AQA GCSE Media Studies Student Book

64 Even when some social groups are represented, they may be presented simply as opposites to the accepted norm. This applies to fiction as well as to factual media products. For example, in Star Trek , Starfleet exemplifies the dominant representation of bravery and heroism, whereas the Klingons’ (and some other alien species’) different ideas about what is brave and heroic could be seen as the minority representation – they are represented as oppositional to Star Fleet and therefore unacceptable. Some media products deliberately resist the stereotypical representations for a social group or an idea. The TV comedy show Man LikeMobeen , mentioned on page 60, is centred on British Muslims, but avoids the usual stereotyped representations, and instead creates new representations with its set of characters. Representation of the self Everyone has a sense of their own identity, formed partly by their background, experiences and social groups, and partly by how they see people like themselves reflected in the media. Until recently, the mass media (such as TV or newspapers) held most of the power to represent and shape your understanding of different social groups – including your own. Now, though, online participatory media, and social media in particular, make it much easier for anyone to create a representation of themselves. These media have also allowed us to find out about a wider range of identities and representations than we could before the internet, including many that don’t conform to traditional mainstreammedia messages. It’s also easy to create alternative versions of yourself across different media platforms. For example, many video games let you customise the avatar that represents you as you play the game. Naturally, most people create a better or aspirational version of themselves. In an adventure game, or first-person shooter, you might want your avatar to appear strong and intimidating; in a personality-based role-playing game, such as Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, you would probably want to develop a beautiful and glamorous alter ego. Who is a hero and who is a villain depends on your point of view. Select a sub-group of society that is not usually regarded as powerful – such as the LGBTQ+ community, Asian women, working-class teenagers or people with disabilities. Look for examples of these people represented in mainstream media. For comparison, find media products that are created by the sub-group themselves. Where are you most likely to find these products? What key similarities and differences do you notice in the representations? Activity 2.19 Discuss with a partner the benefits and pleasures of creating a ‘better’ version of yourself. Given what has been said about dominant ideology and minority representations, why might some people see the choices offered for creating avatars as problematic? Talk about it Kim Kardashian: Hollywood enables players to customise their avatar according to dominant ideas of physical attractiveness. See Activity 2.3 on page 51 about avatars. Link AQA GCSE Media Studies