways. One of these ways would be in a negative way. For example, it could 'persuade people to do something they don't want to do. An example of this
would be playing video games and especially a game like GTA. Due to the fact its such a violent game it can make people do bad thing. However it could have a positive influence on people, for example media can make people differently but in more of a positive way.

What it means to be British?

British people are stereotyped a lot and very similar. An example of a British stereotype would be we all eat fish and chips, drink tea and speak posh. On the other hand, there a few negative stereotypes, for example that we all are thugs, gangsters. We are all in a football firm and have fights every week. These stereotypes are shown through a lot of British films, for example This is England or Green Street. However these are very un true and generalised. What I think it means to be British would be that, very simply, live in Britain. I don't think you have to be something to be British, just have a British passport.

How do you think Britain is portrayed in Media?

Britain is portrayed quite negatively in the media. An example of this would be in the news, when they only report negative things like the London riots or the death of Lee Rigby. They rarely report on positive things that Britain has done. Another example would be through films where they portray Britain as a very violent place to be. However, Britain can be portrayed in a positive way through the media, for example the Royal Wedding, where millions watched the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Overall, Britain is viewed rather negatively in the media, through crime and violence when in reality its quite different.

Arguably, the media acts as the primary agent of distorting people, however I believe the media  simply acts as an influencer. For people to be truly influenced by the media they must have a vulnerable nature and violent media only enforces volatile thoughts which an individual may have. Violent crimes have always been committed they have always been to the same violent extent and simply blaming some portions of media is simply a scapegoat.

Nevertheless, the media does set agenda. Specifically newspapers, newspapers in the UK play a large role in determining how the public views politics. Populist newspapers such as the Daily Mail and Daily Express have used European immigration to sway public opinion against European immigration.  Moreover, the Sun newspaper in 1992 published "It was the Sun wot won it" in response to John Major`s election win. The paper prior to the election openly supported the Conservatives though it is not certain that its support moved support away from Neil Kinnock and the Labour party.

What it means to be British?

I'm not really sure what it means to be British but certainly I associate being British with diversity.

From a Monarchical form of government to knighthoods, Britain very much still is lagging behind many other western governments in terms of politics and the rigidity of social class. When I originally moved here I felt it was difficult to accept that somebody could be of higher social class simply through a title which was given upon them by a hereditary monarch. 

My view of the positives about this type of culture has created a hugely diverse population. the stereotypes which one would have about Britain are not in the slightest true. Though this is obvious people from all parts of the country are different and even within cities one may stumble upon hugely personal differences.

How do you think Britain is portrayed in the media?

I feel Britain is portrayed in a negative way in the media a large amount of the time. Recent military operation in Afghanistan and Iraq have largely contributed to this as over time it became evident the wars were a intelligence scam in relation to Iraq and an unwinnable conflict in Afghanistan. The EU in relation to the UK is frequently negatively portrayed, people seem to be ever more opposed to the EU, even though most dislike it however do not clearly know the pros and cons of the institution.

Although commentators frequently call the UK foreign development fund a wrong use of tax payers funds I believe it is great use of money. Around 8bn pounds a year are sent abroad for international development. British will to work together has been highly evident since 1945 with the creation of the NHS however successive Conservative Governments under Thatcher, Major and Cameron have made sure that nationalised industries are sold off for profit.

In relation to Gramsci`s theory and Marxist theory in general media does shape society in the way in which it instils norms and values. The same way in which religion  has ensured the status quo for the ruling classes. Essentially religion has been replaced by media to keep the lower classes in their place.

A less radical view would argue that media only reflects society as people acknowledge what the media is saying but it is at their will whether or not they take on board what the media is telling them.

Big film companies, whether British or American, reflect AND shape our society. When portraying British people and British culture, they will usually always film in London, showing our food stereotypes and exaggerating our accents. We could say that this reflects our society, because some of it might be true. However, just because we are British it doesn't mean we sit drinking tea with our pinky in the air, eating fish and chips and watching the Queen all day. This is how it could shape our society, by playing on certain stereotypes.    

