Selcan Findikoglu

How does the media represent the collective identity of British Youth?

As a teenager, I am socially aware of the unfair representation of the British Youth in the media industry. The incorrect and stereotypical representation of the youth in media influences the younger generation to behave in the way the media portrays us, also encourages adults to treat us differently. The industry is indoctrinating the adult’s perception of the youth through media’s reinforcement of the youngers us; “hooligans, razor gangs, teddy boys, hippies, skinheads and rioters” having, “bad manners, and contempt for authority; showing disrespect for their elders.” This is supporting Louis Althusser’s ‘interpellation’ theory of the media having the power to mediate the audience through their dominating representations of age. An article written by Hallsworth for the Times in July 2005 has raised a lot of controversial debates whether the, “Fear drives one teenage boy in ten to carry knife” was actually influenced by our community or the unfair representation that the media is setting. Hallsworth claimed that intimidating group of teenagers or ‘gangs’ as the media likes to refer are making innocent teenagers to carry a knife as protection. However, the research that was taken by the Youth Death after the publication of this article proved that 60% of teenagers explained that they do not carry a knife to protect or to harm anyone. A public debate was introduced by Rebecca Wood to discuss ‘The reality behind the knife crime’ and interestingly it presented that 55 peoples death out of 75 was murdered by adults. After gathering the results, it has been shown that only 25% of teenagers have been carrying a knife, whereas adults have been proven to commit a knife crime by 75%. Althusser would argue that this is an interpellation of the media portraying the youth as being influenced by other teenagers but if this has been the case of adults, it would not have been discussed as an issue of being influenced by other adults but simply be described as a freedom of choice. Most of the time we are known as antisocial teenagers in films and TV shows. For instance, in Modern Family, Manny Prichett is constantly being represented as an antisocial teenager who is desperate to be ‘cool’ and more engaging with others. According to my research, I have found that Roger Mosey encouraged children and young people to starts a local contribution to social change towards the representation of the youths in media by being part of local radio stations, TV, and eventually the national broadcast to disclaim the false portrayal of us teenagers who are mostly reported as negative by 76% in the media which has been proven by the UK Youth. The audience of the media is no longer aware of the youth’s positive contribution to society because they have been informed that teenagers are antisocial and unproductive. For the record, a sixteen year old YouTuber called BertieBertG is a great example of a teenager who would be labeled as antisocial for his name being known virally but would prove the adults for our productivity through his short films, discussions about political and social issues and highlighting important issues comedy allows him to set a good example of the youth by his contribution on a worldwide used social network that is used by all age ranges.

Selcan Findikoglu

The British Youth Council (BYC) and the Youth Net presented that 80% of teenagers believed that the media is setting an unfair portrayal of youths in media. The question I would like to remark is, the workers in the media industry, who are successfully indoctrinating the audience, are always informing us that the younger generation is our futures hope in media and society. If that is the case, why are we teenagers being represented as troublemakers, seeking for dominance and antisocial in media? I as a seventeen-year-old teenager believe that the media is limiting our opportunities to be part of the media industry, deconstructing a pleasant impression of the youth and they are starting to send mixed messages of the youth, which through my perspective seems like the media is contradicting their own work and argument.