When it comes to the mass media, even in product advertising, we always need to be super aware of how people are portrayed and what messages are being said about them. While in the propaganda section we focused more on how propaganda functions psychologically, many of the memorable WWII propaganda that deemed it as derogatory were the ones that “othered” their rivals. Othering people is a tool used to keep in place power structures, which are biased, unequal and only good for a mere few. Race, gender, and sexuality are a few of the intersectional systems that are made and used against people in America. Therefore the representations of gender and race through the media is either working to “un other” people or to keep running in place.
While in representing people we want to be accurate, we also want to be mindful that the ways in which people are represented shape not only what the world thinks, but also how an individual thinks of themselves.
“In social psychology, a stereotype is an over-generalized belief about a particular category of people. Stereotypes are generalized because one assumes that the stereotype is true for each individual person in the category. While such generalizations may be useful when making quick decisions, they may be erroneous when applied to particular individuals. Stereotypes encourage prejudice and may arise for a number of reasons.” -wiki
In that sense, the invention of stereotypes acts as a tool for not only navigating the social climate but can very easily be used to reinforce “othering” power structures.
This might be the most dangerous media manipulation of all.
Lets think about the representation of women.
When it comes to the media we have more visual diversity than ever before (which isn’t saying much). However, we see that even though a woman in a hair dye commercial is seen to represent a liberated, independent, and sexy women who “choose to be worth it”. What is being “worth it” defined as? Why is this successful? and how do they define liberation?
These are the kinds of questions we need to ask. Are they selling us a product? an idea? are they simply rebranding the standard of beauty? all of the above?
Ideas and notions of what is “true” are being projected all over the place and its our job to question there authenticity. Although sometimes it can be hard since many of these media manipulations are extremely successful…
According to a “2012 study looking at representation on TV and its impact on children’s self-esteem had similar findings. In a survey of almost 400 black and white boys and girls, researchers found that the only demographic that didn’t experience lower self-esteem after watching TV was white boys. They pointed to racial stereotypes and the way black characters were portrayed as one explanation: “Black male characters are disproportionately shown as buffoons, or as menacing and unruly youths, and Black female characters are typically shown as exotic and sexually available,” the authors wrote. The TV portrayals of white boys, on the other hand, were “quite positive in nature.”
Representation matters.
For more information on race and gender studies check out the recommended book list under the menu icon.
Media Literacy For Dummies 