Social class

• Representations of the upper class

  • Neo marxist argue that mass media representations of social class tend to celebrate hierarchy and wealth.
  • Those who benefit are upper class and generally receive a positive press as celebrated who are somehow deserving of their position.
  • The UK mass media hardly ever portray the upper class in critical light.
• Representations of the monarchy - Nairn

  • Notes that the monarchy has successfully converted much of the modern mass media to its cause, so that until fairly recently it was rare to see any criticism of the monarchy.
  • Members of the royal family were presented as 'like us' but 'not like is'.
  • Example: the queen was an ordinary working mother doing an extraordinary job.
  • This successful makeover resulted in a national obsession with the royal family which was reflected positively in media coverage.
• Newman - representations of wealth

  • Argues that the media focuses very positively on the life of the wealthy.
  • Observes that media focuses too heavily on consumer items such as luxury car, expensive holidays etc. that only the wealthy can afford.
  • The media rarely focus on inequalities of capitalism.
• Pluralist - representations of wealth


  Representations of the rich can be justified for 3 reasons

  1. Media portrayals of the wealthy are representative of the idea that tilted people are deserving of high rewards.
  2. Storied may motivate people to work hard and believe they can attain these rewards.
  3. The focus on finance stocks and shares may reflect the importance of these sectors of the economy.
• Representations of middle class

  • The middle class are overrepresented by the media:
  • Middle class families are overrepresented on TV, They are generally portrayed as being concerned with manners, social responsibility etc.
  • A lot of British newspapers and magazines are aimed at the middle class and their consumption, tastes and interests in material goods that can only be afforded by middle class.
  • The middle class dominate positions of authority, this is seen in headlines.
• Curran and Seaton - representations of the working class

  • Note that newspapers aimed at working class audiences assume they are uninterested in serious analysis of either political or social organisation of society.
  • They instead offer a dumbed down simplistic version of the news for conflict opposing political parties.
• Newman - representing of working class

  • Suggests there has been very few situation comedies, TV dramas or films in the past 10 years focusing on the everyday lives of the working class, despite this group being a significant section of society.
• McKendrick - representations of poverty and the underclass

  • Studies a weeks output of mainstream media and concluded that the coverage of poverty is marginal in the UK media, in that the consequence of poverty are very rarely explored.
• Cohen - poverty and the underclass

  • Argues that the UK mass media is so concerned about capitalism, that is pays less attention to 'casualties'.
  • Journalists are hopeless at realistically reporting or dramatising the poor.
  • The media reinforces that the poor are poor because of their own weakness.
• Lawler

  • The media has recently developed labels for the poor as 'chavs'.
  • This is another way of suggesting that the poor are undeserving of public sympathy.
  • The language is used to socially stigmatise the underclass.
  • Chavs are symbolised by forms of appearance ie. tracksuits, antisocial behaviour.