We are supposed to be living in a “new age”. The United States is supposed to be gradually improving. While I am proud of my country, one of the things that I find hard to be proud of is the lack of racial and ethnic support that the media portrays in its work. The message that the media is giving young children is that those who are racially and ethnically different are not as important, which is simply not true.
The “more mature” readers of Cosmopolitan are not the only groups of people being affected. Nickelodeon, a highly influential children’s network, currently has 25 shows that it plays on a continuous basis during the day. Out of those shows, only 1 centers around a “non-white” character. On the Disney Channel, out of their normally running 26 shows, only 4 shows center around culturally diverse families.
In Chapter 27 of McQuail, the author states, “certainly advertising sets up connections between certain types of consumers and certain products” (300). The author goes on to say, “thus instead of being identified by what they produce, people are made to identify themselves with what they consume” (300).
I take McQuail’s words to mean that the media and its executives want us to consume “white culture”. But why? The United States has become so diverse, and yet the “white image” is continuously thrust down our throat. If McQuail’s theory is true, in a sick kind of way, the advertisers are telling people of diversity that if they buy a “white product” they will become a little “whiter”. Shouldn’t people be proud of their heritages?
In my opinion, the media and advertisers are steering the viewers in a non-culturally embracing direction. It is unfortunate to see, but yet it continues to happen.
Why do you think that the media just can’t seem to evolve culturally? Or if you do think it has evolved, do you think it has evolved enough? Do you think that what you saw on TV as a child swayed your cultural view of things today? Do you subconsciously recognize the lack of cultural diversity in the media in present day? Do you see the media changing/evolving in a more embracing cultural way in ten more years?
American media, such as entertainment magazines and television are mostly geared for the white population. As Samantha stated, very rarely do you ever see an African American featured on the front page of Cosmopolitan or for that matter of any entertainment magazine. However, I do think that beautiful African American celebrities are continuously seen in the spotlight. Notice, how I included “beautiful,” because if they are not beautiful then they usually are sub missed.
ReplyDeleteI was recently at a modeling agency (because my cousin is a model), and I was looking at all of the photo cards on the wall, and 90% of them are white models. All of these models are photographed for famous advertisements and their beauty is supposed to help sell the product or service they are featured in, so what does this say about the advertising aspect of media? “Advertisements are selling us something else besides consumer goods: in providing us with a structure in which we, and those goods, are interchangeable, they are selling us ourselves” (McQuail 301). Hence, ads exemplify our lifestyle, they truly sell our lifestyle. This shows the dominance that ads, as well as the models or celebrities selling the product, have on the public/consumers. As Sam stated, “media and its executives want us to consume white culture,” so when is media going to cross the line when consumers realize that there is too much white dominance or have they already crossed the line? (Consumers of not just products, but consumers in media, in general, such as avid TV watchers).
Usually TV shows are either all African Americans or all whites. The media needs to focus on creating shows that portray, for example, two dominant characters who are from different ethnicities. I think that the media is aware of the change they need to make and they have made some changes. For example, in the show, “Adventures of New Christine,” the ‘old’ Christine is the main character who is white, but her best friend Barbara is an African American. Moreover, the producers of Entourage created “How to Make it in America” and they have a diverse range of characters from American, African American, to Spanish. Looking back at famous shows such as “Friends” or “Seinfeld”, rarely did we see African American characters, and at least now I could name two shows off the top of my head that have a range of diverse characters. But then again, I could only name two shows, not ten shows, off the top of my head that depict African Americans and whites as the main cast.
As a child, I never really paid attention to the lack of cultural diversity that media portrayed, but now that I am aware of it, I can identify with this issue. I do recognize the lack of cultural diversity in media today, but at the same time I think that it is an issue that the media is more aware of and has made some promising changes. It is important that the media not only focuses on cultural diversity, but they do it in a positive way. Many times that African Americans and other ethnicities are featured, they are usually negatively stereotyped. This is not good since most people form stereotypes through the media, “Media affect society because they affect how culture is created, learned, shared and applied” (Baran and Davis 199). “Microscopic interpretive theories focus on how individuals and social groups use media to create and foster forms of culture that structure everyday life” (Baran and Davis 201). Mass media plays a major role in our everyday lives and because we consume so much of it, we absorb the stereotypes, experiences, and the knowledge that we want to accumulate. As a result, if the media does focus on putting cultures in a more positive light then perhaps the world will be less racist and judgmental. The media will definitely change/evolve in a more embracing cultural way in ten more years. I think the fact that we have an African American president definitely shows that we are on our way to being a more culturally diverse nation.
