Stereotypes in the Media - Essay Example

Stereotypes in the Media Stereotypes in the media exist amongst every society of the world in present times and same has been the case for so many decades now that all seems so very inevitable. However the manner in which this has been presented time and again needs to be stressed more on the lines of the programs that are shown across the board and the advertising that is done courtesy the different brands and products in the name of commercialism. These need to be looked at in detail and in this paper we explore the reasons as to why the same is so very rampant and what echoes the sentiments of these stereotypes to remain within the lounge rooms where our television sets are placed. We might care to say one thing or the other that is in complete opposition to these stereotypes but we do not dare do something about it. The whole thinking mindset thus needs to be changed for the better if we want to abolish the whole concept of the ever remaining stereotypes present within the media. To start with, advertising and media communications is all about conveying a single, unified message down to the target audience in a manner which meshes along well both with the client’s budget as well as the aspirations and expectations of the people for whom the brand is being marketed or advertised. It is formed on the basis of psychological and physiological movements which are studied by the advertising and marketing people so that the client (the company people) also remain happy and their business flourishes in the longer run. However, to get this very message down to the intended people is not an easy job to start with. It needs to be very targeted, precise and significant for them in order for them to take notice and understand that the particular brand connects with them in the best and most easiest of manners possible and hence they should be the ones to buy it for themselves and for this reason satisfy their need or even please themselves more than they had already expected. It is a sure tough job for the people who have to extract the perfect message which needs to be sharpened again and again before it actually gets down to the right kind of people who will make the actual purchase and therefore the product will be sold in the end. However, on the flip side of the coin, this requires selling the product or the brand in the mind of the consumer before he actually decides to go and buy the very same. This is refereed as the pre-selling stage and advertising has got a lot to do with it. Psychologically speaking, children connect with what is there on the electronic and/or print media for them in the form of a message that says a lot about their preferred brand and lists down the details as to how it could benefit the toddler or a teenager for that matter. Children can have a totally different impression on their young minds when they see some specific advertisement on television or in the print media which attracts the attention of the opposite gender and thus brings to notice their interest as to why the brand or the product is being advertised to the opposite sex alone. Children therefore need to be told the plus points of their television viewing with regards to the different brands so that they do not extract a meaning which is not actually conveyed by the company for them in the first place. For the company to see their brand thriving big time in the market with competitors having little or negligible business, it needs to build upon a base that it can erect its structure upon so that when the wind blows, it does not hamper the smooth business of this brand at all. With that it has to understand the soft natured psyche of the young ones where the impressionable minds of these children can absorb just about any kind of biasness aimed towards the opposite sex or for a particular community for that matter, as is the case. One needs to understand that the types of reactions these children have after watching these ads are quite distressing to say the least as they make an effort to find out what is being concealed from them as well as the rationale for doing the same. This makes them go out there and achieve something that is usually ethically wrong and not allowed by their parents and guardians. Their impressionable minds just cannot understand the sensitivity attached with the subject at hand and thus do one thing or the other to explore the areas where their mind takes them to. Constant guidance is the need of the hour in this case scenario as well as responsibility on the part of the advertising professionals is also very much required in the present times. As one can see, today’s child is not only much more talented but also understands what his or her parents would never have heard about in their tender ages. Media is a part of the social psychology. Hence the branch of human psychology that deals with the behavior of groups and the influence of social factors on the children is indeed the social psychology and as we are getting the hang of things from the advertising and persuasion perspective of it, these both are seen as being quite imperative here. Also, the stereotypical setting of showing girls indoors as opposed to boys in the field and carrying out masculine acts suggest that there is a certain amount of gender ambiguity that is present in the ads of present times. These put more emphasis on the understanding that