Marxist argue that the working class is ruled by the upper class and society is a functional unit that only benefits the ruling class as Marxist believe that social mobility is a myth and does not exist. According to Gramsci's theory the media does shape and reflect an individual. It is common for the lower classes to passively accept the ruling class ideologies, as they have been socialised to accept the hypodermic needle theory, however the presence of social networking such as Facebook and Twitter has proven that the working class are establishing their own identity, even if they are unable to reach the power that the ruling class gains. As a result, it is evident that to some extent the media does reflect society.

- Beckie :)

Jordan :) x

2. Based on your personal standpoint you may agree, be undecided on issues or completely reject them altogether.

3. He also explains that issues are never made up, however the media may play on them to make them appeal more to certain groups of society.

4. The media may encode certain events in a way in which they look nothing like the real event.

5. Media does not shape society it simply re presents it.

2. The old view of representation is that it is a reflection/distortion of reality.

3. Representation through the media is an image already there but re presented so audiences will pay more attention to the information or it will attract people.

4. 'Gap of representation' - "true meaning" and the "media representation"

5. It is left up to the audiences own personal opinion whether to accept of reject the information.

2. Representation is a way in which meaning is given to the things depicted

3.   Stuart Hall states that their is a gap in representation: 'true meaning' and 'media representation'

4. The media sometimes purposely keeps to the representation of certain groups to appeal to the target audience

5. Something that was already there and through the media it is re-presented, which is an idea that Stuart Hill is trying to subvert

Representation has a double meaning:

-To present and depict

-Something has to be represented by means of political figures standing in for us

-Media represents topics, people and events

-There is a gap between the true meaning and the representation, people have their subjective views so they can choose whether to accept the information given by the media or not

- late/modern culture is the saturated communication worldwide;

- cultural studies has had an impact on representation;

- things are transmit through the media;

- representation gives the idea that something was there already and the media represents this idea.

2. Representation carries the notion that something that already exists has been re-presented through the media.

3. Idea of presenting and depicting that the likes of political figures 'stand in' for us

4. Representation is the way in which MEANING is given to things depicted.

5. Theres a 'gap' in representation, shown if you think the meaning being given is distorted.

2. Representation means how things are depicted.

3. He argues there is a 'Gap of representation' - "true meaning" and the "media representation"

4. representation gives you the idea that media represent the idea and that it was already there to begin with.

5. society is represented through media, it is not shaped by it

2. Representation has multiple meanings: to present, to image and to depict.

3. The media re-presents a meaning or value that is already there.

4. We think of political leaders that represent us/'stand in for us'/'take the place of' us.

5. There is a 'true meaning' of something which has been depicted, and a 'gap of representation' and then how it is presented in the media, all in different ways.   

-Red buses

-Bad weather

-Black taxis

-British flag

-River Thames

The majority of people are stereotypical when it comes to Britain, the first thing they associate us with is London  (above list shows) and all the famous landmarks. As the list shows theses are the typical things that holiday makers and other people assume from English people.

In the 1990s, singles charts were dominated by Boy bands and girl groups like Take That, and Spice Girls

In order to fully understand his views you will need a basic understanding of:

-Marxism

-Capitalism

Conclude to what extent you agree with his theory?

Briefly explain how.

Post findings to the wall.

This film most definitely puts Britain in a positive light as the nation came together which created community cohesion when King George VI declared war on Germany. In this time period Britain pulled together and supported one another in their times of need, for instance a death. This film presents Britain in a positive light as the nation unified and helped each other out.

Starring prolific British actor Simon Pegg, Run Fatboy Run focuses on a man who after running away from his fiancée, lives in regret and is determined to win her back. The determined and motivated characterisation of Simon Pegg's character is set on the backdrop of modern London, with its positive and attractive iconography. Such positive characterisation is uncommon in Modern British films, with them usually focussing on much grittier subjects such as drugs, sex and violence. The much more relatable topic of willpower and motivation is far more easy for the audience to be able to relate to and understand.

