Media Representation - Literature review Example

MEDIA REPRESENTATION Name Institution Course Professor Date MEDIA REPRESENTATION Introduction The media according to Kamarulzaman et al. (2016, p. 400), is a dominant source of connecting communities. In particular, the social media platforms manage to enhance the role of the media in integrating people of different religions, beliefs, cultures, and ethnicity. Media platforms establish a form of dialogue with the people, realizing a greater discovery of their identity, overcome marginalization, especially of the minority groups. The imperative is the role of different theories in discussing the channels of effective representation of the people. A significant issue is a difference in media utilization between the West and rest of the world, especially the Asia-Pacific regions. However, despite the differences, it is agreeable to say that the media is an efficient tool in representing people. This paper is a critical analysis of the variations in the media between the west and Asia-pacific in managing a complete and appropriate discovery of the people. Orientalism The understanding about the Orient evokes different meaning and significance between the west and the east, especially about the civilizations in the two regions (Said, 1999, p.9). The works on included in an orient study cover aspects such as the politics, culture, social construction, and customs. Said argues that events such as colonization and civilizations are among the major factors that re-shape the orientations of the people and widen the difference between the west and the east (Hamdi, 2013, p. 131). According to Said (1999, p. 12), there is some qualification that helps to define and understand the variations about orientations and its representation in the media. In particular, the first qualification involves the making of history by man and extending that history to other geographies, a role excellently played by the press (Said, 1999, p.13). The Orient in according to the first qualification is something human-made to represent an idea, thought, and history. Through the Orient, people generate a reality about the different aspects of a particular geography. Moreover, the literature identifies that the east carries deep cultures and histories greater than their representation in the west. Said provides the second qualification as that involving power (Said, 1999, p. 13). The cultures of the west and east vary regarding power contributing to the variation in their media representation. Finally, there is the mention of a third qualification involving the value of the Orient especially about its teachings and how they influence the political and socio-economic. Moreover, it is important to realize why they the media portray the westerns culture as being powerful compared to other cultures. The understanding about the superiority as represented by (Said, 1999, p.15) involves the leadership position of the west that influences hegemony about its culture over the rest of the world. The industrial status of the West including her significant technological development in the communication industry and dominant media in the west regions continues the dominance about the Orientalism to other cultures (Hamdi, 2013, p. 131). Moreover, the strength of the west communication industries contributes to the spread and adoption of the western cultures in other localities globally. A significant contribution concerns civilization accounting for the representation of the people including their character. Hamdi (2013, p. 132) presents the illustration of the political and cultural atmospheres in the east, especially that which portray the Arabs and Muslim as people with a rage making them hostile. Consequently, with the media describing the people in the regions being hostile, it becomes their identity leading to their alienation from other areas in the world. Critical areas that the media emphasis on its multiple channels is what Hamdi presents as the secularism and the modernism in the east and west respectively (2013, p. 133). The media describes the east as being opposed to the western civilization especially about their cultures, practices, and values. Moreover, the spread of the western ways to other regions including the Asian countries continues to enrage the Arabic or Muslim nations, leading to their irrational anger towards the West (Hamdi, 2013, p. 133). Consequently, the West counters the Asian hostilities through the much coverage on terrorism and its sources from the Asian countries. Interestingly, Hamdi (2013, p. 134) presents the case of unequal treatment between the west and east. The West, especially Europe and US continue to develop nuclear weapons with greater laxity owing to their advanced civilization. Comparatively, Arab nations face scrutiny and speculations about their activities by the western countries to the extent of suffering wars waged against alleged presence of nuclear weapons (Hamdi, 2013, p. 134). Cultural Representations Hall (2001, p. 225) addresses the representation of different cultures by the media to understand the difference in people. The contemporary society today follows the characteristic of racial and ethnic differences, which are exemplified through imagery by the press (Hall, 2001, p. 225). Moreover, Hall (2001, p. 225) identifies the continuation of stereotyping by the mass media in the form of advertisements which leads to further diversion about cultures and the people. Hall (2001, p. 226) presents the examples of news coverage of an Olympic event where the winners of a particular race were the blacks. However, instead of the western media celebrating the win from a minority race, it presents a photo of the victors with a story on drug abuse in athletes. The imperative in the case is the continued undermining of the minority races by the media platforms in the west. According to Hall (2001, p. 228), the media in the West undermines the heroism of others races through its powerful tools of image and text. Hall (2001, p. 229) proceeds to indicate that the different from majority people always suffer a binary form of