Overview Of Topics And Issues

The media has the power through selection and reinforcement to give us very influential portrayals of a whole range of groups, situations and ideas. we interpret theses representations in different ways depending on the values and assumptions we carry around in our own heads. representation is not how things are presented but also how we react to media text in order for us to understand the portrayal of things, in this case the youth culture.

Is the youth portrayed in a negative or positive way ?

many of today youth are portrayed negatively , usually aggressive , disobedient and disrespectful. for example the telegraph newspaper stated that half of 15 year old were involved in a violent fights and youths were more likely to "hang out" with mates on the street. due to several stabbings in the UK committed by teenagers Gordon Brown suggested that by unveiling a £150 million package which will include opening a youth club in every neighbourhood will prevent young people congregating on street corners. however some youths are portrayed in a positive way for example on the programme the junior apprentice a group of 10 young people , between the ages of 16 and 17, compete to win a £25,000 prize from the British business magnate Lord Sugar. The teenagers are represented as hard working and aiming to be successful in life unlike most TV programmes where teenager are portrayed negatively.

does the representation of youth differ around the world?

The representations of youth differ around the world as each culture has different ideologies and values for instance on the programme "worlds strictest parent "the strict parents children tend to be respectful and never take life for granted not only that they are presented as the complete opposite compared to the teenagers in the UK . However most of the time the representations of teenagers around the world always tend to be the same because of what we witness through the media. the majority of people know that when kids reach their teenage years that when they tend to be out of control , so they are given negative portrayals because of how most people their age behave.

Are they influenced by what they see through the media ?

The majority of youths are influenced by what they see through the media , for instance the female gender representations for youth are developed by girl magazines. the representations of females in girl magazines are negative portrayals of young females because most of the females shown either have hardly any clothes on or are seen as a goddess and if you are not like them you do not fit in. however not all girl magazines have negative portrayals , because most young females are able to see themselves in privileged positions as opposed to the usual subservient roles developed in other media. so the magazines that show young females in lead or have dominant roles provide positive representations. Male magazines such as Loaded and FHM which focus on other male lifestyles such as cars, sports, holidays and clothes as well as females. the press has little youth representations because it tends to sell to youths when they are really aiming to sell to adults.

Many press stories, music videos , films and TV programmes involve youth (gang culture, club scenes, drug stories etc) and the accuracy or otherwise of these portrayals needs to be addressed. youth are influenced by celebrities, if one was to see there favourite celebrity dressed or acting in a specific way they tend to do the same. for example Lil Wayne smoking in his music videos looks cool so therefore because Lil Wayne does it so must his fan.

The impact the older generations and celebrities have on youths?

Celebrities and the older generation have a large impact on youth whether its negative or positive , they always have an influence on youths. for example in most hip hop music videos there always seems to be sexy girls or boys with lots of money and girls around them , this influences youths to be like their role models. most female celebrities always seem to look like goddesses this influences teenage girls to be like them. some celebrities and the older generation influence the youths positively for example Barrack Obama being elected as the first black president emphasizes the fact that everything is possible and you can achieve something in life.

Are all youths stereotyped the same or does it depend on where they come from and what they do and how they dress?

many youth are stereotyped because of the way they dress , their race , where they live and how they talk .for instance a boy dressed in black with his hoody up and trousers down low and living in an estate is automatically bad and represented negatively . as most boys with hoods on are "gangsters and intimidating.