Representation theory

Representation theory

1) Why is representation an important concept in Media Studies?
Representation is an important concept in media studies as it differentiates people to a group they correspond to such as black or young stereotypes. This makes it easier for the audience to identify characters in a video through representation.

2) How does the example of Kate Middleton show the way different meanings can be created in the media?
The newspaper has re-presented how Kate Middleton looks like due to people manipulating and controlling the image at various stages. Consequently,this has lead to different interpretations of Kate Middleton in the media due to one in image. This shows that the media can re-represent someone with different meanings really easily.

3) Summarise the section 'The how, who and why of media representation' in 50 words.
All media products have a specific function which will impact on the representation they construct.
producers will consider three things: the expectations and the need of the target audience, the limitations provided by the genre codes and the type of narrative they wish to create. The representation itself is a combination of these selections and rejections.Even a simple element such as the choice of wallpaper used
to dress the set of a soap opera family’s living room will help to create ideological meaning.shows. This
repetition of values and ideologies starts to feel very ‘natural’ to the viewer.

4) How does Stuart Hall's theory of preferred and oppositional readings fit with representation?
Hall’s critique is known as the ‘Encoding/Decoding Model’, and still challenges conventional assumptions
about how media messages are produced. Hall argued that audiences do not necessarily accept the ideology of texts passively, but instead draw on their own cultural and social experiences to create their own interpretations.

5) How has new technology changed the way representations are created in the media?
Due to the media involving over the years, audience members are now able to construct and share their own products. There are more opportunities for people to self-represent themselves through social media. For example, when we post an image on insta or snapchat, we are constructing an idea of ourselves and distributing it to the followers.

6) What example if provided of how national identity is represented in Britain - and how some audiences use social media to challenge this?
 National identity is invariably raised during national sports competitions.During the 2014 World Cup, The Sun sent a free newspaper to 22 million households in England which represented its own concepts of ‘Englishness’