Nick Frost and Simon Pegg star in this, although it shows Britons negatively as they are murderers, it shows Nick Frost and Simon Pegg show true friendship, as they help each other out and support each other.

* Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Again, Nick Frost and Simon Pegg show support as they help each other out during an apocalypse.

* Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)

Shows women can be successful financially

This film was entirely filmed in London, except for when they travel to America. When they are in London, Britishness is re-enforced because of Austin Powers' car has a British flag on the top of it, this shows his pride of being British. Him and his father are also greatly popular spies, that are known for their wit and ability to save the world, this in itself shows Britain as a country in which has people in it that are passionate about their identity and that are brave and strong.

There is also scenes in these films where they are at discos with people in which they are very close to, and they all share banter which includes class British terms like 'swinging sh*tty' and 'yeah baby.' This shows how Britain as a collective identity is very friendly and close and share terms which they all know.

Applying your understanding of hegemony and culture industry critically discuss this view.

You may refer to one or more groups of people in your answer.

The film focuses on a young Sikh girl from west London infatuated with football. However, her parents forbid her to play football because of their cultural beliefs namely as she is female.

She befriends a player on a local team and tires out for the team with the coach wanting her to join. because the girl if forbidden to play she pretends to have a job to hide that she plays football from her parents.

She eventually comes clean and persuades her parents to allow her to continue playing football and gain a scholarship at a prestigious university. Eventually her parents grow proud of and fully support her in her dreams.

This film represents British collective identity in a positive way because regardless of gender people may have the same opportunity

This film delves into different aspects of love. This film shows British collective identity in a positive way as it shows a variety of different people as individuals but also how they come together as a group as they all seem in some way to be linked. This gives a sense of groups being close in society and people helping eachother out at the festive time of the year. It also shows how much people in Britain value Christmas as part of a norm in society and how it brings individuals together.

Shows what people think are the typical British person. most of it
was filmed in London whilst some was filmed abroad. Mostly all British,
however, there were some foreign people who were cast to make it more
'real'. Shows media collective because it shows the MI5 come together to
'crack the case'. James Bond shows Britain in a positive way because it 
shows us that we're very good people who work together to sort things 
out. 

GENDER as a collective identity

AGE

RACE

SUBCULTURES

FANS

COLLECTIVE ONLINE IDENTITIES

Due: 28/04/14

Among the earliest studies of representation is Stan Cohen's study of Mods and Rockers in the mid 1960s.

(You can read more about that here: http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/hrb9701.html)

He argued that the media labelled youth culture in a stereotyped and negative way, thus creating "folk devils". These "devils" and their activities were reported in such a way as to create "moral panic".

Moral panic occurs when:

"a condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests".

Below are a list of "moral panics" that were arguably instigated by the British Media, can you post an example of a media text that exaggerates this issue thus damming the collective identity in a public sphere?

1. The black entertainer

2. The rebellious youth

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/11/us/anglican-leader-under-fire-for-remarks-urges-caution-on-same-sex-marriage.html?ref=samesexmarriage&_r=0

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22758434

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2157905/Church-England-Gay-marriage-plan-force-CofE-split-state.html     (Church of England- mail online)

by immigrates. The scare comes from the fact that the amount of unemployed British citizens is increasing, therefore, more immigrators coming over equals even more competition. Also, we could argue that they  are 'stealing' our benefits, and that they only come over to claim these benefits to look after their family. However, it is debatable whether this is really true, and whether it is our Government which has presented this problem, by being too generous with the benefits in which they give.

