1. Soc. 118 Media, 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
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 Characters 1999-2003

11. Minority Regular Characters by Race/Ethnicity and Sex

12. Race, Characters and Programs

14. Role Portrayal Minorities are usually stereotyped Case Studies: Race
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

15. Asian Stereotypes and Stereotype-Busters

16. “Picturing Oriental Girls”
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 Portrayal Case 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