MCJ 175

Why was media content targeting younger audiences more nuanced in its representations of LGBTQ characters than content targeting older audiences?

In Living Color drew an older demographic than the teen-oriented Dawson's Creek.

How does the racial and ethnic diversity of Gen Z compare to other generations?

Generation Z is the most racially and ethnically diverse age group in the US

What are schemata? What does a schema do?

used actively to make sense of the world. A schema provides an "initial expectation, an anticipation of what one is going to see"

There is evidence that the media contribute to our attitudes and behaviors in many areas relating to gender. What are they?

traditional gender role attitudes, appearance beliefs and sexualization, toy and play behavior, sexual roles and courtship behavior, and occupational aspirations and academic performance.

Does gender identity have to do with being straight or gay?

No

What has research revealed about film portrayals of men and women when it comes to work and personal relationships? What do these patterns suggest?

males are more likely to have an identifiable occupation and be shown working. Female characters appear most frequently in the context of personal relationships.

Millennials currently have the most purchasing power in the U.S. What does Gen Z have?

older Gen Z'ers have influencing power. They're the trendsetters.

What did Noam Chomsky mean when he said that, for media companies, the audience is the product and corporate advertisers are the customers? How so?

readers fit a demographic and it is this that is valuable information that can be used by advertisers. Hence, to the advertisers, the product that the New York Times and such companies bring to them is the audience itself and it is the advertisers that bring the money to the media companies, not the audience.

What is the fallacy of essentialism?

reduces a person to the attribute claimed as necessary to the category with which they are identified.

What three questions does the Bechdel Test attempt to answer?

(1) Are there at least two women? (2) who talk to each other about (3) something other than a man?

What are the three steps of demographic profiling?

(1) Identify segments or subgroups that exist in the overall population.(2) Identify characteristics shared by members of these groups (put together a profile for each one.(3) Identify effective ways to appeal to people with these profiles.

What three criteria does a film need to meet to pass the Vito Russo Test?

(1) The film has a character that is identifiablyGLBTQ. (2) That character must not be solely or predominantly defined by their sexual orientation or gender identity. (3) That character must be tied into the plot in such a way that their removal would have a significant effect

In which two genres of film do men appear most often? What do these patterns suggest?

1. Drama 2. Action

In which two genres of film do women appear most often? What do these patterns suggest?

1. Horror 2. Drama

What percentage of Gen Z'ers say that watching TV shows and movies at home is a favorite media activity? How does this compare to older generations

10% Millenials 18 X 25 Boomers 39

What is the current collective income of Gen Z? When is it expected to surpass that of millennials?

33 mil 2031

What percent of millennials are found to be influenced by social media and celebrity endorsements?

72

How many seconds of attention span do Gen Z'ers have? What are the implications of this when it comes to creating ads designed to reach them?

8 seconds convey your message more directly, because young users will scan it for only a few seconds before closing it.

What percent of millennials will purchase an item the first time they see it if they like it enough?

82

How important is to millennials to make purchases from companies that share their values and beliefs?

83 percent will tend to buy from companies that share beliefs

What is gender?

Gender is a social construct (what meaning we agree to attach to your assigned sex). It's tied to society's set of expectations, standards and characteristics of how men and women should act

What is a stereotype?

A stereotype is a shorthand way of describing someone with collective, rather than unique characteristics (Lester & Dente Ross, 2003). Stereotypes support existing power structures and often endorse existing patterns of inequality and discrimination. Those who create and perpetuate stereotypes are usually in greater positions of power than those stereotyped .

What has experimental research found when identical research abstracts are submitted to scientists with the only difference being the assumed gender of the abstracts' authors?

Abstracts with a woman's name were rated as lower in quality and less worthy of collaboration by scientists than abstracts with a man's name.

Who makes up the primary demographic group by which advertising rates are set for TV?

Adults between the ages of 18-49 make up the primary demographic group by which advertising rates are set for TV

What do advertisers seek to do?

Advertisers seek to convince audiences (consumers) that they have needs that can only be met through the purchase of specific products.

In what two ways does advertising impact media content, both news and entertainment?

Advertising impacts the time and space allotted to media content

Why does the author describe Disney's representation of LGBTQ individuals as token (minimal) rather than meaningful? What evidence does she cite?

