An interpretation of reality!

Shahbaz Ali BDC

What is representation?
Representation refers to the construction in any medium

(especially the mass media) of aspects of reality such as people, places, objects, events, cultural identities and other abstract concepts.

What is representation?
By definition, all media texts are re-presentations of

reality. There is an Intention behind their construction. i.e. they are intentionally composed, lit, written, framed, cropped, captioned, branded, targeted and censored by their producers. They are entirely artificial versions of the reality we perceive around us.

What is representation?
C.A.G.E.
The term refers to the processes involved as well as to its

products. In relation to the key markers of identity Class, Age, Gender and Ethnicity representation involves not only how identities are represented (or rather constructed) within the text but also how they are constructed in the processes of production and reception by people.

What is representation?
When studying the media it is vital to remember this -

every media form is a representation of someone's concept of existence, codified into a series of signs and symbols which can be read by an audience.

What is representation?
It is important to note that without the media, our

perception of reality would be very limited, and that we, as an audience, need these artificial texts to mediate our view of the world. We need the media to make sense of reality. Therefore representation is a fluid, two-way process. Producers position a text somewhere in relation to reality and audiences assess a text on its relationship to reality.

Mediated Representation

Representation is natural
A key in the study of representation concern is with the

way in which representations are made to seem natural.

Systems of representation are the means by which the

concerns of ideologies are framed; such systems position their subjects.

Representation and Semiotics I

Semiotics and content analysis (quantitative) are the main

methods of formal analysis of representation.

Semiotics foregrounds the process of representation. Reality is always represented - what we treat as 'direct'

experience is 'mediated' by perceptual codes. Representation always involves 'the construction of reality'.
All texts, however 'realistic' they may seem to be, are

constructed representations rather than simply transparent 'reflections', recordings, transcriptions or reproductions of a pre-existing reality.

Representation and Semiotics II

Representations which become familiar through constant

re-use come to feel 'natural' and unmediated.

Representations require interpretation - we make modality

judgments about them.

Representation is unavoidably selective, foregrounding

some things and backgrounding others.

Representation and Semiotics III

Realists focus on the 'correspondence' of representations

to 'objective' reality (in terms of 'truth', 'accuracy' and 'distortion'), whereas constructivists focus on whose realities are being represented and whose are being denied. Both structuralist and poststructuralist theories lead to 'reality' and 'truth' being regarded as the products of particular systems of representation - every representation is motivated and historically contingent.

Extension of reality
By giving audiences information, media texts extend

experience of reality.
Every time you see a wildlife documentary, or read about

political events in a country on the other side of the world, or watch a movie about a historical event, you extend your experience of life on this planet.

Restriction of reality
However, because the producers of the media text have

selected the information we receive, then our experience is restricted.

The editors and journalists decree which aspects of the

news events we will read about.

The movie producers telescope events and personalities to

fit into their parameters.

True Lies
Truth or Lies?
Media representations - and the extent to which we accept

them - are a very political issue, as the influence the media exerts has a major impact on the way we view the world.
By viewing media representations our prejudices can be

reinforced or shattered.

True Lies
Generally, audiences accept that media texts are fictional

to one extent or another (we have come a long way from the mass manipulation model of the 1920s and 1930s.)
However, as we base our perception of reality on what we

see in the media, it is dangerous to suppose that we don't see elements of truth in media texts either.
The study of representation is about decoding the different

layers of truth/fiction/whatever.

Important questions
In order to fully appreciate the part representation plays in

a media text you must consider:

Who produced it?

What/who is represented in the text?

How is that thing represented? Why was this particular representation (this shot, framed

from this angle, this story phrased in these terms, etc) selected, and what might the alternatives have been? What frame of reference does the audience use when understanding the representation?

Gender And Media Representation

Gender is perhaps the basic category we use for sorting human

beings, and it is a key issue when discussing representation.

Essential elements of our own identity, and the identities we

assume other people to have, come from concepts of gender what does it mean to be a boy or a girl?
Many objects, not just humans, are represented by the media as

being particularly masculine or feminine - particularly in advertising - and we grow up with an awareness of what constitutes 'appropriate' characteristics.

Gender And Media Representation

Construct a list of typical male and female characteristics.

Male Tough Hard Sweaty

Female Fragile Soft Fragrant

Gender And Media Representation

How might the following objects be 'gendered' through

advertising, given that both sexes will use the product?

a sports car? a diving watch? deodorant? cigarettes?

a hi-fi system?
trainers?

Gender And Media Representation

Sports car

Gender And Media Representation

Diving watch

Gender And Media Representation

Deodorant

Gender And Media Representation

Cigarettes

Gender And Media Representation Role Models

Media heavily moulds our conceptions of what it means to be male

or female.
These different role models may at first glance appear to be very

varied, do they actually represent enough of a range of men/women?

Are we simply given variations on a stereotype that become sub-

stereotypes in themselves?
By adopting role models and parading them through the media as

people it is desirable to 'be', are we stunting individual growth?

Gender And Media Representation Femininity

Feminism has been a recognized social philosophy for

more than forty years, and the changes that have occurred in women's roles in western society during that time have been nothing short of phenomenal.
Media representations of women remain worryingly

constant. Does this reflect that the status of women has not really changed or that the male-dominated media does not want to accept it has changed?

Gender And Media Representation Femininity

Representations of women across all media tend to

highlight the following:

beauty (within narrow conventions) size/physique (again, within narrow conventions) sexuality (as expressed by the above) emotional (as opposed to intellectual) dealings

relationships (as opposed to independence/freedom)

Gender And Media Representation Femininity

Women are often represented as being part of a context (family,

friends, colleagues) and working/thinking as part of a team.

In drama, they tend to take the role of helper (remember

Propp?) or object, passive rather than active.

Often their passivity extends to victimhood.
Men are still represented as TV drama characters up to 3 times more frequently than women, and tend to be the predominant focus of news stories.

Gender And Media Representation Femininity

The representations of women that do make it onto page and screen

do tend to be stereotypical, in terms of conforming to societal expectations.

Characters who do not fit into the mould tend to be seen as

dangerous and deviant. And they get their comeuppance, particularly in the movies. Think of Alex Forrest (Glenn Close) in Fatal Attraction or, more recently, Teena Brandon/Brandon Teena (Hilary Swank) in Boys Don't Cry.
America seems to expect its women to behave better than their

European counterparts - British viewers adored the antics of Patsy & Edina in Absolutely Fabulous, but these had to be severely toned down (less swearing, NO drug taking) for the US remake, High Society (which was a flop).

Gender And Media Representation Masculinity

'Masculinity' is a concept that is made up of more rigid

stereotypes than femininity. Representations of men across all media tend to focus on the following:
Strength - physical and intellectual Power Sexual attractiveness (which may be based on the above) Physique Independence (of thought, action)

Gender And Media Representation Masculinity

Male characters are often represented as isolated, as not

needing to rely on others (the lone hero).

If they capitulate to being part of a family, it is often part

of the resolution of a narrative, rather than an integral factor in the initial equilibrium.

Gender And Media Representation Masculinity

It is interesting to note that the male physique is becoming

more important part of representations of masculinity.

Bollywood actors in their forties are expected to have a

level of 'buffness' that was not aspired to even by young heart-throbs 20 30 years ago.

Gender And Media Representation Masculinity

Increasingly, men are finding it as difficult to live up to

their media representations as women are to theirs.

This is partly because of the increased media focus on

masculinity - think of the burgeoning market in men's magazines, both lifestyle and health - and the increasing emphasis on even ordinary white collar male workers (who used to sport their beer gut with pride) having the muscle definition of a professional swimmer.