Theorists and their Ideas

Antonio Gramsci - Hegemony 

Italian theorist Antonio Gramsci (1881-1937). He emphasised that the control of society by one group or one set of political ideas was not necessarily achieved by force or control of arms, but by persuasion and ‘consent’ – the basis of democracy. The rulers manage to convince the mass of the population that they are ‘better off’ accepting current government policies. Maintaining hegemonic control is thus a process of constantly reinforcing the message and developing the argument.

The concept of hegemony allows for substantial change in ideas over time, even though the

same groups remain in power. These groups constantly adjust their ideas and find new ways

to gain the consent of those they dominate.

In media terms the Mass Media both perpetuate cultural hegemony and are a cultural hegemony in themselves in that a relatively small number of big companies, e.g. News

Corp., The BBC, Time Warner, Sony etc., control most of the world’s media, and this in turn allows them to control most of what we see, hear and know. This, in turn, allows them to control what we think, selecting only ideas that serve its interests, i.e. bourgeois capitalism. This is known as a ‘Top Down’ model of dominant ideologies.

David Buckingham

“A focus on identity requires us to pay close attention to the diverse ways in which media and technologies are used in everyday life, and their consequences for both individuals and for social groups”

Mikhail Bakhtin 

The Russian philosopher Bakhtin believed that individual people cannot be finalized, completely understood, known or labeled. He saw identity as the unfinalised self meaning a person is never fully revealed or known.

This ties in with the idea that identity is a fluid concept, a life-long project that is never complete. 

Stan Cohen 

Folk Devils and Moral Panics (1972)  

David Gauntlett 

'Identities are not 'given' but are constructed and negotiated.'  

Michel Foucault  (French thinker 1926-1984) 


For Foucault, people do not have a 'real' identity within themselves; that's just a way of talking about the self -- a discourse. An 'identity' is communicated to others in your interactions with them, but this is not a fixed thing within a person. It is a shifting, temporary construction.

Power is something which can be used and deployed by particular people in specific situations, which itself will produce other reactions and resistances; and isn't tied to specific groups or identities. 

Power outcomes are not inevitable and can be resisted.

(The power in our instance would be MASS MEDIA) 

Henry Jenkins - Participatory Culture

He celebrates these kinds of 'participatory' media and argues that a 'participatory culture' is one in which members believe their contributions matter, and feel some degree of social connection with one another. Participatory culture shifts the focus of literacy from one of individual expression tocommunity involvement. Links to the idea that social media can empower young people and bring about change.

SKET

the poster of sket

The filmmaking team was comprised to avoid an entirely white, middle-class team presenting stories about black youths: "We went to the market to say, 'What do you want?' They said, 'Our lives are pretty shit and we'd like some escapism.' They thought other films were made about them, not for them. We listened to that and wanted to make something real, something made with them," Mr Taussig added. Nirpal Bhogal, who grew up in East London and who has made the short film, Cold Kiss, will direct. Filming will begin in the summer around the area Mr Bhogal was raised in.

Future Representations

Plan B
Social Media

Plan B - making a stand about representation of young people

let’s all go on an urban safari
we might see some illegal migrants
oi look there’s a chav,
that means council housed and violent
he’s got a hoodie on give him a hug,
on second thoughts don’t you don’t wanna get mugged
oh shit too late that was kinda dumb
whose idea was that…stupid…
he’s got some front, ain’t we all,
be the joker, play the fool
what’s politics, ain’t it all
smoke and mirrors, april fools
all year round, all in all
just another brick in the wall
get away with murder in the schools
use four letter swear words coz we’re cool
we’re all drinkers, drug takers
every single one of us buns the herb
keep on believing what you read in the papers
council estate kids, scum of the earth
think you know how life on a council estate is,
from everything you’ve ever read about it or heard,
well it’s all true, so stay where you’re safest
there’s no need to step foot out the burbs
truth is here, we’re all disturbed
we cheat and lie its so absurd
feed the fear that’s what we’ve learned
fuel the fire,
let it burn.

chorus

oi! i said oi!

what you looking at you little rich boy!
we’re poor round here, run home and lock your door
don’t come round here no more, you could get robbed for
real (yeah) because my manors ill

my manors ill

for real

yeah you know my manors ill, my manors ill!

