Reflection:
The section of this article "Ideology as Normalization" guided me to think about media in a way that I usually don't. Social media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram are sites that I use without even thinking of their implications, negative or positive. I wake up in the morning and one of the first things I do is check my phone and look on Instagram. There are times when I stop myself from checking social media early in the morning because I want to start my day off fresh by not looking and questioning myself due to the many opinions spread through media. Many companies and organizations use media to get their brand and information across to a wide range of individuals. Media is used to sell and by successfully sell your product you must be relatable. Popular tv shows are popular for a reason. They have adjusted their scripts to relate to the groups their trying to obtain. Media is about what will be the most "normal" or popular to get the most views or sales. When people are scrolling through their news feeds or watching the latest tv show, their perception of what is normal is taken from media. Young teen girls are scrolling through the Instagram explore page and viewing a variety of pictures and seeing what is normal and thinking if they don't look like the other women in the pictures then they are not what others want to see.
The other day I was watching a new show, the actor in the show is an Indian man and he plays an aspiring actor. He got a spot in a tv show but another Indian man was also given the spot. They ran into the problem of having two Indian men in the same show saying that it wont be popular and that people will think its just an Indian show. This is the issue with the media, if something is not part of the norm it's not displayed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normalization_(sociology)
Totally agree with you Lexi. It's really hard for something outside the norm to become popular, which is really unfair. I chose the extended comments option and argued more in favor of what you said on my blog :)
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I also agree with you Lexi. One of the things I do every morning is check my cell phone. I like how you mentioned about how teenagers search the Explore page on Instagram comparing themselves to the images of “reality” that the media portrays of the ideal woman. I agree that the media portrays things that are considered “reality”, while any aspects that does not fit the perception are not mentioned. In comparison to adults who may be aware of the influence of media, teenagers may adapt to those norms and shape their values based on the information they are fed. Great post!
ReplyDeleteYou talk about media portraying what is "normal". I wonder, do you think the media influences teens to show them what is normal or does the media look at teens to then show the viewers what is normal? Or both? This is something I have been thinking a lot about lately. That distinction between reflection vs. representation.
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