the advertising professionals of today lack imagination, creative touch and the much needed understanding of their responsibility towards the children in particular and the whole society in general. There has been a lot of hue and cry with regards to the equality rights of the women as compared to the men in the society in current times but less said the better in the real role played by the advertising professionals where they have more often than not failed to capitalize on the fact that they have perfect platform to get their act together and serve for the betterment of all concerned and more specifically the young ones, when one talks about a concise context here. When we talk about the specific ads in the media that show boys as having a dominant role than the girls, we immediately come across the ones that exhibit some brands and/or programs that are targeted more towards the children. Say for example, there is an ad of a candy bar that is liked more by children than adults. Now it is pretty natural to understand that boys and girls without any difference whatsoever of their genders, would like it and go for it day in day out. Yet somehow or the other, this ad will show the boy having the last laugh and the girl moaning that the boy took his bar away and ate it himself. This gives rise to a sort of gender difference between the two and thus the platform is set for the perfect war between the two. Add to that, there are adaptations for these ads where the same ad would be somewhat distorted and presented in a manner that the next sequence would demonstrate the boy losing out to the girl in this case. Rather than correcting their stance on the boy-girl war that they have brought to the fore, they should encourage a mutual sense of respect and care for each other, rather than the one going after the other to achieve one benefit or in some cases, more than that as well. Thus one has to figure out that portrayal of gender roles in media advertising does not make him or her feel alienated and at the mercy of the society rather the child needs to relate with the product and more so the feelings that are given a fresh lease of life. One needs to be pretty smart when it comes to targeting children as they have the most impressionable minds and usually do not forget whatever is imprinted on their minds since their days of childhood. Effective use of language can leave a lasting impact on the audience’s minds (Edwards, 1982). Recent studies have shown how the masses take greater notice of media texts involving word play, alliteration, and onomatopoeia, with writers trying to involve as much action as they possibly can to heighten the sensitivities of the receiver (Berger, 1998). The use of expressive vocabulary builds a bridge between the provider and the receiver of the information, thus making the media text more personal and more liable to create an impact. It is common knowledge though the average American spends approximately 3 hours a day in front of his television set, add to that number the amount of time he spends on the Internet, as well as the time he spends reading the newspaper and other media related texts and we can comprehend that roughly two thirds of his day is spent within reach of the media, in one form or another. This dependency has been fully taken advantage of. Advertisements seek to bring the consumer out of the normally economic minded individual, frequent repetitions drive jingles deep into the memory of the audience, and catchphrases such as, “Milk does a body good” and, “ I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” become household terminologies (Lears, 1994). Cinema and music, similarly, have introduced phrases, and lines that have ingrained themselves into the consciousness of the American people, thus actually turning them into commercial vehicles. “Here’s looking at you, kid” and “Show me the money” are an integral part of American consciousness now. (Lears, 1994) Another flagrant example is the use of obscene language in certain forms of music. This language propagates itself instantly to the listener, causing him in turn to use it more and more frequently. Words like “ass” and “bling’ are now normal everyday vocabulary. This makes the performing arts a powerful mode for language transitions, effecting the speech and ideas of the perceiver in subtle but unmistakable ways. By playing on their susceptibilities, media personnel can manipulate, and mould the audience in any way they please. Provocative wording, catch-phrasing, and dramatizing help in tinting what should be a completely objective news report with one’s own opinion. This technique of providing ‘opinionated’ news, that is, news highlighted with the reporters own personal judgments, is a major way of swaying the beliefs and emotions of the reading public. Body language, constant stressing on certain words, and using words that would naturally produce a sensation are great weapons for experienced communicators (Edwards, 1982). In the field of politics, where power depends mostly on one’s ability to sell one’s opinions, language usage is a necessary tool to master. The media has always been used as a tool to educate and stimulate the audience’s minds. The hype and controversy surrounding the Terri Schiavo euthanasia case, which we shall further study, is an ideal example of how language can influence the emotions and consciousness of ordinary people. The terminology