Representation
Read the Media Magazine feature 'Representation old and new'. MM51 on page 6
1) Why is representation an important concept in Media Studies?
The word representation itself holds a clue to its importance. When we see a person, place, object or idea being represented in a media text, it has in some way been mediated by the very act of representation. A representation is a re-presentation, and so the images and ideas we see on screen, in print or online are ‘removed’ from the original object. The media intervene and stand between the object and what we see – the act of communicating the image or idea in some way changes it.
2) How does the example of Kate Middleton show the way different meanings can be created in the media?
3) Summarise the section 'The how, who and why of media representation' in 50 words.
When analysing representations, it is important to question who creates them and why. Media products construct meaning through selective media language choices shaped by audience expectations, genre and institutions. Repeated genre codes can naturalise ideologies, making them seem like common sense and discouraging audiences from questioning difference within media texts.
4) How does Stuart Hall's theory of preferred and oppositional readings fit with representation?
Stuart Hall’s Encoding/Decoding Model shows that representation is not fixed by the creator of a media text, but depends on the relationship between the text and the reader/viewer. Hall argued that audiences do not passively accept ideology and instead draw on their own social and cultural experiences. A preferred reading is when audiences accept the implied ideologies of a representation, while an oppositional reading is when these meanings are rejected. This shows that media representations can be interpreted in different ways by different audiences.
5) How has new technology changed the way representations are created in the media?
New technology has allowed audiences to actively construct and share their own representations rather than being subject to how traditional media institutions portray them. Through social media, websites and video-sharing platforms, individuals can create self-representations on a daily basis by choosing what images and comments to upload. This means representations are more selective, controlled and personal, allowing people to shape how they communicate their identity to the world.
6) What example is provided of how national identity is represented in Britain - and how some audiences use social media to challenge this?
The text uses The Sun newspaper as an example of how British national identity is represented, particularly during the 2014 World Cup. Englishness is shown through symbolic references such as the Queen, the Sunday roast and Churchill, reinforcing traditional values defined by the newspaper. However, some audiences use social media to challenge these representations by creating alternative views of national identity through self-representation, offering more diverse and contemporary perspectives than those shown in traditional media.
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Watch the clip from Luther that we studied in class (Season 1, Episode 1 - minute 7.40-10.00). Now answer these final two questions:
7) Write a paragraph analysing the dominant and alternative representations you can find in the clip from Luther.
8) Write a paragraph applying a selection of our representation theories to the clip from Luther.
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