Collective Identity

The Representation of Teenagers in British

Film and the Internet

Lesson 2 – Some Theory

 Some theories to help us understand the
representation of Identity...
 The Cultivation Theory
• Fictional media represents groups of people in certain
ways – often mainstream
• The repetition of the same (or similar) representations
of a group cultivates specific ideas
• This creates stereotypes that then become shortcuts
used when constructing representations by writers /
directors etc...
 Some theories to help us understand the
representation of Identity...
 Audience Reception Theory
• Fiske looked at what we ‘do’ with Media representations
• Focused on how audiences read a text and construct
own meaning
• The meaning depends on life experience of audience
(and could therefore differ from that of the ‘makers’
intended meaning)
• The audience uses the meaning to suit their own
experiences / purposes
• Further reading Fiske – Theory pages on Blackboard
 Stuart Hall
Mediation Theory
 Hall also identified that there are 3 ‘positions’ that we can take in response to any
Media text:
1. Preferred - the meaning that the maker intended the text to have and is the ‘preferred’ meaning
for the audience to take
2. Oppositional – the viewer disagrees and takes an ‘oppositional’ stance to the preferred (intended)
meaning of the text
3. Negotiated – the viewer doesn’t accept the preferred reading but doesn’t fully oppose it either
(i.e. sitting on fence!)– they take a negotiated view in response to a number of elements within
the text

 Audience viewpoint is:

• a positive interaction between the Media text and audience
• a mediated and active process.

 When watching/reading a text we therefore need to ask:

• What is the preferred reading of the text?
• How are the audience invited to interact with it?