Profit-driven Stereotyping in Media

Lack of plurality in media representation leads to the concept of otherness, which divides people into “us” and “them” and is typically used to refer to all groups of people outside of mainstream representations that tend to communicate the norm (Zevallos, 2011). Occasionally, media creators have been criticised for producing singular representations and excluding some groups of people for profit purposes, namely minorities, because it creates an unbalanced reality. Although, social movements and increasing attention to equality issues have pressured media industries, it is still a common problem of repeating conventions and promoting stereotypes to reduce the risk on financial side.   Television is one of the most powerful media, however it is not publicly revealed that majority of TV channels are owned by a small number of conglomerates that seek to be vertically and horizontally integrated to gain as much profit as possible. Given that businesses’ main objective is to maximise f...

This issue is indeed important, so here are three resources that can help you to make sense of the issue if you want to learn more:     Media Literacy Resources for Classrooms  is a web page created by a well-known independent research centre Common Sense. This resource is a collection of useful links that will help to explore the topic that includes parts of media such as creating and producing media, interpreting it, the platforms and how it can be manipulated. I really recommend visiting this page, because it centralises a variety of written and audio-visual resources that can be useful when exploring the topic.   Quick-Guide to Misinformation & Media Literacy  is quite a brief piece of information, but it succeeds to explain the definition of media literacy and addresses important issues such as understanding the source, judging the facts and opinions and being able to evaluate if misinformation can be created for financial gain.    Mrs Fisher ...

David Gauntlett is an important figure amongst media theorists, known for his Identity Theory. He studied how media affected one’s identity in relation to gender, femininity, masculinity, sexuality etc, arguing that all of them are in continuous process of transformation (vom Orde, 2016). Suggesting that one’s identity is built through observation of role models that one is exposed to, he argued that media provide growing population with a variety of such models, which might encourage people to behave or look similarly to them. Gauntlett used the example of Lara Croft to explain how the film character might have an influence over the young generation, communicating to girls to become stronger and more independent through Lara Croft’s confident and cool portrayal (vom Orde, 2016).    This might be a useful theory to explain such phenomenon as the increasing number of clean-eating bloggers who liked the idea of being healthy and beautiful and started creating similar content, wh...

One of the most self-explanatory media theories related to the idea of gaining financial benefit over repetition of some conventions is Genre Theory by Steve Neale.  Basically, what this theory conveys is that there is a genre and there are conventions within the genre, which media products such as film should conform to in order to be recognisable. At the same time, there should be some variation to decrease the risk of the product duplicating existing media product. He suggested that Hollywood exploits repetition and difference method to ensure audience’s pleasure of recognition genre conventions, which also is a way to secure financial success by reducing risk of innovation (“Genre Theory”, n.d.).    Although Steve Neale uses the context of film industry in his theory, the concept of repetition and difference can also be extrapolated to any other media product. Using this theory, we can suggest that Emily in Paris was successful despite all its ignorance, because it pr...

Another example of yet another not so healthy but a profitable idea is TikTok trends. We all know that nearly everything can become a trend on TikTok, however there is a special genre of health and well-being bloggers that came up with a “That Girl” trend. It is a compilation of photos and videos throughout one’s day to show how productive and aesthetical their life is. Waking up early, making smoothies and avocado meals, exercising and showing a computer to create an image of a perfect productive and healthy lifestyle.   When it comes to trends people know they have an opportunity to have their videos shown on recommendations, which is a well-known way to increase followers, likes and views. In that sense TikTok can really be a profitable idea, so people usually proceed when some trend is at its highest. Therefore, they get more popular and they get money. The truth is that a person would film any famous trend if they think it can increase their views. Even if the trend is somethi...

Racism. Always has been and still remains one of the most present problems in media from Brooklyn 9-9 to Emily In Paris. Release of the latter, in fact, became a standing event.   Emily In Paris, is a show released on Netflix about an American woman who moves to Paris for work. From the first sight it doesn’t convey negative associations, however, after a few episodes the theme of ignorance and racism is brought to front. Emily herself, people who she encounters and the city of Paris, representations of all enforce clichés and American perspective as supreme to other cultures. Almost every single episode promotes extreme intolerance and arrogance.   Surprisingly, it starts with representation of Paris itself. Emily’s life in Paris covers exclusively common stereotypes about France, meaning “cheating, croissants and couture” (De Oliveira & Smith, 2022), while omitting important cultural characteristics that make Paris look Paris. Some of the most disturbing issues in the sh...