Among recent films, possible lesbian couples were spotted in the background of "Toy Story 4" (2019) and "Finding Dory" (2016). Initially spotted in a trailer, "Finding Dory" includes two women shocked to find an octopus in a stroller. When asked whether the women were a couple by USA Today, co-director Andrew Stanton said "they can be whatever you want them to be." In "Toy Story 4," two women can be spotted dropping off and later picking up a child together at kindergarten. "Zootopia" (2016) featured two male antelopes who were confirmed to be a married couple by co-director Jared Bush on witter after audiences took notice of their shared, hyphenated last name in the credits.

Know the terms and definitions in the Glossary of Terms found in Module 6.

Asexual - An adjective used to describe people who do not experience sexual attraction(e.g., asexual person). A person can also be a romantic, meaning they do not experience romantic attraction. (For more information, visit asexuality.org.) Bisexual - A person who has the capacity to form enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attractions to those of the same gender or to those of another gender. People may experience this attraction in differing ways and degrees over their lifetime. Bisexual people need not have had specific sexual experiences to be bisexual; in fact, they need not have had any sexual experience at all to identify as bisexual. Bisexual Umbrella, Bisexual+ - An encompassing term for people with the capacity to be attracted to more than one gender. Includes people who identify as bisexual, pansexual, fluid, queer, and more. Gender Identity - A person's internal, deeply held sense of their gender. For transgender people, their own internal gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth.Most people have a gender identity of man or woman (or boy or girl). For some people, their gender identity does not fit neatly into one of those two choices (see non-binary below.) Unlike gender expression (see below), gender identity is not visible to others. Gender Expression - External manifestations of gender, expressed through a person's name, pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, and/or body characteristics. Society identifies these cues as masculine and feminine, although what is considered masculine or feminine changes over time and varies by culture. Typically, transgender people seek to align their gender expression with their gender identity, rather than the sex they were assigned at birth. Transgender - An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. People under the transgender umbrella may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms- including transgender. Use the descriptive term preferred by the person. Many transgender people are prescribed hormones by their doctors to bring their bodies into alignment with their gender identity. Some undergo surgery as well. But not all transgender people can or will take those steps, and a transgender identity is not dependent upon physical appearance or medical procedures. Non-Binary - Terms used by some people who experience their gender identity and/or gender expression as falling outside the categories of man and woman. They may define their gender as falling somewhere in between man and woman, or they may define it as wholly different from these terms. Latinx - A gender-neutral way of referring to people from or whose ancestors are from Mexico,Central America, South America, and the Caribbean living in the United States. The term originated in academic circles and has been increasingly accepted as a more inclusive term.

In which two areas have progress in the media's representation of women been slow?

But progress has been slow, especially when it comes to representing women of color and women over the age of 45.This is true of both movies and film.

What do early media representations of the LGBTQ community tell us about the assumptions content creators had of audiences?

Commercial media (media dependent on advertising and designed to appeal to mass audiences) have historically focused on gay men, lesbians and, on TV in particular, bisexual women.They have largely reflected the values and beliefs of the dominant culture, but ...they have also pushed the envelope on occasion.

What is Common Sense Media and what do they do?

Common Sense Media is a watchdog group that provides parents with an online rating system that suggests age-appropriate content for children.

What is confirmation bias?

Confirmation bias is when we automatically buy into new information if it confirms existing beliefs we hold and automatically reject if it doesn't.

Representations of gender suggest that Hollywood prioritizes certain viewers over others (or are more concerned about offending them than others). Which viewers?

Content on the whole continues to reflect a desire to appeal to male viewers more than female ones.

Why does advertising have such a powerful influence on commercial media?

Corporations spend more than $200 billion a yea ron advertising in the U.S. alone.The average American is exposed to more than3,000 ads each day and will spend two years of his or her life watching TV commercials.Ads are ubiquitous: billboards, sides of buses, sports stadiums, elevators, food products, etc

As our definitions of gender evolve, it's hard to not be confused sometimes. What arethree things we can do as we try to navigate this ever-changing world?

Don't make assumptions about gender used preferred name and pronouns be a friend or ally

In what ways does the representation of homosexuals in entertainment media differ from their representation in news media?

Entertainment media content has overall shifted insignificant ways throughout the years to be more representative of the homosexual community. the presence of homosexuals in the mainstream news flow is important because it is used as a reference point for constructing homosexual politics for American life as it is continually changing. As media representation of the LGBTQ community expands, there is greater potential for messages to influence audience member's beliefs and attitudes about the homosexual community in positive ways.

What are the two types of media frames identified by Iyengar? Where are they most likely to be found and how do they differ, both in terms of media content and how they affect audiences?