used and the method of citing opinions basically created the controversy which turned into one of the biggest ethical discussions of our times. Similarly, throughout the Suffragette movement (1920’s), the conservatives and the liberals used newspapers and pamphlets to circulate their views on the right for women to vote. What was primarily a case of simple human rights became a war of words and media manipulation. Constant exhortation of the word “mother” and “life-giver” in the newspaper issued by Christabel Pankhurst, The Suffragette, gave their requests a tinge of blackmail. (Greer, 1964) During the early 1950’s, newspapers, magazines and radio had created such an atmosphere of fear and suspicion over the supposed communist activities taking place within the United States, that Senator Joseph McCarthy’s sometimes far-fetched accusation of subversive activities against certain public figures were taken seriously. His ability further, to maneuver public opinion using words like, “Un-American”, “subversive” and “unpatriotic” further deepened the masses mistrust, giving him carte blanche to prosecute anybody he considered guilty of communist leanings. During the Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s also, the use of periodicals to promote the viewpoints of both the black community and the white was profound. Language played an important part in the struggle for emancipation. The difference though was in the approach of the two great leaders of the African American movement, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Where the former hoped to persuade the government to relent, Malcolm X was more vocal against white people, terming them as ‘evil’. This battle of ideas within the Black faction itself caused great confusion to the Caucasian community. Supporters of Civil Rights themselves were not overtly sure where to stand on the issue. In the present times we see how careful maneuvering of language in the media has led to misinformation and misinterpretation of data. Words such as “crusade” and inflammatory terms such as “Islamists” only deepen the gulf between the two different theologies, and rather than trying to increase understanding, this use of language does the opposite. Also the manner in which the world of Internet has changed in terms of its stereotypical meaning is holding a lot of weight. The usage of servers for the streaming of direct access texts and video from offshore sites can hamper the role of on site locations where the Internet users can easily get the data from. Also the manner in which pornography and child molestation is on the rise is a serious topic when we speak of the Internet fiasco as far as the media stereotypes are concerned. Thus in the end, it would be wise to state here that the threat posed by the stereotyping within media is immense and it needs to be clamped if we want our coming generations to survive in a society which has freedom for all and sundry. The stereotyping of ethnic groups and communities might just benefit a single faction but the harm that it inflicts on the remaining ones is something to ponder upon in the long run. Similarly the gender roles and their responsibilities are also shattered as a result of the media’s stereotypical nature every now and then. Forming stereotypes can result in prejudices as well as have fights between different factions and groups and in no way this can be attributed as a plus point for the people who are at the helm and who consider themselves as running the media bandwagon. They have no right to ruin the lives of the common man and for this they should be held accountable. The basis of equality and oneness within the society is something that has to be addressed in due course of time and this is one subject that directly comes under the media’s formation of stereotypes with the passage of time, advancements in technology and the changes in the common man’s thinking mindset. BIBLIOGRAPHY Frey, Jennifer. (2005) The Washington Post, Terri Schiavos Unstudied Life URL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64459-2005Mar24.html Berger, Arthur (1998). Media analysis Techniques, (2nd Edition), Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage Edwards, John R. (1982), “Language Applications and their implications among English Speakers: Social and Applied Contexts” In. Ryan, Giles & Howards (Eds), Attitudes towards language variations Tierney, John. (2006) The New York Times, Mourning in America URL: http://www.select.nytimes.com/2006/06/10/opinion/10tierney.html Fiske, John and Hartley, John (2003). Reading Television London, Routledge Greer, Germaine, (1964). The Female Eunuch. New York, Palgrave Smith, James A. (2005) The Baptist, Comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable in the Terri Schiavo Case URL: http://www.floridabaptistwitness.com/4042.article McCullagh, C (2002). Media Power: A sociological Introduction. New York, Palgrave Mittell, Jason (2004). Genre and Television. New York Routelage Ryan, Giles and Sebastian (1982). “An integrative perspective for the study of attitudes towards language variation. London, Edward Arnold Saussure, Ferdinand de (1983) “A course in General Linguistics”. (R.Ham, trans) London: Ducksworth The Spirit Daily, The Spiritual Fight behind the Terri Schiavo Euthanasia Battle; Feb 1st, (2005) URL: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/feb/05020111 Word Count: 2,536 Read More