AS MEDIA STUDIESMS1: Media Representations and Receptions

IDEOLOGY

Lesson Aim: exploring the concept of ideology through representations of youth.

Lesson Objectives: You should be able to understand and explain the concept of ideology using case study examples.

What is IDEOLOGY?Ideology is a difficult - but important - concept to grasp.

Simply put, it is the ideas behind a media text, the secret (or sometimes not-so secret) agenda of its producers.

In sociological terms, ideology is a body of ideas or set of beliefs that underpins a process or institution and leads to social relations.

What examples can you come up with of where young people are featured in the media?

How are they represented?

What stereotypes do you recognise?

Mediaknowall.com

Immature, stupid, greedy, lazy, selfish, unfit, obese, violent, callous, gullible, unreliable, careless, self-entitled, never going to achieve anything – OUCH.

1. How are young people represented in the clip? - What words would you use to describe them? Is this positive/negative? Stereotypical?

2. What idea about young people does this support? That young people....

3. Why would C4 make a programme that presents young people in this way? Who are they aiming it at?

4. Who might not like this representation?

Now try and apply it to the following clip:

Recap

What is Ideology?

Explain using an example to illustrate your answer.