Media representation - week 10 video task


Media Representation

I very much enjoyed and resonated with video 1 this week; 'Why representation matters'. Mo Rodman at the beginning of the video discusses how validating it can be for minorities to see themselves represented in the digital and fictional world, it gives those people something to resonate with, to see themselves in. I found the quote if one 'cannot be represented, cannot be remembered' particularly striking as it shows the harsh reality of erasure and its devastating effects. No culture, difference, or minority should be pushed into the shadows. Media should portray the real world and everyone in it, not just what is deemed the social norm.

I found myself very interested in the second video, covering Stuart Hall's representation theory. Hall rejects the idea that anyone event has a single fixed meaning or implication. We are shown the example of Trump, how liberal media portrays him negatively while conservative media paints him in a more positive light. This was the idea that Hall questioned, his questioning the ability of the media to give meaning to an event. I had explored this thought in the past with media biases but hearing it as a solid theory really put into a more structured idea. A part I found most interesting was the exploration of who exactly gets to give context to these events. I heavily agree that media production teams certainly have ulterior motives when connotating events and people. It is one of the easiest ways to push an agenda as information nowadays spreads like wildfire due to digital media. Every article or book you read, every movie, show, or youtube video you watch should be questioned, as most likely someone is trying to reinforce stereotypes or their own beliefs through the most casual of actions. 

In video 3 I was immediately stricken by Marian Wright Edelman's quote 'you can't be what you cant see.' I think this quote sums up perfectly the fact that many are discouraged from reaching their goals due to seeing a lack of people like them in those positions. We can especially see this with young women averting their dreams from positions of power due to a the male-dominated industries. Further discouragement, especially in the area of politics arises from the portrayal of women in positions of power, with a focus being on their physical appearance and their feminine traits as opposed to their ideas and work. It is explained that women are twice as likely to be described as 'emotional' than their male counterparts, this reinforces the idea that women are irrational and unable to make non-biased decisions. We see time and time again, men feeling they have the right to unwarrantedly insult women in power in a way they would never use against men, calling them 'pigs' and 'bitches,' it is unacceptable and disgusting. Many people nowadays claim that sexism is no longer an issue in today's society but that is entirely untrue, we will never achieve an equal gendered society with a male-dominated government, especially one filled with men who feel they can belittle and curse out their female colleagues solely based on their gender. 

In conclusion, from these 3 videos, I further educated myself on the need for diversity in media, the way media puppets our ideas around events, and the sexism women face today, and how badly it needs to be deconstructed



   photo credits: representation matters


references
why representation matters:   video 1
Stuart Hall's representation theory explained; video 2
Miss representation female leadership: video 3

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