American media, such as entertainment magazines and television are mostly geared for the white population. As Samantha stated, very rarely do you ever see an African American featured on the front page of Cosmopolitan or for that matter of any entertainment magazine. However, I do think that beautiful African American celebrities are continuously seen in the spotlight. Notice, how I included “beautiful,” because if they are not beautiful then they usually are sub missed.
ReplyDeleteI was recently at a modeling agency (because my cousin is a model), and I was looking at all of the photo cards on the wall, and 90% of them are white models. All of these models are photographed for famous advertisements and their beauty is supposed to help sell the product or service they are featured in, so what does this say about the advertising aspect of media? “Advertisements are selling us something else besides consumer goods: in providing us with a structure in which we, and those goods, are interchangeable, they are selling us ourselves” (McQuail 301). Hence, ads exemplify our lifestyle, they truly sell our lifestyle. This shows the dominance that ads, as well as the models or celebrities selling the product, have on the public/consumers. As Sam stated, “media and its executives want us to consume white culture,” so when is media going to cross the line when consumers realize that there is too much white dominance or have they already crossed the line? (Consumers of not just products, but consumers in media, in general, such as avid TV watchers).
Usually TV shows are either all African Americans or all whites. The media needs to focus on creating shows that portray, for example, two dominant characters who are from different ethnicities. I think that the media is aware of the change they need to make and they have made some changes. For example, in the show, “Adventures of New Christine,” the ‘old’ Christine is the main character who is white, but her best friend Barbara is an African American. Moreover, the producers of Entourage created “How to Make it in America” and they have a diverse range of characters from American, African American, to Spanish. Looking back at famous shows such as “Friends” or “Seinfeld”, rarely did we see African American characters, and at least now I could name two shows off the top of my head that have a range of diverse characters. But then again, I could only name two shows, not ten shows, off the top of my head that depict African Americans and whites as the main cast.
As a child, I never really paid attention to the lack of cultural diversity that media portrayed, but now that I am aware of it, I can identify with this issue. I do recognize the lack of cultural diversity in media today, but at the same time I think that it is an issue that the media is more aware of and has made some promising changes. It is important that the media not only focuses on cultural diversity, but they do it in a positive way. Many times that African Americans and other ethnicities are featured, they are usually negatively stereotyped. This is not good since most people form stereotypes through the media, “Media affect society because they affect how culture is created, learned, shared and applied” (Baran and Davis 199). “Microscopic interpretive theories focus on how individuals and social groups use media to create and foster forms of culture that structure everyday life” (Baran and Davis 201). Mass media plays a major role in our everyday lives and because we consume so much of it, we absorb the stereotypes, experiences, and the knowledge that we want to accumulate. As a result, if the media does focus on putting cultures in a more positive light then perhaps the world will be less racist and judgmental. The media will change/evolve in a more embracing cultural way in ten more years. I think the fact that we have an African American president definitely shows that we are on our way to being a more culturally diverse nation.
I agree with Samantha that, sadly, the media still is not an accurate representation of America today. Minorities are still not represented nearly as often as Caucasian people, whether in television, magazines, or other sorts of media. However, I don’t see the reasoning for this having anything to do with hegemonic culture, as Samantha mentions in passing. According to Baran and Davis, hegemonic culture is “culture imposed from above or outside that serves the interest of those in dominant social positions,” (Baran and Davis 201). Instead, I think the reason for this misrepresentation lies in money.
ReplyDeleteThere is a distinct possibility that some of these networks, for example, Nickelodeon or Disney, could simply be catering to their audience. Could the lack of diversity on these shows’ programs be due to a lack of diversity in their audience? This theory, of course, harkens the chicken and egg argument, in which the question could be flipped. Could the lack of diversity in viewers, actually be because of the lack of diversity of the shows?
Relating further to the money debate, I’d like to see numbers on the specific spending habits of different races on average. Advertisers, who have more of a say in media content choices than we’d like to think, could push the networks and magazines to appeal to Caucasians not for political or racist purposes, but because Caucasians may just spend more. This is not a fact, I’m simply speculating, however, it would explain the discrepancy of representation on these programs. As Judith Williamson writes, “Advertisements must take into account not only the inherent qualities and attributes of the products they are trying to sell, but also the way in which they can make those properties mean something to us,” (McQuail 299). What better way to make a product relatable to someone or to make it important, than by portraying someone who looks similar to the target audience using the product on a television show or a magazine? It’s sad, immoral, and pathetic, but often, it’s true. For the same reason, we very rarely see poor characters on television who cannot afford everyday household goods.
