Representations

"What is happening to our young people? They distrespect their elders; they disobey their parents. They ignore the law. They riot in the streets, inflamed with wild notions. Their morals are decaying. What is to become of them?" Plato 4th centuary

Stereotypes

Stereotypes are social constructs

• They originate in & reflect power relations in society because they are part of a cultures ideaology
• They moralize people, treating them as 'the other'
• They catogarize people into groups whose members supposedly share inevitable characteristics, most typically, negative ones

Characteristics of stereotypes

• Stereotypes are categorical & general, suggesting the traits apply to all group members
• They are inflexiable or rigid, thus not easily corrected
• They are simplisitic

Hegemony in News Representation of Youth/Teen/Teenagers

• Media industries operate within a structure that produces and reinforces the dominant ideaology via a consensual 'world view'.
• This world view is produced predominantly by white middle class, middle aged, heterosexual men
• It is their ideas and values that infiltrate media texts and ensure that other voices do not get heard

Propaganda - Is a form of communication aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position

What words describe youth and youth culture in todays media?

hoodies
gangs
violence
crime
thugs
theives
yobs

What words describe adults

Boring
No sense of humour
Take life to serious
Judgemental