Age

• Media representations of age:

  When sociologists consider media representations in general, they are interested in the extent to which the media stereotypes various groups.
• These stereotypes can be created and reinforced by media representations. Media stereotypes then act like codes. They give the audiences quick and easy-to-understand images of groups and they may form the basis for treating members of some groups differently to other
• The Media Gaze


  •This is the idea that the media doesn’t reflect the social diversity of society, instead it is the perspective of the male, able-bodied white upper and middle class who:••Own•Control and Produce- Media Context
• Symbolic annihilation (Gerbner and Gross, 1976)


  •One recurring theme in media representation is that some groups are omitted, condemned, trivialized or underrepresented in the media. Or when they do appear, they are only shown in a limited number of roles. This is known as symbolic annihilation.
• Omitted – left out

  Condemned – when you say something is wrong, evil or bad.

  Trivialised – make (something) seem less important, significant, or complex than it really is.

  Underrepresented – not appearing as much as they should considering their proportion in the population.

  The groups are: ethnic minorities, women, people of a certain age, LGBTQ people etc.
• Symbolic annihilation

  Gives a distorted image of some social groups or it can remove these groups from the public consciousness altogether
• Gauntlett (2008)


  • Argues there is a diversity of media, a diversity of representations and a diversity of audiences
  • Media representations will not all be the same and they will not have the same effect on everyone
  • Media representations of ethnic minorities may not have the same meaning to people from that ethnic group
  • People can decide to ignore, accept or reject media representations
• Gauntlett is most likely a pluralist
• Postmodernists


  • Suggest people can 'pick and mix' representations in a creative way to make their own identities
  • Argue that in a media-saturated society media is all around us all of the time and therefore, it is uncontrollable
  • Argue that media representations can become a hyperreality, meaning it is impossible to distinguish between real life and a media version of real life
• The media doesn't reflect reality but it actively creates it