race and rep quiz 1

everyday judgements

people form opinions about others based on race, gender disabilities, sexual orientation, class and age

source of influence

media messages from an early age and personal experiences

media representation in social groups

society often labels people by one main identity, even if they identify differently and individuals can belong to many overlapping groups

major social groups in the media

race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age, disability, class

social identity

how people define themselves based on the groups they belong to, people can hold many social identities

origin of social identity

researchers wanted to understand group conflict and dynamics in the 1960s-70s and the role of identity

categorization

how social identity formed as people categorize themselves and others by creating schemas

schemas

mental framework, biases in our brain, like an index card of a concept

result of social identity

emphasis on difference between groups, de-emphasis on variation within groups

what is content analysis

a systematic research method analyzing and making inferences from text and other forms of media, identifying patterns, categories, and themes in the media, and a method and form of data collection

examples of content analysis

interviews, websites, documents, videos, articles, social media posts, films,

uses for content analysis

reveals patterns in communication content, reveal differences in content, identify the intentions, focus, or communication trends

two types of content analysis

conceptual analysis and relational analysis

conceptual analysis

content analysis that determines the existence and frequency of concepts in text

relational analysis

content analysis that determines the relationship between concepts, data or people

how is conceptual analysis done

a concept is chosen for examination and the analysis involves counting and quantifying its presence

conceptual analysis: counting

how many times does this occur

concept analysis: quantifying

how much, how often, or in what proportion does it occur

content analysis step one

identify your research question

research question

the question you center your research around that is clear, focused, concise, complex, arguable, and pass the so what test

content analysis step two

choose your sample

content analysis samples

news stories, films, logos, street signs, band posters, lyrics, could be audio or visual

content analysis step three

decide level of analysis such as word, phrase, sentence, themes, scenes, or whole articles

content analysis step four

decide how many concepts to code for

choosing concept for content analysis

concept is chosen before coding begins, either allow flexibility in adding new concepts if you notice something while coding or use pre-defined sets and do not add new ones

content analysis step five

decide what you want to count either presence or frequency

content analysis step six

define what counts as the same concept

content analysis step seven

develop clear coding rules

content analysis step eight

decide what to do with information that doesnt fit

importance of categorization

all studies must convert descriptive information into catagories

coding categories

manifest: “what you see is what you get”- surface level, observable features

latent: “read between the lines”- underlying meaning, interpretation

continuum: start with whats observable (manifest) then consider patterns, meanings, or implications (latent)

unit of sampling

a larger set of media items you choose to analyze

do schemas change

the processes though which schemas are adjusted or changed are known assimilation (fitting information into existing schemas) and accommodation (changing schemas to fit new information)

how schemas affect learning

they influence what we pay attention to, impact how quickly people learn, change how we interpret incoming information, and be very difficult to change

cognitive dissonance

attitude/behavior inconstancy → dissonance created → attitude change → dissonance reduced

reducing dissonance

selective exposure: tendency to avoid information that is incompatible with current beliefs

selective perception: the process of interpreting the world to match your beleifs

what causes schemas to become stereotypes

shared beliefs

why stereotypes matter

they shape how groups are represented and understood, they simplify but also distort knowledge, and media often amplifies and normalizes stereotypes

framing

organizing perceived reality so certain aspects are emphasized, shaping how we understand the social world

origin of framing

Erving Goffman discovered individuals create mental frames to interpret information

framing in the media

selecting certain elements of reality and assembling them into a narrative

framing impact on audiences

encourages them to think feel and decide in particular ways

federal/BIA terms

“indian” tribe, linked to legal recognition and services

community preferences on name language

many prefer nation, people, or indigenous

tension within using name language

federal labels often do not align with community, self-identification, some terms may be historically offensive

late 1400 european encounters

european explorers began encountering Indigenous people and often viewed themselves as civilized and indigenous peoples as barbaric

noble savage

stereotype portraying indigenous people as innocent, childlike, and connected to nature

evil savage

stereotype portraying indigenous as violent, subhuman, and opposed to civilization

early news media stereotypes

european news and stories spread “good indian” vs “bad indian” imagery from the 1400s-1800s

early newspaper stereotypes

newspapers often blame native americans for societal problems without any evidence

U.S land expansion in the 1800s

indigenous land was systematically taken over

dawes act

aimed to civilize indians though land allotment which contributed to poverty and land loss

redface

how indian characters were portrayed in the media as they were played by white actors

male indian characters in silent film tropes

often portrayed as scowling, grunting, arms folded represented as a threat, violent and one dimensional

female indian characters in silent film tropes

often portrayed as passive, submissive, and sexualized

impact of news framing

frames shape how people view others and themselves

social comparison theory and media

humans have a natural drive to compare themselves to others as it helps them evaluate abilities, appearances, and social standards

upward comparison

compare with “better to self-enhance or aspire

downward comparison

compare with “worse” to feel better

socialization

lifelong process of learning societal norms, values, and behaviors

cultivation theory

the more TV you watch, the more you are exposed to something and it alters your beliefs

hispanic/latino stereotypes in the media

spicy latina, latin lover, lang member/ criminal, maid/domestic worker, immigrant, one-dimensional sidekick

hegemony

dominant control or power of one group, country, or cultures over others