The document discusses various audience theories and representations of social class and region in media. It describes the hypodermic, two-step flow, and uses and gratification audience theories. It then analyzes representations of different social classes like the working class, middle class, and upper class in media. Common stereotypes of different regions are also outlined, such as the Scottish being depicted as drinking alcohol and the English being portrayed as racist. Critics argue that media often justifies social inequalities and uses offensive language to vilify the underclass.

1. AS MEDIA STUDIES
Representations (3)

2. WALT
• Exploring audience theory and how the Media can impact
a viewer and their interaction with the Media.
• What are the representations of Social Class?
• What are regional representations?

3. Starter
KEY TERMS TEST
• Write the definitions for the terms listed below.
• Hegemony
• Socophilia
• Terminology

4. Test 2
• Who created the Male Gaze?
• Define the Male Gaze theory
• Give one example of a TV show where this could be
applied.

5. Audience Theories
• These theories relate to the way the audience act to
information the media give to them and the impact it has
on the viewer.

6. Hypodermic Model
• Hypodermic Model – This is the most straight forward of
the theories this theory suggests that audiences are
passive and whatever message they are given by the
media they except and believe. This theory is also called
the Magic Bullet Theory and that it suggest the mass
media has a direct, immediate and powerful effect on its
audiences.

7. Hypodermic Model
• This model is often used to argue copycat violence and
the influence of the Media on individuals.
• Jamie Bulger – Child’s Play 3
• Stephan Pakeerah – Manhunt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt5MjBlvGcY

8. Two Stop Flow
• Two Step Flow – This theory considers how we are given the media. It
suggests that opinion leaders select the media and the way to present that
media and because we trust the view of the opinion leader we except what
we are being told. The way the opinion leader gives their views has coined
the term “personal influence”. The opinion leaders are very influential and are
able to change are opinion and views to mirror theirs through these media
products which the individual excepts because the opinion leader has similar
views to those of the individual.
https://www.youtu
be.com/watch?v=
csGHExeP3uA

9. Uses and Gratification
• Uses and Gratification - This assumes the audience are
active in their consumption of the media. The audience
will seek out the selected media to satisfy their desires
and needs. The viewer is engaged in finding chosen
media products to enhance ones knowledge or for social
interactions, diversions or escapism. This theory unlike
the others below does not consider the impact of the
media product on society / individual rather what 'people
do with the media'.
https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=aopqP
s7rb_Q

10. REPRESENTATIONS
• Throughout todays analysis of the Regional and Social
class consider how these theories could be applied to
these subjects

11. Social Classes?
• How many social classes are there?
• How would you describe them?

12. Social Classes
• Three main social groups
• Working Class
• Middle Class
• Upper Class
• You could also consider using lower class, the group below working
class this group tend not to work e.g. Jeremy Kyle.

13. Working class
• Presented in the stereotypical context of traditional
working class communities such Eastenders and Corrie,
Shameless
• Community values often praised but do not reflect reality,
• Working class communities have declined with the
collapse of traditional industries such as coal mining,
• Often presented in the context of trouble, undesirable
welfare scroungers, unable to cope with their delinquent
children.

14. The middle class
• Presented as educated and successful as well as able to
cope with problems,
• Over represented in the media due to their lifestyle,
• Representation fits in with the hegemonic ideology of the
dominant class in society,
• Representation justifies the existing class structure and
inequalities by suggesting people need to become more
competent and successful in order to cope with life.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp5U7J-7NTk

15. Representations of the middle class
• Overrepresented on TV in dramas, soap operas, and
situation comedies,
• Substantial percentage of newspapers and magazines
are aimed at the middle classes such as a Daily Mail and
the Daily Telegraph which focuses on their consumptions
and taste,
• Content of newspapers expresses the concerns of the
middle classes with regards to the declining moral
standards along with their pride for their British identity
and heritage,

16. Upper class
• Mainly done through the coverage of the monarchy,
• Seen as well bred and cultured,
• Represented through their accents, estates, and a taste
for shooting and hunting,
• Usually represented in costume and period drama.