verse 2
you could get lost in this concrete jungle
new builds keep springing up outta nowhere
take the wrong turn down a one way junction
find yourself in the hood nobody goes there
we got an eco friendly government,
they preserve our natural habitat
built an entire olympic village
around where we live without pulling down any flats
give us free money and we don’t pay any tax
nhs healthcare, yes please many thanks
people get stabbed round here there’s many shanks
nice knowing someone’s got our backs when we get attacked
don’t bloody give me that
i’ll lose my temper
who closed down the community centre?
i kill time there used to be a member,
what will i do now until september?
schools out, rules out, get your bloody tools out
london’s burning, i predict a riot
fall in fall out
who knows what it’s all about
what did that chief say? something bout the kaisers
kids on the street no they never miss a beat, never miss a cheap
thrill when it comes their way
lets go looting
no not luton,
the high street’s closer cover your face
and if we see any rich kids on the way we’ll make ‘em wish they stayed inside
here’s a charge for congestion, everybody’s gotta pay
do what boris does… rob them blind

chrous x2

oi! i said oi!
what you looking at you little rich boy?
we’re poor round here, run home and lock your door!
don’t come round here no more, you could get robbed for
real (yeah) because my manors ill

my manors ill

for real

yeah you know my manors ill , my manors ill!

discussion and activity

how far were the responses of the rioters themselves given space in the media?



given the general framing of young people as the ket participants in the events, how much space was given to young people's voices - and what sort of young people are given space to respond in the media debates?



to what extent did social media challenge or confirm representations of youth identity in the mass media during of the london riots?

• discuss positive and negative
• use examples and theory to illustrate your argument

london riots case study summary of research

what were the context of the riots?
what were the reasons given as to why youths were involved in the riots
were youths given  FAIR AND UNBIASED REPRESENTATION IN THE PRESS COVERAGE OF THE RIOTS

applying theory
how can the coverage of the riots can be understood in relation to the ideas of stan cohen?
david gauntlett stated that "identities are not 'given' but are constructed but are constructed and negotiated."
from the research you have conducted into the coverage of the riots, to what extent is the representation of the collective identity of youths constructed by the press? consider for and against argument

Examples of News coverage

images of violence and "disturbances" are shown from the point of the law, the reporters focus on the violence but do now show any considerations to the possible reasons why this is happening, basically they are saying the youths are out of control and are there to cause opportunistic violence. They do not interview any of the rioters to see their point of view trying create bad representation off the youths.

the reporter interviews a stereotypical youth and they've chosen him because he is face is covered and making him look like a criminal. They make it seem that this is an image of a youth although this person does not give a good representation of the young society.

is the broadcaster biast?
are the youths given are fair voice?




who do the reporters interview?
what images in are used in the broadcast?what does this suggest about representation of the riots?
is the broadcaster biast?
are the youths given are fair voice?


\

who do the reporters interview?
what images in are used in the broadcast?what does this suggest about representation of the riots?
is the broadcaster biast?
are the youths given are fair voice?




who do the reporters interview?
what images in are used in the broadcast?what does this suggest about representation of the riots?
is the broadcaster biast?
are the youths given are fair voice?



who do the reporters interview?
what images in are used in the broadcast?what does this suggest about representation of the riots?
is the broadcaster biast?
are the youths given are fair voice?



who do the reporters interview?
what images in are used in the broadcast?what does this suggest about representation of the riots?
is the broadcaster biast?
are the youths given are fair voice?



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2023949/London-riots-2011-Hackney-Croydon-violence-shows-sign-abating.html


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14450248

( http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-2108745/Law-public-disorder-Inside-secret-bunker-Mets-men-work-rioters-control.html

Read the article to the end.

List (bullets) the methods the police can now use to deal with public disorder.

Answer the following using supporting evidence:

1.    What are the reasons given for the police using such methods?

2.    What are the arguments against this?

3.    Is the report biased or unbiased?

4.    What are the key messages and values given by the report?

5.    Do you think the article would start any social or moral panics?

Look at the images:

6.    Do the images of the rioters refer to any particular social group?

7.    Is this a fair representation of the content of the article?

8.    What impressions do you get of the police from the images selected?

9.    As a young person in British society, how do you feel about this article?

10. If you were a reporter, would you do anything differently? Explain.

11. Who do you think is the target audience for this article?

12. Is it a fair representation of the social groups discussed?)

collect a selection of stories and images from online news reports from broadsheet and tabloid press.
analyse the images and sensationalist/emotive language used.
How does the article construct representation of youth identity?
is the broadcast biast?
are youths given a fair voice?