task 3 - Representations essay

It has been said that media representations often reflect the social and political concerns of the age in which they are created. Discuss.

There is a vast amount of evidence to support the view that the representations the media landscape puts forth are highly reflective of current social and political concerns. This is clearly evident in a number of texts such as in AdULTHOOD and Eastenders: E20 which reflect the current moral panic surrounding the youth of today being dangerous and out of control in regards to drug use and violence on the streets etc.

One way in which AdULTHOOD can be said to reflect current concerns of the public is through emphasising on current stereotypes of the British youth which are causing moral panics across the world. This is shown throughout the film through general iconographies such as weapons presenting knife crime, hoods reflecting the world known stereotype of the ‘hoodie’ and through diegetic sounds. The film itself reflects current news values while also aiming to break the negative representations of the youth.

This representation can also be seen to be reflected within underground music video ‘Slang like this’ by True Tiger ft. P-money. The mise-en-scene within the music video plays a vital role in painting a negative picture of the youth , supporting the moral panic surrounding the youth further. For example , the video is largely filmed outside in the streets , near-by a council estate. The council estate is a key feature in the stereotype of the youth and can be considered an iconography of the stereotype.A number of medium-long shots are also used in dark settings to reinforce the loss of identity and distancing of the characters (the youth) within the video. The characters are shown a number of times hooded, in dark settings creating the image of a blank individual – A character with no background and morals. This representation can be linked to the political panics surrounding the desensitisation of the youth which would in effect lead to an increase in crime rates and deviation etc.

E4 drama series Skins also represents the British youth , however it does so in a different manner. Instead of representing the youth as being dangerous criminals of the streets , Skins instead reflects another social concern for teens being rebellious and out of control in concern to illegal drinking , drug abuse and vandalism. When the first series was aired it could be argued that the moral panic surrounding this issue was still premeture , however in the four years after the first series aired the issue has risen incredibly. Some may argue instead of the drama reflecting current social and political concerns it instead influenced the rebellious behavior.

Television series ‘Super Size vs Super Skinny’ can also be seen to represent the social concern of increasing obesity in England and world wide. In recent years a number of acts and concerns have been put forth surrounding the area such as fast food chain Mcdonalds , withdrawing a number of high calorie options and replacing them with healthier options such as salads and fruit as sides. This is highly represented in the programme drawing comparisons between the two diets of the individuals being followed , aiming to educate the audience about obtaining a healthier life style.

This can also be linked to the image obsessed nature of the society today , with the growth of interest surrounding ‘Size 0’  there are a number of representations being expressed accross the media such as in soap operas , dramas etc. For example in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks , character Hannah was diagnosed with Bolemia. The soap represents the illness in quite a close to  reality way , showing the rough details of the illness. Whilst the programme neither represents the illness positively or negatively , the representation of the reason for progressing the illness was realistic , acting as both a means of gaining personal and educational gratifications.

Finally the representation of mental health in the media can also be linked to social and political concerns. It has become apparent that mental health is a major tabboo in the society , thus the media has since placed more emphasis on this. For example new film genres have surfaced such as ‘The psychological horror’. As well as this E-media is also playing a vital role with social networking site Facebook giving members the chance to take a ‘How mental are you?’ quiz – giving off the idea that mental illness is almost fashionable.

To conclude the media landscape widely incorporates current social and political concerns into the media being made available to the audiences. Common storylines surrounding issues such as bodily health , youth crime and mental health are now on the rise whilst stories surrounding female empowerment and oppression of ethnic minorities are now becoming less popular.