Media- theorists

Explain the concepts of Stuart Hall’s representation theory:

• The media often uses stereotypes which are negative and can be a result of power imbalance

• Stereotypes are often a result of hegemonic power (middle class white straight men)

• Anyone outside the hegemony is considered “other”

Explain the concepts of Van Zoonen’s feminist theory:

• Believes we get our ideas about gender from discourse from the media

• Ideas of gender change depending on cultural or historical context

• Women are objectified in the media because we live in a patriarchal society

• Men are viewed as individual and political whereas women are viewed as domestic

• Women’s bodies are objectified but men’s are spectacle and admirable

How are women presented in Van Zoonen’s feminist theory?

• Domesticated

• Emotional

• Nurturing

How are men presented in Van Zoonen’s feminist theory?

• Individual

• Business driven

• Political

Explain the key ideas in Alvarado’s theory:

Non white/ racial representations of people are usually to be exotic, dangerous, humorous, pitied

Sum up Barthes’ semiotics theory

Signs in language create meanings

What are Barthes 5 codes?

• enigma

• action

• semantic

• symbolic

• cultural

What does each code in Barthes semiotic theory mean?

enigma, action, semantic, symbolic, cultural

enigma- mystery; controls the amount of info the audience is given

action- shorthand way of advancing the narrative

semantic- additional meanings/ connotations

symbolic- deeper level (when a range of semes come together to create bigger picture)

cultural- shared knowledge about the way the world works

explain stuart hall’s reception theory

• preferred/dominant reading- we accept the text/media and read it in the way it is intended to be

• negotiated reading- we may accept some ideas but disagree with others

• opposed reading- media text is completely rejected

explain george gerner’s cultivation theory

• effects of the media build up overtime

• can change dominant ideologies in the media

what is the two step flow theory

we trust our opinion based on those ideas we get from an opinion leader

what is levi strauss’ theory

binary oppositions

what is david gauntlett’s identity theory

• audiences get a sense of their identities through media products

• past/older products had straight forward, stereotypical representations of identity (especially gender) whereas identity is now represented more diversly 

bell hook’s feminist theory:

• feminism is a struggle to end sexist/ patriarchal oppression

• feminism is a political commitment rather than lifestyle

• race and class determine to what extent individuals are exploited, oppressed or discriminated against

• she argues lighter skinned women fit the western beauty ideology and are considered more desirable

explain Paul Gilroy’s theory

• post colonial meloncholia- britain are still suffering of loos of colonies

• britain represented in line with their imperial stereotype- white and well spoken

• civilisationism stereotypes anyone who isn’t white as ‘other’ in a negative binary opposition

explain henry jenkins theory

fandoms

• focuses on participatory culture where fans are active audiences now as opposed to passive

• has ideas about ‘textual poaching’ which is when fans take elements from original media or text and use them to create their own media and narratives

• this can include fan fictions, fan art, fan clubs, online communities and cosplay