Children, youth and media Jeanne Prinsloo

Research into children’s TV fiction Research into representaions of children and youth in advertising in popular magazines Representations of young people in the print news media

Research into children’s TV fiction

Research into representaions of children and youth in advertising in popular magazines

Representations of young people in the print news media

Childhood as a construction What is represented as appropriate is dependent on the space and time Chlidhood as a time of innocence Childhood as not adult Childhood as period of becoming

Childhood as a construction

What is represented as appropriate is dependent on the space and time

Chlidhood as a time of innocence

Childhood as not adult

Childhood as period of becoming

The media introduce children to worlds outside their immediate reality . They expand, interpret , highlight, judge , legitimize or exclude social phenomena that the viewer encounters in reality and in the other media. … [They] constantly reinforce certain ideological, mythical, and factual patterns of thought and so function to define the world and to legitimize the existing social order (Lemish 2007:101).

The media introduce children to worlds outside their immediate reality .

They expand, interpret , highlight, judge , legitimize or exclude social phenomena that the viewer encounters in reality and in the other media. …

[They] constantly reinforce certain ideological, mythical, and factual patterns of thought and so function to define the world and to legitimize the existing social order (Lemish 2007:101).

Why fiction? Through processes of identification (Lemish 2007), children can take on the roles of the protagonists or other characters, and along the way learn lessons about what is constituted as heroic, as appropriate, as socially effective. TV offers a peekhole to roles beyond their everyday reach, particularly to those highly prioritised and stereotyped in dramatic genres.

Why fiction?

Through processes of identification (Lemish 2007), children can take on the roles of the protagonists or other characters, and along the way learn lessons about what is constituted as heroic, as appropriate, as socially effective.

TV offers a peekhole to roles beyond their everyday reach, particularly to those highly prioritised and stereotyped in dramatic genres.

hours TV genres 64 fiction 124 game shows, documentaries, mixed format shows, trailers, etc 12 ads 198 Total recorded

Sex of characters: SA and international sex number % female 285 28% male 674 67% indeterminate 49 5% sex % female 30.9 male 65.1% indeterminate 4.1%

What roles do the characters play? Character roles Female: number & (% of female) Male : number & (% of female) Hero 78 195 Villain 25 114 Hero’s helper 93 187 Villain’s helper 6 30 Member of family 20 19 ‘ Princess’ 23 26

Infantilising females Characteristic Categories Female Male Age Baby 0 (0 %) 4 (1 %) Child 89 (35 %) 148 (25 %) Youth 100 (39 %) 207 (36 %) Adult 57 (22 %) 196 (34 %) Body weight Very thin 4 (2 %) ?? 12 (2 %) Normal 255 (99 %) 491 (82 %) Overweight 0 (0 %) 42 (7 %) Hugely muscular 0 (%) 57 (10 %)

Race not gender Characteristic Categories Female % Male % Skin colour Asian 11 3 Black 12 7 White 70 86

Heroes and hypermasculinity males overwhelmingly in the majority more likely to be leaders of groups of helpers, or lone heroes, or villains act in public spaces enormously strong and athletic heroes physical strength frequently extended by cars, guns and machinery

males overwhelmingly in the majority

more likely to be leaders of groups of helpers, or lone heroes, or villains

act in public spaces

enormously strong and athletic heroes

physical strength frequently extended by cars, guns and machinery

Emphasised feminities Less frequent and so less visible (1 to 3) Younger Slighter More often helpers than men proportionately Not helpers to villains Need rescuing more More likely to use wit than technology to resolve problems

Less frequent and so less visible (1 to 3)

Younger

Slighter

More often helpers than men proportionately

Not helpers to villains

Need rescuing more

More likely to use wit than technology to resolve problems

Conclusion Children’s TV fiction not a space of benign innocence Precisely about violence and ways of becoming sexualised Such hegemonic discourses are rehearsed constantly and form lessons that child viewers are likely to internalise. This is their curriculum design.

Children’s TV fiction not a space of benign innocence

Precisely about violence and ways of becoming sexualised

Such hegemonic discourses are rehearsed constantly and form lessons that child viewers are likely to internalise.

This is their curriculum design.

Advertising in popular mags Advertising is a genre that largely proposes a particular lifestyle of consumption Gendered dimension Male female proportion Age difference Gendered activities of children Gendered activities of parents Very bland No teens

Advertising is a genre that largely proposes a particular lifestyle of consumption

Gendered dimension

Male female proportion

Age difference

Gendered activities of children

Gendered activities of parents

Very bland

No teens

Advertising in popular mags 46 girls (30%), 56 boys (37%) (32%) whose sex is indeterminate

46 girls (30%),

56 boys (37%)

(32%) whose sex is indeterminate

Advertising in popular mags boys are more populous than girls; boys older and engage in a greater range of activities and are depicted as more physical and adventurous girls in those more intimate domestic spaces of bathroom and bedroom less frequently participate in the public domain. mothers not father mothers counselling and consoling them, making their lives pleasant and happy puzzle: the teenagers seemed to have left home

boys are more populous than girls;

boys older and engage in a greater range of activities and are depicted as more physical and adventurous

girls in those more intimate domestic spaces of bathroom and bedroom

less frequently participate in the public domain.

mothers not father

mothers counselling and consoling them, making their lives pleasant and happy

puzzle: the teenagers seemed to have left home

Young people in print news Youth as in need of rescue Youth as dangerous Youth beyond rescue Where were the youth as becoming? youth as innocent?

Youth as in need of rescue

Youth as dangerous

Youth beyond rescue

Where were the youth as becoming?

youth as innocent?

Children making media Why? Critical multi-literacies paradigm Young people as skilled producers and users of media Need knowledge of the genre and need to be nurtured as critical thinkers? What works against such critical media production and reception?

Why?

Critical multi-literacies paradigm

Young people as skilled producers and users of media

Need knowledge of the genre and need to be nurtured as critical thinkers?

What works against such critical media production and reception?

Masterman on practical media production “ All communication forms are not ‘innocent’, and transparent carriers of meaning. They are impregnated with values and actively shape the messages they communicate. Secondly practical [media production] work is not an end in itself but a necessary means to developing an autonomous critical understanding of the media”

Masterman on practical media production

“ All communication forms are not ‘innocent’, and transparent carriers of meaning. They are impregnated with values and actively shape the messages they communicate. Secondly practical [media production] work is not an end in itself but a necessary means to developing an autonomous critical understanding of the media”

‘ Children are given a voice’ Where does that voice come from? ‘ We must value our culture’ ‘ School uniforms are good’ ‘ We need to have media about schoolgirl pregnancies’ (13 yr old boy)

‘ Children are given a voice’

Where does that voice come from?

‘ We must value our culture’

‘ School uniforms are good’

‘ We need to have media about schoolgirl pregnancies’ (13 yr old boy)

Need to factor in The media world that has been naturalised The kinds of literacies they have lead them to make particular judgements and to write about particular things The notion of an authentic voice that is automatically of interest

Need to factor in

The media world that has been naturalised

The kinds of literacies they have lead them to make particular judgements and to write about particular things

The notion of an authentic voice that is automatically of interest

Risks of celebratory approach: Liberal approach that focuses on individual ‘growth’ and self development Reproducing naturalised practices in relation to class, gender, culture, etc. Lack of contextualising knowledge and lack of emphasis on research Regurgitate agenda of concerned adults

Risks of celebratory approach:

Liberal approach that focuses on individual ‘growth’ and self development

Reproducing naturalised practices in relation to class, gender, culture, etc.

Lack of contextualising knowledge and lack of emphasis on research

Regurgitate agenda of concerned adults