A final reason for this unfortunate discrepancy could be a simple, and small-minded, and the programs reflect their creators. The entertainment industry, unfortunately, still reflects 1950’s and 1960’s society, as Katheryn Bigelow recently became the first woman to win Best Director at the Oscars. It wouldn’t surprise me that the white elite in the media are simply producing content that reflects their everyday lives.
In her blog, Samantha raises a key issue of a lack of representation of minorities in the media, a sad and unfortunate fact. That said, the reasoning behind this is likely not political or hegemonic, but either a misstep by blundering executives or, worse, a simple ploy for money.
Samantha brings up many accurate and sad truths about the media. Diversity within major television programs rarely exist in America. The statistics that Sam brings up are embarrassing for the media. It seems the media is progressing slowly. Although changes have occurred, it seems as though there has been a push-pull effect when it comes to forming television programs around minorities. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Family Matters were two extremely popular programs in the 1990s that centered around mainly an entire African American cast. Regression can happen extremely quickly within a society and in most cases progressive changes take time. The media has regressed from this point, now there are not as many successful and popular television programs as there were 15 years ago. Many within society wonder how racism continues; yet when looking to the media, it is clear that diversity is not encouraged.
ReplyDeleteIndividuals within society look to the media to find someone to relate to. Any minority or “non-white” race is rarely seen in comparison to “white” programs. “Media have become a primary means by which many of us experience or learn about many aspects of the world around us” (Baran and Davis 200). If society looks to the media to learn about aspects of the world, all we are learning is about “white” aspects. It does not accurately depict America as a whole.
The people within these programs are selling more than the show itself. “Advertisements are selling us something else besides consumer goods: in providing us with a structure in which we, and those goods, are interchangeable, they are selling us ourselves” (McQuail 300). Most programs show mainly Caucasian people, which have the ability to skew society’s view of reality. I honestly can say that I did not realize the lack of diversity until Sam listed out all of the simple statistics. I do see progressive change slowly taking over, especially when looking at the Disney Channel. Many of the new up-and-coming stars are minorities. This change is promoting more diversity, especially within the youth, which could help change the view of diversity within the media in a positive manner.
Sam brings up the important issue of the representation of minorities in the media. To be honest, I've never really considered the presence (or lack thereof) of minorities in today's media. When describing our daily lives and interactions, Baran and Davis claim "you'll ignore most of the background sounds" (303). They add, "According to Mead, human perceptual processes are extremely malleable and can be shaped by the set of symbols we learn so that we will see only what our culture has determined is worth seeing" (303). I think this idea of symbols can be extended into the larger realm of the overall representation of minorities in the media. If our perceptions are being shaped by what we see, then it's no wonder our culture hasn't achieved diversity. Sure, we claim to be more open and accepting of people different from us, but reality shows that this simply does not happen. For the most part, people of the same background spend time with people just like them. The media show us this is acceptable, hence we don't even think about it while it's happening. In other words, we don't pay attention to the background noise. Why aren't we more diverse in our social interactions? Why aren't white and black people shown together on TV more often? These are the questions we should be asking, but are instead distracted by what our culture deems is "culturally acceptable."
ReplyDeleteIn her article "Meaning and Ideology," Judith Williamson discusses the effects of advertising on consumers. Since Sam brought up Cosmopolitan and the shocking statistic of 18 minority covers out of 137, Williamson's thoughts can clearly be applied to this discussion. As she says, "Ultimately advertising works in a circular movement which once set in motion is self-perpetuating" (McQuail 301). This statement could perhaps be a direct response to Sam's question of why the media haven't evolved culturally yet. If they work circularly and are constantly renewing the same symbols, then they will never be able to break the current mold. The media need to be able to step back and see the impact they are having on our culture in order to make a change. Instead of culturally diverse forms of media used intermittently, they must employ a new standard which embraces all cultures equally. Until this happens, our culture-- as a result of our media-- will remain culturally irresponsible.
The media has evolved in fact I think that in the past 20 years we have seen a great amount of evolution occur. We have seen Denzel Washington win best actor at the Academy Awards becoming the first African American to do. We have also seen Halle Berry win best female actress, as well as Kathryn Bigelow win best director at these years Oscars becoming the first women to do so
ReplyDeleteMedia have become a primary means by which many of us experience or learn about many aspects of the world around us”(Baran and Davis(200) is a statement that I agree and identify with much of what we learn as children can be attributed to what we saw as a child. I know me personally I watched a wide range of television shows as a child and that helped me to become more diversified. Yes I do recognize that there is a lack of diversity however I cannot deny the fact that there has been a ton of progress made in the past 20 years. Yes I do believe that in the ten years the media has evolved however as other people in class have pointed out there is still a long way to go