Representation blog tasks

1) Why is representation an important concept in Media Studies? It influenced the ways we view the world, and ourselves.

2) How does the example of Kate Middleton show the way different meanings can be created in the media? news editor will decide on the way the story will be presented with her photo, and the use of captions to pin down. It is not controlled by her and can showcase the true reality within her life to represent her as a normal person, opposing would the meaning would be if it wasn't a paparazzi shot.

3) Summarise the section 'The how, who and why of media representation' in 50 words.

All decided by the producer who has to consider their choice of narrative in line with the audience's wants and needs. Repetition of such values, ideologies and representations then become natural to audiences as part of their narrative experience.

4) How does Stuart Hall's theory of preferred and oppositional readings fit with representation? Audiences do not necessarily accept the ideology of texts passively, but instead draw on their own cultural and social experiences to create their own interpretations. Some audiences may only partially accept the meanings being offered by a text; Hall calls this the negotiated position. Other audiences might reject them completely (the oppositional position).

5) How has new technology changed the way representations are created in the media?
Audience members can now construct and share their own media products, and in websites, video-sharing platforms and social media there are more opportunities for people to represent themselves than ever before. 

6) What example is provided of how national identity is represented in Britain - and how some audiences use social media to challenge this? The Sun sent a free newspaper to 22 million households in England which represented its own concepts of ‘Englishness’ by symbolic references –

queuing, the Sunday roast, Churchill and The Queen – to heroes, values and behaviours that the paper (and its owners, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corps) defined as appropriate expressions of ‘English identity’.

Watch the clip from Luther that we studied in class (Season 1, Episode 1 - minute 7.40-10.00 - you'll need your Greenford Google login to access the clip). 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. Our summary of each theory may help you here:

Levi-Strauss: representation and ideology

Mulvey: the male gaze

Dyer: stereotyping and power
Medhurst: value judgements
Perkins: some stereotypes can be positive or true

Levi-Strauss’ idea of binary oppositions is shown through the clear contrast between safety and danger, as the “dodgy” urban setting is placed in opposition to authority and control, suggesting that crime operates within hidden or marginal spaces. Dyer’s theory of stereotyping and power is also visible in Luther’s portrayal. While the environment and his guarded, intimidating presence could fit common stereotypes of masculinity or criminality, his confidence and the respect he receives from the man in the car establish him as a figure of narrative authority, preventing him from being reduced to a simplistic stereotype linked to traditional assumptions such as race. This relates to Perkins’ theory, as traits like dominance and emotional restraint reflect familiar male stereotypes that are often presented as functional. Medhurst’s concept of value judgements can be applied to the woman who recruits Luther, as she is depicted as competent and purposeful, encouraging the audience to view her positively rather than through moral judgement. The male gaze is not present in this clip.