Representation Representation is the way in which people, places, issues and events are portrayed in the media. You will study and analyses the representation of social groups in relation to gender, ethnicity and age, for example the representation of women in the Quality Street and This Girl Can advertisements. An issue is a specific topic represented in a media product, for example an environmental topic such as climate change or a social subject such as drug abuse. The newspaper set products include specific issues that you will need to analyse, but issues feature in many of the other set products, including the Pride magazine cover. An event is something that happens in the world. It might be expected, for example a political election or a royal wedding, or unexpected such as an earthquake or terrorist attack. Events are reported in newspapers and other news media, and other products might also depict them, for example a magazine cover or television programme. Theoretical Perspectives on Representation Media producers construct representations of individuals, groups, issues and events using media language. As the theorist David Buckingham has argued, the media do not simply present a picture of the real world, they re-present versions of reality by selecting and combining different elements of media language, as you might see in the images and text of a newspaper article. This process is called mediation. It is really important to think about how media products interpret and present aspects of reality, especially in news media where actual events are being shown. Representations are constructed by media producers for a particular purpose and they communicate messages and points of view about the world. Media producers have considerable power, as their representations are consumed by audiences who could be influenced by them. It is important to think about who or what is being represented and to consider the context and who is constructing the representation. Media industries have traditionally been controlled by powerful people, such as educated, wealthy white males. As a result, certain social groups, including women, minority ethnic groups, LGBTQ+ communities and people with disabilities, have often been under-represented or misrepresented in the media. The media industries do reflect changes in society: many organisations now have a more diverse workforce and many contemporary media products represent a wider range of social groups in a more positive way. Nonetheless, there are still areas of the media where minority groups are under-represented. Construct Put elements together to create a media product. Version of reality A particular view or interpretation of actual events. (Different newspapers will report different elements of the same event to denote their version of what happened.) Selecting and combining Choosing elements to include in a product and putting them together in particular ways to communicate meanings. (Selecting an image and combining it with a caption will communicate a message.) Mediation The way in which media producers interpret and re-present aspects of reality to audiences. Purpose The aim or intention of the product. (An advert’s purpose is to persuade; a sitcom’s purpose is to amuse.) Purpose also relates to the reasons why media producers select particular elements of media language to communicate their intended meaning. Point of view This relates to whose perspective or ideas are shown in the product. Point of view can be shown in different ways, for example the positioning of the camera or the use of language. Contexts The background factors that can influence a media product, for example the historical situation. These help us to understand the meanings and messages in a product. Key Terms 24 WJEC/Eduqas GCSE Media Studies Revised Edition
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