17. Nairn (1988) – Monarchy
• “Royal Family” concept = niceness, decency,
ordinariness,
• Royal family can be deemed to be “like us” but “not like
us” – the queen seen as ordinary working mother doing
extraordinary things,
• Obsession with the royal family develops through the
British society following WWII

18. Representations of poverty and
underclass
• Portrayal usually negative and stereotypical,
• Portrayed in the form of statistics in news bulletin such as
figures of unemployment,
• Recent media interest in the labelling of the poor such as
“chavs” which according to Shildrick and MacDonald
(2007) suggest that the poor are undeserving of
sympathy,
• Hayward and Yar (2006) – the term chav is used as an
amusing term of abuse for young poor people
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVjKVBf-AxI
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7BFZqQ4ruA

19. Representations of the upper class and
wealth
• Neo-marxist believe that the mass media representations
of social class tend to be celebrate hierarchy and wealth,
• UK mass media never portrays the upper class in a
critical light,
• Upper classes usually portrayed in an eccentric or
nostalgic way.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwtZuGvawwY&feature
=related

20. Reiner (2007) and Young (2007)
• Media tends to portray the UK as a meritocratic society
in which intelligence, talent and hard work are rewarded;
• Neo Marxists argue that this concept of meritocracy is in
fact a myth as wealth rather than ability opens up the
doors and access to Oxbridge and top jobs;
• This supports Cohen and Young (1981) theory, which
believed that the British culture is a monetary culture
characterized by a “chaos of reward”:
• Top businessmen are rewarded for failure (e.g bankers),
• Celebrities are over rewarded by their “talent”.

21. Newman (2006)
• Argues that the tabloid media dedicate a great deal of
their content to examining the lives of another section of
the wealthy elite,
• This dedication invites the audiences to admire the
achievements of these celebrities,
• Media over focuses on consumer items such as luxury
cars, costly holiday spots and fashion accessories

22. Lawler (2005)
• Chav is used as a term of disgust and contempt,
• Argues that the media use the discriminatory and
offensive language to vilify what they depict as a peasant
underclass symbolised by stereotypical forms of
appearance,
• Swale (2006) – usage of the term NEET (Not in
Employment Education or Training),
• Newspapers suggest that those from the underclass are
responsible for their own poverty.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHoOHfQWBME

23. McKendrick et al (2008)
• Poverty is rarely explored in the media,
• Programmes such as Shameless present a sanitized
picture of poverty,
• Jeremy Kyle paints a picture of poverty which is seen as
entertainment.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gfsh5NeCeLU&feature
=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnI-
3ez5jIU&feature=related

24. Cohen (2009)
• Argues that the UK mass media was so concerned about
trumpeting the good fortune of British capitalism that it
paid less attention to its casualties

25. Example of Social Class
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4GRPkND900
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QkaEDdNew8
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pJhL-A8XyE&t=8s
• How are social classes being represented?

26. Representation
• The next subject we are
going to explore is:
Regional
Identity

27. Regional Identity
• What kind of regional identities do you know?

28. •Regional Identity refers to the part of
the United Kingdom someone is
from. It could refer to a general area
such a “north” or “south”, a country
such as “English” or “Scottish” or
specific towns such as “London” or
“Manchester.”

29. •There are several
regional stereotypes
widely seen on
television:

30. • Scottish – often shown as being money obsessed, won’t
pay for anything, drinks a lot of alcohol, loves the
outdoors, wears kilts, eats haggis, quite aggressive and
violent

31. • Welsh –Often shown as living in the middle of the
countryside, with people making jokes about them
“shagging sheep”

32. • Irish – often shown as living in the countryside, working in
rural areas such as farms, being very religious, being
good at dancing and singing, very friendly but less
intelligent

33. • English – often shown as being racist, obsessed with beer
and football living in London. Sometimes the stereotype
goes in the opposite direction of showing English people
as very rich, posh, happy, living in castles and being very
“royal.”

34. • London – There are 2 main stereotypes of
Londoners. One is that they are often shown as being
rich, posh, snobby, upper class, Hugh Grant types
from central or west london. The other is that they
often shown as being from north, east or south
London, poor, common, lower class, criminalistic,
violent “Kidulthood” style

35. • Manchester / Newcastle / Liverpool – Often shown as
being “chavs”, wearing fake designer labels, or tracksuits,
drinking a lot, being aggressive, uneducated, criminals

36. • Essex – often shown as being glamourous but cheap,
footballer’s wives, lots of partying, being quite stupid

37. • Yorkshire – Often shown as living in rural countryside,
with rolling hills and cobbled streets, being quite old
fashioned

38. • Cornwall / Somerset – Often shown as being
“backwards”, living in rural areas, working on farms

39. • South England – often shown as being the centre of
culture, modern, classy, clever, sunny, richer, doing middle
class jobs such as managers etc

40. • North England – often shown as being poorer, bad
weather, lower class, aggressive, less culture, less clever,
doing working class jobs such as builders etc

41. Regional Example
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sNf-MwxTSE
• Consider how this scene represents regional characters.

42. If you get “regional identity” as an issue in
the exam, you should be considering the
way that region is being shown is it
positive or negative depiction also
consider the hardships being faced y the
characters