representation, particularly in the western regions. There is the continued stereotyping by the media about other non-white cultures leading a wrong representation of who they are truly are (Shohat &Stam, 2014, 178). Moreover, there is the case of gender discrimination and stereotyping by the media where in most cases the females suffer more discrimination than the male. The issue is more pronounced among the minority communities as opposed to the dominant people, where the media participates and encourages the observance of gender inequality of the marginalized people (Ibroscheva, 2007, p. 409). Orgad and Seu (2014, p.3) identifies the media as a significant tool for highlighting humanitarian disasters and influencing the coming up with urgent solutions to alleviate them. However, there is a difference in representing the presence of inhuman activities going on in a particular location and influencing people to act positively. The discussion draws the attention of two categories of individuals including the distant suffers and the spectators. According to Orgad and Seu (2014, p. 5), the media represents the audience as people who fail to contribute to an end to the suffering of the undermined people. The media in the West is at the forefront of identifying the cases that are non-humanitarian, which in most cases occur in other countries especially the Asian regions. Comparatively, media coverage of these acts in the Asian regions is limited making some of the activities go unnoticed. The interesting question is the reaction of the much aware public that fails to correspond appropriately in managing an end to the suffering of the distant sufferers. Therefore, Orgad and Seu (2014, p. 10) support the need for the media to adequately represent people despite their differences to evoke a moral responsibility from the majority of the viewers. Globalization and the Middle-East Globalization through glocalization strategies is one of the active strategies that can manage to develop both individual and state empowerment (Robertson, 2012, p.191). A crucial aspect of globalization is the representation of the different geographies about their development and performance in the global market. It is evident from the writings of Robertson that the social life is progressive influenced by the events occurring within its environment (2012, p.192). Contrary to this view is the media in the west which apprehends the world as a dynamic process regulating power in a special scale. Consequently, this dynamism alters the organization of the society including its political, economic and social aspects. As a result, it becomes difficult for these countries to adequately relate to others with different societal and political structures (Zhao & Chakravartty, 2007). Globalization today, as well as its influence on the communication industries, supports the spatial process of the community (Robertson, 2012). It is from these structures that there is a constant shift in power, relations, and politics more rampant in the west than in the Asian-pacific regions. Moreover, the change in communication channels following the dynamic patterns of capitalism and imperialistic growths promotes the continued challenge in different intercultural power relations (Zhao & Chakravartty, 2007). The imperative is the force of the media in advancing the difference in societies, especially about the west in support of the continuation of change in the political and social structures and the Asian regions being against such moves. According to Bakhshandeh, (2014, p. 184), the Asia-pacific media is against the anti-western sentiments leading to a harsh presentation of the Western policies in the regions. The press through its publication, highlights of the difference in political-economic thoughts in the east and west especially about the reformation in times of globalization. Conclusion In summary, the media is a fundamental force in today’s society influencing the economic, political and social characters of the people. Media representation in the West focuses on dynamic structures in the society that leads to changes in the political powers and society. However, despite the changes, there is much discrimination and stereotyping of the minority communities resulting in the wrong representation of the people and their culture. Comparatively, the media in the Asia-pacific opposes the western influence specifically challenging the political ideologies and societal structures. More important, the media continues to differ in opinion, coverage and efficient representing the population. Nevertheless, both west and the rest rely on the press to provide information about suffering and raise awareness on the need to participate in more humanitarian acts. References Bakhshandeh, E., 2014. How mainstream Iranian newspapers portray the West: the influence of anti-Westernism and anti-Americanism. Journal of International Communication, vol. 20, no.2, pp.184-199. Hall, S., 2001. The spectacle of the other. Discourse theory and practice: A reader, pp.324-344. Hamdi, T.K., 2013. Edward Said and Recent Orientalist Critiques. Arab Studies Quarterly, vol. 35, no. 2, pp.130-148. Ibroscheva, E., 2007. Caught between East and West? Portrayals of gender in Bulgarian television advertisements. Sex Roles, vol. 57, no.5-6, pp.409-418. Kamarulzaman, Y., Veeck, A., Mumuni, A.G., Luqmani, M. and Quraeshi, Z.A., 2016. Religion, Markets, and Digital Media: Seeking Halal Food in the US. Journal of Macromarketing, vol.36, no. 4, pp.400-411. Orgad, S. and Seu, I.B., 2014. The mediation of humanitarianism: Toward a research framework. Communication, culture & critique, vol.7, no.1, pp.6-36. Robertson, R., 2012. Globalisation or glocalisation?. Journal of International Communication, vol.18, no. 2, pp.191-208. Said, E.W., 1999. Orientalismo. Feltrinelli Editore, Milan, Italy. Shohat, E. and Stam, R., 2014. Unthinking Eurocentrism: Multiculturalism and the media. Routledge, New York, US. Zhao, Y. and Chakravartty, P. eds., 2007. Global communications: Toward a transcultural political economy. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Maryland, US. Read More

