Representation Theory

Media Representation Theory Representation refers to the construction in any medium of aspects of ‘reality’ such as people, places, objects, events, cultural identities and other abstract concepts. Such representations may be in speech or writing as well as still or moving pictures. The term refers to the processes involved as well as to its products. For instance, in relation to the key markers of identity: Class

·         Age

·         Gender

·         Ethnicity

Representation involves how identities are represented or constructed within the text and also how they are constructed in the processes of production and reception by people whose identities are also differentially marked in relation to such demographic factors. For instance, the issue of 'the gaze'. How do men look at images of women, women at men, men at men and women at women? A key in the study of representation concern is with the way in which representations are made to seem ‘natural’. Systems of representation are the means by which the concerns of ideologies are framed; such systems ‘position’ their subjects. Semiotics and content analysis are the main methods of formal analysis of representation.

• Reality is always represented - what we treat as 'direct' experience is 'mediated' by perceptual codes. Representation always involves 'the construction of reality'.

• All texts, however 'realistic' they may seem to be, are constructed representations rather than simply transparent 'reflections', recordings, transcriptions or reproductions of a pre-existing reality. • Representations which become familiar through constant re-use come to feel 'natural' and unmediated.

• Representations require interpretation - we make modality judgements about them.

• Representation is unavoidably selective, foregrounding some things and back grounding others.

• Realists focus on the 'correspondence' of representations to 'objective' reality (in terms of 'truth', 'accuracy' and 'distortion'), whereas constructivists focus on whose realities are being represented and whose are being denied.

• Both structuralist and poststructuralist theories lead to 'reality' and 'truth' being regarded as the products of particular systems of representation - every representation is motivated and historically contingent. Key Questions about Specific Representations

• What is being represented?

• How is it represented? Using what codes? Within what genre?

• How is the representation made to seem 'true', 'common sense' or 'natural'?

• What is foregrounded and what is back grounded? Are there any notable absences?

• Whose representation is it? Whose interests does it reflect? How do you know?

• At whom is this representation targeted? How do you know?

• What does the representation mean to you? What does the representation mean to others? How do your account for the differences?

• How do people make sense of it? According to what codes?

• With what alternative representations could it be compared? How does it differ?

• A reflexive consideration - Why is the concept of representation problematic? Comparisons with related representations within or across genres or media can be very fruitful, as can comparisons with representations for other audiences, in other historical periods or in other cultural contexts. Television is... the most rewarding medium to use when teaching representations of class because of the contradictions which involve a mass medium attempting to reach all the parts of its class-differentiated audience simultaneously... Its representations of class can perhaps best be approached by teaching how class relations are represented and mediated within different TV genres and forms (Alvarado et al. 1987: 153). Media Semiotics By David Chandler (2006) defines Media representation as:- “Representation refers to the construction in any medium (especially the mass media) of aspects of reality such as people places objects events and cultural identities. The term refers to the process as well as to its products. For instance into the key markers of identity (class, age, gender and ethnicity) representation involves not only how identities are represented within the text but also how they are constructed in the process of production and reception.”

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