Episodic frames focus on specific events or particular cases. They don't provide context.Television news routinely uses these frames. Why do you think that might be the case? Thematic frames present collective or general evidence. These frames can be found in longer news stories which place issues and events in some general context. We're more likely to hold individuals responsible when an issue or event is reported using an episodic frame. We're more likely to hold society responsible with a thematic frame

What are the values of Gen Z?

Freedom to express their thoughts is essential to Gen Zers. There are indications that post-millennials, as they are sometimes referred to, care about the world. This age group is more environmentally conscious than its predecessors, and highly values diversity, and demands it from brands and employers alike.

What is the difference between gender identity and sexual orientation?

GI: Inner experience of gender SO: based on how you feel towards others

During which years were Gen Z'ers born?

Gen Z'ers were born between 1997-2012

What is gender fluid?

Gender fluid is a non-binary gender identity. It encompasses those whose gender identity or gender expression—or both—shifts over time depending on the situation

What is gender identity?

Gender identity is how you feel inside and how you express those feelings

In order to be eligible for Best Picture, what must a movie do beginning with the 96th Academy Awards in 2024?

In order to be eligible forBest Picture, a movie must meet specific standards related to gender, race and other under represented categories.

What two developments contributed to the mainstreaming of LGBTQ characters on commercial television during the 2000-2010s?

Key civil rights developments -Lawrence v Texas, same-sex marriage, "Don't Ask, Don'tTell"Recognition of the LGBTQ community as a distinct and desirable consumer demographic

Be familiar with current patterns of LGBTQ representation on television and in film.

LGBTQ individuals had major and supporting roles in various genres (drama, comedy, reality TV)Remaining inoffensive and commercially viable remained the goal. Thus, for the most part, lesbian couples were more physically affectionate and sexual than gay couples.

What has research revealed about the representation of female characters and male characters on TV and in film relative to their presence in the overall population? What do these patterns suggest?

Male characters in TV and movies have been overrepresented relative to their presence in the overall population while female characters have been underrepresented.Specifically, compared to women, men appear more frequently, more often in speaking roles and more often as protagonists

What has research revealed about TV and film portrayals of men and women when it comes to age? What does these patterns suggest?

Male characters in TV and movies tend to be in their30s and 40s; female characters tend to be in their 20s and 30s.

What are the implications of The Tough Guise?

Males are forced into boxes wherein only certain behaviors are considered appropriately masculine.This puts pressure on males to behave in certain ways, often at the expense of their relationships and mental and emotional health.At the extreme, this contributes to the culturally-held belief that male acts of aggression are inevitable, even normal.

What is demographic profiling?

Marketers take a systematic approach to developing successful advertising campaigns.Their goals are to advertise products and services efficiently and identify gaps in their messages.

Why is The Tough Guise a media issue?

Media are powerful storytelling and teaching tools.Media images of manhood therefore play a pivotal role in making, shaping and privileging certain cultural and personal attitudes about manhood.A critical examination of media images reveals a widespread equation of masculinity with control and aggression. Change is happening, but slowly.

According to McQuail, how are media effects strong? How are they limited?

Media effects are strong because media present images of reality in predictable and patterned ways. Media effects are limited because we interact with media, bringing our own meanings to what we see and hear.

What do media frames do?

Media frames encourage us to process information in certain ways by singling out particular aspects of a perceived reality (Entman, 1992).

What kind of content must commercial media organizations produce?

Media organizations need to produce content that attracts the kind of audiences that advertisers want to reach.

Why do the media rely on stereotypes?

Media rely on stereotypes to give audiences an immediate and shared understanding of a person or group of people.

During which years were millennials born? What are some things that define them?

Millennials were born between 1981-1996, which means they will be ages 27 to 42 in 2023. They're the largest generation, make up the biggest percentage of the workforce and hold the most purchasing power in the country.

What accounts for the nature of media frames and stereotypes?

Producers of media content (writers, reporters) are members of the larger culture they write about and report on.Time and space constraints make it necessary to simplify complex information.The media are commercial enterprises that require a steady stream of revenue to survive

When it comes to media representations of STEM characters, gender isn't the only concern. What else is?

Race

What do scholars currently believe about the nature of media effects?

Researchers currently believe that media effectsare both strong and limited.

What is sex?

Sex is biologically defined, based on the genitals you were born with and the chromosomes you have. It's also known as your assigned sex.

Historical (and some persistent contemporary) stereotypes of gay men and bisexual women have been driven by the media's tendency to cater to one demographic group over others.Which demographic group? Why this particular group? How has this shaped content?

Single gay characters began to appear more often on TV (albeit in highly stereotypical ways),stirring up a conservative backlash. Male audience

Where do most Gen Z'ers get their news?

