“Media representations of youth reflect societies
perceptions and concerns”
Gramsci – Hegemony
Acland – ideology of
protection
Hebdidge – subcultures, youth
as fun/trouble
Gerbner – cultivation theory
Giddens –
Gould – 6 stereotypes of
youth
Cohen - moral panic, folk
devils
Wilkins - deviancy application
Giroux - Youth as an empty
category
Althusser -
In some respect I do agree with this statement but only in part. In the 1960s Cohen did some research into gang fights between Mods and Rockers. In his related studies he could not find any evidence to support the claims being made and developed his theory of 'folk devils'. There was violence at the time as reported by the Daily Mirror when the produced the front page headline 'Wild Ones Beat up Margate' in May 1968. However, there was no evidence that linked this to Mods vs Rocker violence. Instead it was theorised that the media portrayed the violence in a way to condemn the emergence of youth culture which had causes so much anxiety within society. This is where, and only where, I agree that the representations of youth reflect societies perceptions and it all comes down to Gramsci's theory of hegemony.
From as early as the 60s and through to modern day the media has always reflected on the media in a bad way, whether it be the Daily mirror reporting in March 1964 that the 'Wild ones' invade seaside- 97 arrested' or the Daily express in reporting 'Flaming morons thugs and thieves terrorise Britain's streets' in 2011. Within these articles you can see Ann Goulds stereotypes of youth coming into play, especially nihilism, self-destruction and violence. The youth are shown to have gone 'off the rails' and being excessively violent and in the Express article the use of alliteration hammers home this idea and creates this sense of anarchy which links to nihilism.
These link to both Acland and Gramsci's theories of protection and hegemony. Hegemony is the theory that the middle class are the 'common sense' class and anything that does not compute with their view of life is therefore a deviation from the social norm. Acland's theory of protection links to how society reacts to make sure that youth stay and keep out of further trouble and the 2 are in a sense nicely linked. Because the middle class want to preserve the 'status quo' through the use of mediation they amplify the concerns of society. This can be seen in the new 'IT' film 2017 where more and more children are disappearing and so Eddie's mother tricks him into believing he is ill with a condition and supplies him with placebo drugs so that he does partake in some of the activities other kids do. This also links to Acland's theory as his mother has gone to the extreme to protect her son and keep him out of trouble. This can also be linked to Gerbners' cultivation theory as at the time of the 80s when this film is set there was big advertisement about Aids which can be heard in dialogue by Eddie himself when he is talking about the sewage water.
Giroux's theory insists that youth are an empty category whose representations in conceived of all the worries and anxieties of adults and parents. In the movie attack the block (2011) the way the young characters in the film behave and they way the adults react to them all reflect the anxieties that the media portrays society as feeling. This can be observed early on in the film when a middle aged woman can be seen crying claiming she was attacked by a group of young boys and when she is comforted by an elderly woman she calls them 'F**cking brats.' However, again this does not accurately represent modern societies perceptions of youth. This links to David Gauntlett's theory that identities are now consciously constructed. During the 1960s when the Mirror was reporting on youth violence for the time they may well have been reporting and playing on peoples anxieties of youth sub culture as with nothing else really to compare it to adults would take what they were reading as the truth about youth. However, as Gaunlett states there are more and more ways for people these days to access information, whether it be through social media, the internet etc. This means that the way people see identity has changed because they no longer accept the medias interpretation as 100% the truth, they pick and choose to believe what they want to believe. This on the whole is why I do not fully agree with the statement, because where peoples perceptions have changed, the way the media choose to operate has not and they are still trying to view young people in the same way and now more and more people are beginning to disagree with what they are seeing and reading.
Hebidges theory that youth are either fun or trouble is also often pressed through the media. In the film 'Fish Tank' both these ideas are juxtapositional throughout the film. For example right at the beginning of the film she can be seen fighting a girl in the street and not long after that she is seen having fun with her mothers boyfriend in a lake. This again does not represent societies concerns of youth. Today the biggest concerns for youth and their parents is maintaing a job after university. However, little to nothing is reported by the media on young people struggling to find work after they leave uni.
Althussurs theory focuses on the repressive state and the ideological state. The repressive state functions through violence and the ideological state operatives passively through family and religion. This again can be seen in the recent IT (2017) movie as one of the boys is Jewish and he gives up on the pursuit of IT, to maintain his faith and religion. The use of religion here brings him into line and keeps him out of trouble. Althussers repressive state can be seen in police interceptors as most of the cases dealt with are around young people. However, this does not properly reflect youth as these shows are regional and very specific to a small groups of youth.
This on the whole is why I do not fully agree with the statement, because where peoples perceptions have changed, the way the media choose to operate has not and they are still trying to view young people in the same way and now more and more people are beginning to disagree with what they are seeing and reading.
