Task 1: Timeline of current affairs (2016/2017)
Task 2: Reflection of the Zeitgeist (2016 - 2018)
Task 3: Examples in the media of...
- Disability:
The Paralympics is publicised more and more each year showing pride in disabled athletes and encourages other disabled people that their disability doesn't define who they are and they can get involved within the sporting community. The last Paralympics was in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, which had 4342 athletes from 159 countries participate and the games was shown and is known worldwide. Leading up to the 2016 Paralympics, a trailer was released on channel 4 titled 'we're the superhumans.' The ad revolves around the idea that just because people have a disability, doesn't mean that they cannot do what people without a disability can. The song 'yes I can' is sung by a man in a wheelchair and the ad shows a range of different people with different disabilities doing not just sport but everyday things without any trouble. Many well known Paralympic athletes are shown within the video so that audiences see some familiar faces and also thee people are well known for competing in the Paralympics therefore can be seen as the face of the event. The video is a platform for inspiration to younger people with disabilities who may feel that they cannot do some things which is shown in the ad where a headteacher is telling a student in a wheelchair that 'he can't.' However in the next scene we see him (as an adult) playing Paralympic basketball showing that he can do it and the headteacher was wrong.
Also, Tv programmes, including soaps have had more coverage on disability, both physical, mental and emotional. This is shown through having characters that are relatable for people with disabilities. For example in Hollyoaks, a popular soap especially with younger audiences has included a character who is in a wheelchair named Courtney and recently has had a storyline relating to her having a baby and shows how she does not let her disability stop her looking after her baby. Coronation Street has also cast a character with down syndrome, EastEnders has cast a character in a wheelchair and all soaps tackle mental health issues in their storylines, especially more recently.
- Regionalism:
In the UK, regions are defined through stereotypes created in the media, usually on Tv in shows such as TOWIE which shows the drama and party life in Essex which creates the stereotype that all people from Essex are dramatic and are dumb. Made in Chelsea shows the region of Chelsea which is to be 'posh' and shows the 'higher class.' Geordie Shore shows the party and wild lifestyle of people from Newcastle and portrays them as loud and a bit annoying. For people who do not live in these regions, it gives them a stereotypical representation of people who do live there.
- Class:
There are many different tv programmes focussing on the class difference especially between ABC1 (higher classes who are wealthier) and working class. Shows like 'Rich kids go skint' focus on how people from the two lifestyles swap which shows the difficulty that children from higher classes find living in a working class environment off of a working class wage (minimum). Many Tv programmes targeted towards teens focus on problems within working class areas such as Netflix show, on my block which shows crime affecting teenage characters which is relatable to youth audiences who can connect with the storyline. Many crime shows usually show lower class/working class areas as being more chaotic as they include chavs (Council housed and violent) which are represented as thugs included in gangs and crime. This puts a negative representation on all young people who live in these areas such as London as it categorises all of them as to being dangerous. Aswell as portraying lower classes, many shows focus on how the rich and wealthy live showing how they spend their money, how they live etc. This can show the affect money can have on someone's lifestyle which usually shows children as being spoilt and privileged compared to working classes.
Class is a very big topic when discussing music as many artists write previous stories and experiences within their lyrics based on how they have been treated and what they do within their daily lifestyle. Some celebrate their wealthy lifestyle whereas others put messages of injustice within the class system that should be changed.
- Age:
There are many more shows and movies which include younger characters under 30 as this is the audience range that usually watch more tv and film. These include younger characters, more modern relatable topics and genres which appeal to younger generations such as horror, comedy and romance. There isn't much representations of older generations (over 50) in the media, many shows such as antiques roadshow and similar shows shown on the history channel tend to appeal more to these audiences. A modern tv show which showed an alternative representation of older people was called 'off their rockers' which showed over 60s play pranks on the general public using their age as humour which targeted all age audiences and became really popular in showing a positive representation which shows that older people can be modern too. 'The secret life of 4 year olds' shows the representation of he new generations of children showing what 4 year olds discuss with their friends and what activities they participate in. This show was good in seeing what younger children are interested in and how intelligent they actually are already as well as the humour side of the programme.
- Gender:
Gender has become a big topic in the media especially the difference between how mean and women have been treated. Social media has become a big platform for people to show their support for victims of issues such as sexual assault. For example the #metoo campaign which has a link with the Harvey Weinstein case which hit Hollywood and started the movement of people who started to speak out about sexual harassment in the workplace or how, especially women get treated differently to men. There also been a rise in the media of showing transgender people who have transitioned from being one gender to another one. India Willoughby, a transgender women who is a famous newsreader appeared on the 2018 celebrity big brother (2nd January) where she became very unlikable and ended up being evicted first. She was on the series which only included women at the start showing women from all areas of living. India was put on the show to represent people who are transgender and to show the public that they should not be treated differently. This is a modern gender issue so this was a good platform to publicise the issue.
- Ethnicity:
Ethnicity has always been in the mass media with issues surrounding discrimination and segregation but recently there has been many examples in the media which have contributed to change in wider society. There have been two massive music videos released lately which include many messages surrounding culture and ethnicity issues; The Carters 'Apes**t' and 'This is America' by Childish Gambino. The carters' (Beyoncé and Jay z) music video contains many messages around how black people have been treated showing messages around French slave trade during the Napoleonic era by showing the artists performing in front of many paintings in The Louvre where it is shot. Childish Gambino's music video shows messages relating to race and gun violence throughout history which reflects modern society. The video contains many racial messages relating to Jim Crow, death, gun laws, republicans, suicide, US history, racial shootings and police brutality. Both videos contain 17 seconds of silence in the middle of both which could be for the Parkland shootings in show of respect.
There have been recent movies and tv shows which all have a part in relating to the changes of wider society towards ethnicity. Black Panther, Get out and Dear white people are all included in this. Black Panther has virtually an all black cast and an African related storyline depicting the beauty of African culture. Get out is a horror film from the point of view of a black person which is uncommon in horror films according to the director of the film. Dear white people is a series on Netflix which shows the college life of black students which talks about the idea that discrimination towards black people is still common even though in media it is reported less and less in recent years.
North Korea has been in the mass media more recently due to its threat towards the world with Kim Jong um in charge. His problem with Donald Trump has been publicly shown through twitter showing some immature comments towards each other mocking how each other rule. North Korea has been represented as militaristic and almost robot-like when videos have been showing of their marches.
- Sexuality:
There have been more appearances from the LGBTQ... community in the mass media with more characters in movies, tv shows etc. showing that they are becoming more accepted in modern society thanks to support from the mass media. The official acronym in 2018 is LGBTQQICAPF2K+, stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, curious, Asexual, Agender, Ally, Pansexual, Polysexual, Friends and family, kink and other. Many tv shows have been released lately which celebrate the community and contain people from the community. Shows like Rupaul's drag race and queer eye are big tv shows which show people from the community. To relate with younger audiences such as teens, films like Love, Simon have been released for people who are struggling to come out so by creating this film showing an average teenager who does so, it gives a message to others to accept everyone and don't judge.