Social Media

Where do the vast majority of Gen Z'ers learn about new products?

Social Media

Research has found that gender differences in ability do not account for the gender gap in STEM. What five things do?

Stereotypes Role Congruity Work-Family Challenges Gender Discrimination "Choice"

What do stereotypes support and often endorse?

Stereotypes support existing power structures and often endorse existing patterns of inequality and discrimination.

What is stereotyping?

Stereotyping is a way of defining and judging others in fixed, unyielding terms (Pickering, 2015). Rather than viewing and treating others as individuals, we view and treat them as members of particular groups, groups either they assign themselves to (e.g., Asian) or we assign them to based on what we assume they are (e.g., if he has a gun rack in his truck, he must be Republican).

How do stereotypes differ from preconceptions and mental schemas?

Stereotyping is by contrast a rigid form of cultural representation that prevents such flexible use and so creates barriers between people. It attempts to place and fix other people - who they are and what they represent - once and for all.

Be familiar with the various LGBTQ cultural and TV milestones.

Stonewall riots (1969)- ignited the gay rights movement American Psychiatric Association (1973) - removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders "Will and Grace" - primary relationship was between a man and a woman. The flamboyant, Cher-loving Jack."Buffy the Vampire Slayer" -integrated a lesbian relationship into the storyline"Dawson's Creek" - first honest portrayal of a gay teenager

How have female characters in TV changed?

TV shows are increasingly featuring complex female protagonists. Women no longer exist mostly for mento betray or sleep with

What does the Bechdel Test measure?

The Bechdel Test is a metric that measures inclusivity in a film. It looks at whether female characters are treated as subjects (their worth is independent of men) or objects

How has marketing and advertising featuring and targeting men changed? What has motivated this change?

The Marlboro Man archetype left a long-lasting impression on advertising and the media in terms of what it meant to be a man: reserved, hardworking and defined by posturing and machismo.

Who has driven the changes?

The changes have been driven by series creators, executive producers, writers and onscreen talent likeShonda Rhimes, Tina Fey, Eileen Chaiken and Marti Noxon.

The media can't make us behave a certain way, but what can they do?

The media can't make us behave a certain way, but they can create a climate in which certain behaviors are normalized (e.g., "boys will be boys").

What is the significance of sweeps when it comes to television representations of bisexuality?

The number of bisexual characters has fallen steadily in recent years, even though bisexuals account for the overwhelming majority of the community.

Why might people turn to stereotypes when faced with uncertainty and loss, disruptions in their ways of life and upheavals in social processes and social organization? What purpose do they serve in such circumstances?

The stereotypes act as a means of deflecting attention from more profound social ills by providing an easily recognizable source of culpability and censure.

Do the media reflect larger cultural stereotypes, shape them or do both?

They reflect and shape larger cultural stereotypes.

What does power have to do with the creation and perpetuation of stereotypes?

Those who create and perpetuate stereotypes are usually in greater positions of power than those stereotyped.

Which social media platform more than any other has signaled the influence of Gen Z ininfluencing consumer behavior?

TikTok

What did Gen Z'ers identify as their favorite media activity?

Video games

When it comes to how the media portray members of any group there are three central areas of concern. (This is especially true of groups that are underrepresented in media.) What are they?

Visibility: How often do members of certain groups appear, especially relative to their numbers in the overall population?Patterns of representation: When members of certain groups appear, how are they portrayed? Content creators: Who is telling the story? How might their vantage point explain issues of visibility and representation?

According to research, when it comes to the issues of visibility, representation and behind-the-scenes opportunities for females, women who have creative control of a TV program or film tend to make different decisions than men in the same position. How so?

We are more likely to see females as protagonists, main characters and in speaking roles in films where females are in powerful creative and decision-making positions.

Why might stereotyping be inevitable?

We learn stereotypes at an age when we are unable to challenge them.Stereotypes often contain "a grain of truth"—or seem to. Individual stereotypes reflect larger cultural stereotypes and dominant ideologies.

What is intersectionality and why is it a useful approach to understanding how media affect us?

a framework of inquiry that considers how different systems of privilege and oppression shape individuals' lived experience on the basis of their multiple, intersecting identities

What is The Tough Guise?

a persona assumed by males that equates masculinity with being "strong" (dominant, stoic, controlling and aggressive)

What is theory?

a set of concepts and relationships thatenable one to understand, describe, explain,evaluate, predict and control things (phenomena)." -Cragan and Shields, 1998

When it comes to race, what does the joking frame mask?

behind this facade of humor that it hardwires the stereotype even further into the social and political myths in which it is already embedded.

