Media and Its Representation of Youth Culture

763 Words2 Pages

History of the debate

Since the late nineteenth century the media has been a cornerstone of

our society. It has, for long periods of time provided the public with

a variety of debates. In social policy the amount of influence the

media has on the public has been at the forefront of intellectual

minds. One of the main groups who have gained the attention of the

media since the outset of the 1950’s is youth in their various

different forms.

These considerations lead to three questions:-

* What pressures are present in the production of media material and

how do these pressures affect what eventually reaches the public

via newspaper reports and other media sources such as television?

* How do the media represent modern youth and how does the

disproportionate amount of media reporting affect public

perceptions on modern youth?

* What lasting affect does this have on our society regarding it’s

actions to the perceived problem and how does this affect youth

cultures in their reactions to the situation

It has been said that the media is influenced by a number of factors

whether it is profit, ownership or politics, which determine the

eventual content of media output. This is in evidence when looking at

the various press reports prior to the 1997 government elections.

Newspapers such as the Sun claimed to support certain political

parties, which coincided with the newspaper owner. After the elections

the newspapers claimed to be an intergral part in the labour

government coming into power. The question that arises is, does this

also apply when reviewing the possible over representation of youth in

the media? And do the media have the same sort of influence when

looking at the public attitudes towards modern youth?

The fact is that the media have the power through selection and

reinforcement to give us very influential portrayals of a whole range

Open Document