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Transcription
Media representation refers to how the media portrays individuals, groups, events, and issues. It can reinforce or challenge stereotypes and biases, and influence public understanding. It is important because it provides an opportunity for marginalized groups to gain recognition and support. Efforts are being made to increase diversity in portrayals, and algorithms can deliver more culturally diverse content. As media consumers, we need to be critical, broaden our perspectives, and break away from algorithms. Hello, welcome to Zoe's podcast. You might be wondering, who even is this? Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Zoe Nguyen, a freshman student studying Strategic Communication and Communication Studies at Texas Christian University. I'm doing the podcast for my Introduction to Multimedia Authoring class. Today, I'll be discussing media representation. Shall we get started? You might be familiar with media representation. It has been a hot topic recently. But what is it exactly? Media representation refers to how the media portrays individuals, groups, events, and issues. It significantly impacts how we perceive the world around us and can shape our attitudes and beliefs. Representing various groups in the media can reinforce or challenge existing stereotypes and biases. The media also has the power to highlight specific issues while ignoring others, thus influencing the public understanding and perception of these issues. Therefore, it is crucial to critically examine media representation and ensure that it is fair, accurate, and inclusive, reflecting the diversity of society and providing a balanced view of the world. Sounds complicated, huh? Let me break it down. So, why is media representation important at first, though? Well, because of the opportunity for marginalized groups to gain public recognition and support, representation matters. It enables diversity and inclusion to become more pervasive when the media is growing quickly and people are starting to interact with it at a younger age. Minorities' representation in the media affects how some young students and others see themselves. Recent hits like Black Panther and Crazy Rich Asians have highlighted the importance of minority representation in contemporary culture. Anyone else enjoy these movies like me? Recent changes in the entertainment industry with movies featuring people of colors have emerged, such as Black Panther, like I have mentioned above, and Black Widow, and even exceeded the revenue that traditionally white protagonist films have made. Whoops, that's long enough. Now that we know the importance of media representation, we might be wondering, what efforts are being made? Recently, I had two very interesting interviews with two of my professors, Dr. Ching-Hua Yang, assistant professor at the Department of Communication Studies, Texas Christian University, and Professor Brian Edmonson, adjunct faculty at the Department of Communication Studies, Texas Christian University. They both gave their stances on media representation and provided me with significant viewpoints that I find very interesting. Dr. Yang, born and raised in Beijing, China, introduced several examples on how Asians are portrayed in the media. She explained how media companies are working to increase the diversity in Asian portrayals. Those companies are trying to remove stereotypical portrayals by involving more culturally diverse figures. For example, Asians have traditionally been represented as nerdy computer geeks. However, more and more white characters are playing such roles. While diversity is still lacking, companies are working on improving it, and we can expect more positive minority representations in the future. Professor Edmonson commented on the technical aspects of media platforms as a potential tool. With backgrounds in telecommunications, he provided me with insights on media algorithms. Yes, the algorithms that tailor the content to your needs. Have you ever mentioned college life, but you're so stressed with it that you have no idea whether your major is right for you, or that you're having a lot of mouse moments, and the next day, TikTok keeps suggesting you, day in my life as a college student type of content? That's the power algorithms have. In improving media representation, algorithms can deliver more culturally diverse content to media consumers through movie banners on Hulu or Netflix. For example, during Black History Month, such platforms may suggest black features movies or LGBTQ plus movies during Pride Month. So, what can we as media consumers do? I'll get back to you after a short break. Well, that's a much needed break. Let's get right back to it. You might already have several answers to the question, what can we do to improve media representation? Let's see if we have something in common. Media consumers need to be critical of what they get from the media and have their judgment of the content. It is also crucial to broaden perspectives by choosing multiple media platforms or news sources. We, as the audience, must break away from algorithms to get the most diverse view possible from the media. I hope you can get away with something from my podcast. Well, thank you for listening and let's bring more attention to media representation. See you in whenever I decide to make a podcast again. Goodbye.
