LO6 theories

Moral panics - when mass media demonise groups, people or products believe they have become a threat to society values and interests its called moral panics (Stanley Cohen, 1972)

The group/products are called 'folk devils'

e.g in the US, media portray immigrants/foreigners in the country as a threat to society.
Other groups that are seen in this light are; teenagers, extremists, bad behaviours, black youth or 'hoodie culture', white underclass.

Representation becomes Re-presentation as the media presents groups in a different light.

Many media companies are owned by upper class white men, if only these peoples opinions are shown we don't see the full picture and this is called media bias.

Sensationalism - this is when a headline is exaggerated to pull target audiences in.

Representation Theory

All representations are mediated (Hall,1980)

Benefit street, White Dee

Not all stereotypes are negative (Perkins, 1979)

Representation of women (Mulvey, 1975)
Women being seen as sex objects

Representation of men (Earp & Katz, 1999)
men are shown as violent and controlling 

Representation of gay people (Butler, 1993)
homosexual people are shown as stereotypes e.g women are shown as butch and men are shown as camp

Alvarado (1987) , Hall (1995) - ethnicity is seen as 'exotic, dangerous, humorous, pitied'
someone who breaks this theory is Idris Eldra

Turton (2014) - hooligans, trouble causers are stereotypically known as black/asian boys

Lloyd (1995) - girls are seen in the negative or a 'double deviant'- trouble causers but shouldn't be because they are women e.g when women are murders they are seen as much worse than male murders.