Why do the media have more influence and power than everyday conversation and interpersonal exchange when it comes to making stereotypes seem natural and absolute?

broad distribution and circulation of the products of modern communications, and the extent to which they are accredited as sources of authority or truth. Stereotyping works by making these representations seem natural and absolute, and when it is successful the resulting view of others becomes entrenched and difficult to shift, even in the face of empirical assessment or conflicting experience.

Be familiar enough with the theoretical perspectives of cultivation, framing and agenda-setting so that if I give you an example of one, you can say which it is.

cultivation- Cultivation Theory examines the effects of one's long-term, prolonged exposure with tele-vision. From a cultivation perspective, some research has suggested that the continued innovation of modern media has caused traditional theory of media cultivation to be less relevant, primarily for ethnic minorities who are seeing much more prominent representation on television Framing- Framing theory states that the media focuses on certain topics and delivers information on them in a motive conscious way. The media is said to highlight specific events and place them in a certain con-text to either encourage or discourage interpretations. Because of this, the media produces a particularly selective influence in the way people view reality as they see it in media. Thus, the way stories about homosexual issues are framed also plays a large role in what ends up being viewed, in turn affecting the attitudes of the viewers to come out of it. For example, the attitudes emerging from the news of homosexual marriage becoming legal would be significantly altered if news stories include condescending and negative language or bias Agenda setting-Agenda setting theory explains the ability of the news media to influence the importance of topics on the public agenda. For example, when marriage equality was examined in a 2013 cover of the New York Times, the issue was perceived by readers as important and notable to a greater degree than be-fore the publication of that news article (Rodriguez & Blumell, 2014). So, the more the topic of homosexuality is covered in news media, the more an audience will regard it as prominent, news worthy and applicable to others' lives as well as their own.

Gen Z'ers like to stand for something else besides profits. What do they say matters to them and how does this influence which brands they support?

diversity in the workplace matters for 88% of this cohort. Not only marketers but employers too should focus on inclusivity if they want to tap this future major workforce source.

What are the four ideological state apparatuses identified by Althusser and what do they do?

families, religious institutions, schools and mass media.

From cultivation theory, what is mainstreaming? What is mean world syndrome?

heavy" viewers are presumed to have the same sort of beliefs and world views, leading to a societal homogenization effect referred to as "mainstreaming." The most commonly cited cultivation effect deals with the large amount of violence on television, which convinces heavy television consumers that the world is a more violent place than it actually is.

What is ideology?

ideology is an individual's, group's or nation's world view—the prism through which we look at the world and make sense of who we are, who others are, and what our places are in it.

How are individual stereotypes, cultural stereotypes and dominant ideology connected?

individual stereotypes reflect larger cultural stereotypes and dominant ideologies.

What are the seven pillars of masculinity based on research?

self sufficiency acting tough physical attractiveness rigid masculine gender roles heterosexuality and homophobia hyper sexuality aggression and control

In 2020, millennials not only were the largest percentage of the workforce, they were also the biggest users of ________ and most likely to _________

social media purchase online

What does the Vito Russo Test attempt to determine about films with LGBTQ characters?

subjects or objects

How does uses and gratifications theory differ from effects theories that focus exclusively on how the media influence individuals and society?

the belief that while mass media have had and do have a significant impact on society This view contradicts the classic direct effects approach to media effects; it suggests that people engage with particular media messages purposefully, that they have agency when it comes to consuming media, and that their social environment inevitably changes how they interact with media

The most popular TV programs have older viewers. Why has this led to some brands diverting more ad dollars to social media platforms like YouTube?

the brands are so eager to reach those viewers that they have been willing to continue advertising on YouTube despite the issues it has faced around ads showing up on offensive content, like racist videos.

What is essentialism?

the fallacy of individualism in reverse

There is a long-standing assumption in Hollywood that audiences will not support diverse casts, that TV ratings and box office sales will plummet. What does the author say about this?

the rise of popular streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu are recognizing the demographics of audiences they can reach by incorporating diverse casts and creators. With more content creators behind the scenes working in the entertainment and media industries, accurate representation will increase and reflect society.

Jackson Katz provides examples of how dominant ideology works linguistically to conceal the power of dominant groups when it comes to race, sexual orientation and gender. What are the examples?

when we hear the word "race" in the United States, we tend to immediately think of African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders,South Asians. When we hear the term "sexual orientation," we tend to think of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. And when we hear the term "gender," we tend to think of women.