Representation

Read the Media Magazine feature 'Representation old and new'. This is in MM51 on page 6 - go to our Media Magazine archive to find the article. Complete the following tasks:

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 (literally – to present again), 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?
The two photos are paparazzi shots that can communicate different things based on what the editors and photographers want. One one them could suggest she has an alcohol problem whilst the other photo could illustrate that she is well-kept and a good example of royalty.

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

When analysing representations, it is always essential to question who is creating them, and why. All media products have a specific function which will impact on the representations they construct. Producers will consider: the expectations and needs of the target audience, the limitations provided by genre codes, the type of narrative they wish to create, their institutional remit.

4) How does Stuart Hall's theory of preferred and oppositional readings fit with representation?

An audience may support the implied ideologies, and therefore might accept the intended meaning. However, 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). With representation it can be the

5) How has new technology changed the way representations are created in the media?

With the rise of new 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. Individuals can now engage in the act of self- representation, often on a daily basis, through the creation of social media profiles and content.

6) What example is provided of how national identity is represented in Britain - and how some audiences use social media to challenge this?

Old media forms have always attempted to define and construct an identity for their audience, using certain types of representation to prescribe how people think about themselves and others. But digitisation has vastly expanded our opportunities for self-representation, and contemporary media forms and platforms offer more voices and more viewpoints than ever before through the diversity of representations they offer.