Moreover, the strength of the west communication industries contributes to the spread and adoption of the western cultures in other localities globally. A significant contribution concerns civilization accounting for the representation of the people including their character. Hamdi (2013, p. 132) presents the illustration of the political and cultural atmospheres in the east, especially that which portray the Arabs and Muslim as people with a rage making them hostile. Consequently, with the media describing the people in the regions being hostile, it becomes their identity leading to their alienation from other areas in the world.

Critical areas that the media emphasis on its multiple channels is what Hamdi presents as the secularism and the modernism in the east and west respectively (2013, p. 133). The media describes the east as being opposed to the western civilization especially about their cultures, practices, and values. Moreover, the spread of the western ways to other regions including the Asian countries continues to enrage the Arabic or Muslim nations, leading to their irrational anger towards the West (Hamdi, 2013, p. 133). Consequently, the West counters the Asian hostilities through the much coverage on terrorism and its sources from the Asian countries.

Interestingly, Hamdi (2013, p. 134) presents the case of unequal treatment between the west and east. The West, especially Europe and US continue to develop nuclear weapons with greater laxity owing to their advanced civilization. Comparatively, Arab nations face scrutiny and speculations about their activities by the western countries to the extent of suffering wars waged against alleged presence of nuclear weapons (Hamdi, 2013, p. 134). Cultural Representations Hall (2001, p. 225) addresses the representation of different cultures by the media to understand the difference in people.

The contemporary society today follows the characteristic of racial and ethnic differences, which are exemplified through imagery by the press (Hall, 2001, p. 225). Moreover, Hall (2001, p. 225) identifies the continuation of stereotyping by the mass media in the form of advertisements which leads to further diversion about cultures and the people. Hall (2001, p. 226) presents the examples of news coverage of an Olympic event where the winners of a particular race were the blacks. However, instead of the western media celebrating the win from a minority race, it presents a photo of the victors with a story on drug abuse in athletes.

The imperative in the case is the continued undermining of the minority races by the media platforms in the west. According to Hall (2001, p. 228), the media in the West undermines the heroism of others races through its powerful tools of image and text. Hall (2001, p. 229) proceeds to indicate that the different from majority people always suffer a binary form of representation, particularly in the western regions. There is the continued stereotyping by the media about other non-white cultures leading a wrong representation of who they are truly are (Shohat &Stam, 2014, 178).

Moreover, there is the case of gender discrimination and stereotyping by the media where in most cases the females suffer more discrimination than the male. The issue is more pronounced among the minority communities as opposed to the dominant people, where the media participates and encourages the observance of gender inequality of the marginalized people (Ibroscheva, 2007, p. 409). Orgad and Seu (2014, p.3) identifies the media as a significant tool for highlighting humanitarian disasters and influencing the coming up with urgent solutions to alleviate them.

However, there is a difference in representing the presence of inhuman activities going on in a particular location and influencing people to act positively. The discussion draws the attention of two categories of individuals including the distant suffers and the spectators. According to Orgad and Seu (2014, p. 5), the media represents the audience as people who fail to contribute to an end to the suffering of the undermined people.

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