Part 1: What were 2 points from this week’s reading that stood out to you as particularly important and/or interesting? Why so?
In Media and Society, O'Shaughnessy et al (2016) have mentioned essentialist definitions of gender and the view that gender is a social construction. Firstly biological essentialist views gender as a result of genetic, biological, and psychological differences. It posits that women are naturally nurturing, while men are competitive, aggressive, and powerful due to hormones and physiology. Essentialism naturalizes dominant ideologies and limits change and development. In contrast, the social construction of gender points out that gender characteristics are shaped by social pressures, not inherent physiology. Cultural studies analysis deconstructs identity and subjectivity, revealing that ethnicity, class, gender position, nationality, and language shape people's identities. These structures challenge common-sense assumptions about normality and challenge the idea that sexuality and identity are biologically determined. Transgender individuals further complicate these conceptions of identity. The contradictions between these two ways of thinking help us have more perspectives on gender issues.
The second point from Media and Society talked about binary oppositions. Binary opposition definitions of people of color are based on their differences from whites, using oppositions to define and delineate cultures of the Other and white culture. That means in a media text you will find the oppositions between the Other characters and white characters. The purpose is to define the difference between other cultures, classes, and genders or how those perceived distinctions may lead to.
References
O’Shaughnessy, M., Stadler, J., & Casey, S. (2016). Media & Society (6th ed., pp. 312–372). Oxford University Press.
Part 2:
Why is it important for mainstream media to represent diverse humans?
Today's media is very powerful and has a lot of influence on viewers. At the same time, we also need to bring little-known and voiceless groups of people to the big screen with new perspectives to raise viewers' awareness as well as eliminate previous prejudices. of the group. According to Johnston and Flamiano (2007), it is imperative to tackle racial customs and trends in media representation. However, there are still some media texts that reject the so-called "Other" to maintain negative and antiquated stereotypes that cause that community to be devalued and criticized by others. Instead, the mainstream media should give more opportunities to focus on minority groups to give them a voice break down stereotypes, and let them tell their stories to everyone. Therefore, it can undermine the idea of the "Other" and encourage a positive perspective on cultural variety (Fürsich, 2010).
References
Johnston, A., & Flamiano, D. (2007). Diversity in Mainstream Newspapers from the Standpoint of Journalists of Color. Howard Journal of Communications, 18(2), 111–131. https://doi.org/10.1080/10646170701309999
Fürsich, E. (2010). Media and the representation of Others. International Social Science Journal, 61(199), 113–130. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2451.2010.01751.x
To what extent do mainstream media have an “obligation” to present diversity?
Mainstream media needs to have the responsibility to bring the voices of diverse types of people so that viewers can fully understand it and erase their previous stereotypes. So the media needs to do this to help opposition and voiceless people have the opportunity to change viewers' perceptions.
Does there need to be certain types of representation in mainstream media? Why so?
Yes, there needs to be some form of representation. Because media is a medium that has great power in shaping information and ideals for the public, it takes seriousness and investment to represent a community in the mainstream media. system. Those who represent them must be the ideal role models of their community, have the voice and power to represent them, and most of all, the experience and knowledge to be able to convey their stories, especially to groups that claim to be different can destroy stereotypes and create an inclusive and just society for everyone.
Illustrate your points with specific examples of media text
The media text that I chose is from Dove a personal care brand that has a diversity campaign launched on March 27, 2019, and the project called #ShowUs with content about setting a new standard for authentic representation of women with over 100,000 Women around the world support this campaign. To understand better, the purpose of this campaign is to break stereotypes and fight stereotypes about women's beauty in the media. Dove wants to bring women's beauty to a wider scope to honor women with physical flaws, weight gain, skin color, underarm hair or even athletic bodies, etc. This helps them be more confident and affirms that a woman's beauty is unlimited. The #ShowUs campaign, which won an award, has been widely used by over 2,500 companies and publications, downloaded in 60 countries, and inspired 73% of women to think positively about their appearance.
References
DOVE. (2019). Project #ShowUs. Dove US. https://www.dove.com/us/en/stories/campaigns/showus.html
Editors, E. (2021, January 21). These Essential Movies From Black Filmmakers Confront Systemic Racism
COTW. (2020, November 19). Project #ShowUs - Dove | Shattering Stereotype - Campaigns of the World. Campaignsoftheworld.com. https://campaignsoftheworld.com/digital/project-show-us-by-dove/