The Telegraph warned that ‘Britain [is] powerless to stop tens of thousands of Bulgarians and Romanians moving to UK’. The Sun lamented about ‘Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants ...threatening to swamp Britain — and flood our overstretched jobs market’. Because of these scares created by Medias such as the televised news and newspapers, we as a nation automatically scape goat this group of people, when, in fact, it is the Government's fault.

http://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/franck-d%C3%BCvell/romanian-and-bulgarian-migration-to-britain-facts-behind-fear

We have scapegoated teenage parents as 'chavs' and people who get pregnant for benefits. We have an idea that they sleep around, get pregnant and keep the baby for child benefits and housing benefits. Great Britain has the highest number of teenage pregnancies in Western Europe. However, the Telegraph Website looked into teenage pregnancies and conducted a survey. They said: 

"Dispelling the myth that teens get pregnant to receive benefits

However, there is a common assumption, (likely to be expressed by those who have never experienced a teenage pregnancy), that teenagers get pregnant to receive benefits or housing; that it’s an “easy way out” so they don’t have to get a job, and that by removing such incentives the number of teenage pregnancies will drop."

Society tends to look down upon those who are pregnant, and we believe that they've left school and 16, never cared at school, didn't get GCSEs, trouble makers etc.

With teenage families, we then go on to think they will be living off benefits all their lives and then having multiple kids and getting the maximum amount of benefits they can.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/5741371/Knife-crime-is-on-the-rise.html

http://www.theguardian.com/uk/datablog/2012/apr/12/london-knife-crime

https://beta.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-gangs

http://www.citizensreportuk.org/news/2012/06/20/london-knife-crime-offences-2007-to-2012/

http://depts.washington.edu/mhreport/facts_violence.php

Share on the wall examples of your top three, tried and tested revision techniques that you have found useful for Media Studies.

My suggestions are:

-Theory revision cards

-Coloured mind maps relating to different areas of the exam

-An example bank with key dates, name of Director etc.

<---------------------------------------------------------

But on a different area of representation.

For example:

Gender

Disability

Race

-Watch Youtube videos and make notes

-Taking out text books from library to help

2. Mind maps

3. Posters on your wall

The power of the audience to interpret texts and determine their popularity is much
greater than that of media institutions to send a particular message or
ideology within their texts.

Fiske also points out that we cannot talk about ‘the audience’, because a singular mass of consumers does not exist: there is only a range of different individuals with their own changing tastes and beliefs.

Fiske argues that ‘Culture is a living, active process: it can be developed only from within, it cannot be imposed from without or above’.  Culture is only created in the act of the (potentially different) interpretation by the audience.

There is a social structure which shapes our lives (traditions, institutions, moral codes, established ways of doing things), but it relies on individuals following these structures.  When they act differently the social structure can change.  Structuration is the process in which human agency and social structure are in a constant
relationship – the social structure is reproduced by the repetition of acts by individual people (and can therefore change).

Social Order and Social Reproduction – Giddens argues that the ‘rules’ of the social order may only be in our heads but people are often shocked when seemingly minor social expectations are not adhered to. People’s everyday actions reinforce and reproduce a set of expectations – and it is this set of other people’s expectations which make up the social forces that
maintain the social order.

Post-traditional society – Giddens argues that in traditional societies individual actions and identities do not have to be thought about as much as choices are determined by tradition and custom.  In post-traditional times we are less concerned about following tradition.  As a result we have to think more about how
to behave in society.  In modern societies (‘societies where modernity is well-developed’) self-identity becomes an issue we are all aware of.  Earlier
societies with a social order based firmly in tradition would provide individuals with more clearly defined roles. In post-traditional society we have to work out our roles for ourselves. ‘What to do?  How to act?  Who to be? These are focal questions for everyone living in circumstances of late
modernity – and ones which, on some level or another, all of us answer’.

The reflexive project of the self – Giddens argues that the self is ‘made’ by the individual, self-identity becomes a reflexive project (something we are actively aware of).  Self-identity is a person’s own reflexive understanding of their biography, but is not an objective description of that person.  The self is not something we are born with, and it is not fixed.  The self is reflexively made – thoughtfully constructed by the individual.  We all choose a lifestyle – consumerism is one of the ways in which project and develop our lifestyle.  Just as the self has become changeable, so too has the body.

Hebdige focused on the importance of style for subcultures to demonstrate their
resistance to mainstream culture. ‘the tensions between dominant and subordinate groups can be found reflected in the
surfaces of subculture – in the styles made up of mundane objects which have a double meaning.’
‘subcultures are a form of resistance in which experienced contradictions and objections to
this ruling ideology are represented in style.’

