2. Representations of the Monarchy
• The British monarchy are often in the news, magazines
and on television and are rarely presented in any way
other than positive
• The royal family are presented in a patriotic way, and
encourage a sense of national identity and pride.
• The royal wedding and the Queen’s jubilee were televised
throughout the world, particularly in the commonwealth
and over 24.5 million people watched the royal wedding
on BBC or ITV.
• This shows media representation of media affects millions
of people throughout the world
3. Representation of upper class
• Generally, in terms of media, the upper class are
presented in a positive way.
• The lower classes are encouraged to feel envious of the
luxurious lifestyles of the upper class by the way their
lifestlyes are presented in television shows such as Made
in Chelsea or any of the ‘real housewives’ series’.
• Consumer items such as cars and mansions are desired
by middle/lower class and therefore are featured in these
programmes to further lure in the lower classes
4. Representation of Middle Class
• Middle class nuclear family commonly portrayed in tv
dramas and sitcoms, making it the ‘norm’
• Compared to ‘Made in Chelsea’ where their lifestyles are
portrayed as extravagant and abnormal
• Injust behavior among the middle class such as racism,
crime and violence is less commonly shown than crime in
the working class.
5. Representation of Working Class
• Generally labelled as a problem
• Crime, poverty and unemployment are generally the main
focus of shows that surround this class
• Newspapers such as ‘the Sun’ are aimed at the working
class and tend not to include articles about politics and
more serious public issues because the workng class are
seen as being uninterested in such things and have more
articles about celebrity gossip and sport.
6. Representation of Poverty
• The poorest of our society are often portrayed negatively
• The media seems to mainly reveal statistics about poverty
such as unemployment and homelessness more than real
life stories about the people affected.
• Most TV dramas avoid addressing the issue of poverty
however ‘Shameless’ focuses on the issue directly and
makes the audience connect with the lowest of the
classes
• However ‘The Jeremy Kyle Show’ exploits the working
class and their issues as a form of entertainment.
