1. Representation of youth in the
media

2. MORAL PANIC

3. Moral Panic
A condition, episode, person or group of persons
emerges to become defined as a threat to
societal values and interests; its nature is
presented in a stylized and stereotypical
fashion by the mass media
Stanley Cohen (1972)

4. QUESTIONS WE WILL ANSWER IN
TODAY’S LESSON:
• How is youth represented in the
media?
• How does media language work to
create meaning?
• How are some representations
stereotyped and stylized?

5. What do we already know about
representation?
I want EACH OF YOU to come and write a word
or short phrase on the board which you think
describes or explains representation. When
you are not using the board, copy down what
the others have written.
You have 30 seconds to think of something.
GO!!!

6. Representation
• Everything you see or hear in ALL types of
media has been carefully SELECTED and
CONSTRUCTED in order to create meaning
•Media representations often reflect the
dominant ideologies of the society in which
they are created

7. How is moral panic created in the
media?

10. “HOODIES AND ALTAR BOYS”
The word most commonly used by newspapers to
describe teenage boys was "yobs" (591
times), followed by "thugs" (254 times), "sick" (119
times) and "feral" (96 times).
Other terms often used
included "hoodie", "louts",
"heartless", "evil"
"frightening", "scum",
"monsters", "inhuman“
and "threatening".
Research showed the best chance a teenager had of
receiving sympathetic coverage was if they died.

11. What are the wider social implications?

12. What is meant by stylized and
stereotyped representations ?

13. Top Boy (2011)

14. TECHNICAL CODES
AUDIO CODES
Sound:
Camera Angles/ Shots:
High Camera Angle
Low Camera Angle
Hand Held Camera
Point of View
Long Shot
Mid Shot
Close-Up
Extreme Close-Up
Tracking Shot
Pan
Tilt
Diegetic Sound (in the world of the
film)- dialogue, ambient sounds,
etc.
Non-Diegetic Sound (not in the
world of the film)- Soundtrack,
voice over, etc.
Media Language
SYMBOLIC CODES
Editing:
Shot/Reverse Shot
Cross Cutting
Cut Away
Eye Line Match
Mise-en-Scene:
Everything that is on the screenLocation
Props
Clothing

15. In pairs, analyse how either technical, audio or
symbolic codes are used to create meaning.
Camera Camera Symbolic Editing
Iqra
Kevin
Kate
Sangam
Nicole
Zaynah
Sumaya Ashwin
Camera Camera
Mustafa Ashleigh
Ali
Ewelina
Mohamed
Symbolic Editing
Justin
Rhea
Daniel
Pavan

16. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/topboy

17. Questions to consider
• How is youth represented in this
sequence?
• How do technical codes, audio codes and
symbolic codes work to create meaning?
• Can you apply Cohen’s theory that
representations are stylized and
stereotyped (through media language)?

18. How do technical, audio and symbolic codes
work to construct representations of youths in
Top Boy?