For Hebdige subcultures resisted dominant society through style (costume, language, behaviour).  Hebdige suggests subcultures resist hegemony (a situation in which one social class dominates society by making their way of life appear to be the normal/natural way of living).  Subcultures call into question the validity of hegemonic values.

Giroux argues youth is now demonised in popular culture and shown to be in need of
adult surveillance and control.

‘with few exceptions it is always the case with youth films that the point of view is
adult; the films concern an adult perception of the lives of the young.’

‘Order has a key function: to reproduce itself. Youth in crisis, youth gone wild, is a central site in which this
activity of reproducing order takes place. It involves the constitution of the normal, adult, the normal youth, and
the relation between the two.  The deviant youth is thus a crucial trope of this relationship; it helps patrol the
boundaries.’

‘Youth is a time of substantial surveillance exactly because it is a time when the culture is learned.  Whilst youth are
permitted to play with the transgressive, they are being checked and marked.  The ideology of protection
facilitates strategic interventions by the state and other, the purpose of which…is to guarantee the smooth reproduction of social relations.  With this comes the smooth reproduction of racial and ethnic, gender, and class relations…at stake here is the reconstitution of particular ideas about social stability’.

Q7) How far does the representation of a particular social group change over time?

Refer to at least two media in your answers (50 marks)

In this essay I will be studying how different social groups are portrayed in the two following films; A matter of Life and Death which was made in 1946, and Trainspotting which was made in 1996.

The first media I will be referring to is A matter of life and Death. The main social groups in this film were males and females. In this film the men were portrayed as macho and dominant characters, as most of them were soldiers. Also in this film jobs which held a position of power such as the doctor, were played by males. This could be due to the fact that at this time, it was not socially acceptable for women to work. Women had helped out during the war effort, and as the war was over it was expected that they would return to their positions in the home. This would lead the way for the males to be in control.

In this film the characters were not portrayed as equals as the main woman character was portrayed as weak and needy, whereas in contrast the males were strong and powerful. However the main male character who was ill, still needed the comfort of a women, which could expose a softer side to his character, and the strong persona he portrayed was just a “front”.

In an unusual contrast in this film, the person in charge of heaven is a women, which was odd as you would expect it to me a man.

The second media which I am referring to is the film produced by Danny Boyle, called Trainspotting. In the film, the main social groups are men, women and some criminals.

In this film, all the characters are or end up being drug users. The men are portrayed stereotypically as drug users, with shaven heads, and tracksuits. This differs to the first media as the men are not dominating characters and do not hold positions of power.

One of the main characters is portrayed as a ring leader with everyone complying to what he says as they are scared of him. As the film was made in 1996, this could be typical of gang culture today.

The women in this film, are also drug users and are portrayed as weak and feeble for giving into the drugs. They are not portrayed as women who stay at home and look after the house, like in the first film. This could have been done by the director to reflect the changing social circumstances of people, and the change in social life over time.

The social groups are portrayed as nearly equals, as they are all drug users, expect the character of Begby has a higher status in the group than some of the other characters.

One of the women who is a drug user in the film, is portrayed in a worse light than her male counterparts as she neglects her child and it ends up dying.

There is another female character in the film, who ends up going out with the main male character. She is not a drug user and is seen as the stable influence in the mans life. This is something which has not changed from the first film, where the radar worker nurses and supports the male.

Throughout both of the media, male and female characters have been portrayed differently. The main similarities between the two films are that at least one of the female characters is seen as a mother figure to one of the males. There is also some form of dominating male character, which shows stereotypes still exist even though the time periods between the two films is quite a long time.

The differences between the two media’s are that what is seen as an acceptable lifestyle the portrayal has changed. Another difference is that in the first film, there was a clear divide in equality between the male and female characters, whereas in the second film there is less of an equality issue and more of a status issue.

Overall, I think that social groups have been stereotyped in these films, even though they were made in two different time periods.