Exam Practice Question - A constructionists view of the 2011 riots

To what extent was a negative view of British youth constructed by the media coverage of the summer 2011 riots?

The 2011 riots in city's all across the country from London to Birmingham was sparked by the social media. Riots gained in people to the thousands just because of a miss understanding which spiralled out of control through the use of social networking and media coverage in the news. Throughout this essay I will be looking into detail what were the main causes of this and how people are perceived within the riots community.

Opinions of people are formed on the way the media presents and chooses different words to label the youth of the twentieth century. Where as people within different communities who know the youth around them, will consider differently and have different views and opinions on young teenagers. Opinions could be influences by the pictures that the audiences are seeing and what clothing you choose to wear. For example, if you see a teenager in a hoodie with other youths surrounding them in the same clothing and in a location which looks run down or recently labeled as a 'benefit street' like the majority of the rioters in 2011 were wearing. This instantly labels and creates a name for these people who wear this type of clothing even if they are nothing like the stereotypical drug taking, trouble making teenagers. David Gauntlett said that "identities are not given, but are constructed and nogotiated". This quotation suggests that the media contructs your identity by the clothing you wear, where you live within the city or town and how you or others act. Because the riots were front page news and making every headline including national broadcasting on television, the whole of the county seen these youths destroying cities.

According to the Youth Media Agency 79% of young people they surveyed in 2011 were frustrated by how they are depicted. This survey that was carried out shows that people that were In and involved in the riots of 2011 have a completely different view on how they acted and the way that have been labeled. Although, the teenager that are not troublesome and do not cause any harm to themselves or other still have this label hanging over their heads which may or may not be true. This is again, all to do with the media on how the youth is perceived. Why aren't the good teenagers being recognised? People that know the youths like parents, friends and people in the community will know how well behind these teens are but because all negative news about how a group of youths are destroying cities like in the 2011 riots.

The media is intentionally making the youth of today to look like bad people. For example, if you was to see a magazine with a happy family with a happy teenager on holiday, you will instantly feel happy and have an opinion on this family being a nice, joyful family with nice children and all holidays to this destination will be great. This is what this photo is intending to do and does not want any other message to be portrayed. The same as the London riots, the media wanted the audience to see how much trouble the youths were making. Again, this makes you have an opinion on them without having enough time or seen enough to judge each and every person taking parts in the riots. Although not all of the rioters were young teens, a majority of rioters were actually young to middle aged adults who believed in what they were doing. But was this shown in the media? No, only the troublesome youths were shown.

Contemporary Representations of British Youth - Task

Thinking of contemporary media, that is to say the media from 2009 onwards, is there evidence to support Hebdige's assertion that British Youth are portrayed as either:

"Troublesome youth"

The political representation of youth as posing a threat to society and the status quo. Youth are seen as dangerous and subversive of society's moral values.

Benefit Street (TV program)

Sun sex and suspicious parents 

"Fun-loving youth"

The commercial representation of youth as going through a rites-of passage style period in their life during which they may behave differently but don't threaten society. They have a need to belong which can be exploited by society for commercial reasons.

Freshers

TASK

Create a post in which you use images of media representations of British youth from 2009 onwards to show these two categories. These representations could come from any form of the media

Dick Hebdige - Hiding in the Light (1998)

I have previously introduced you to Dick Hebdige. We talked about his 1979 book titled 'Subculture - the Meaning of Style' and I gave you the quotation below as one you should learn:

"Members of  a subculture often subject their membership through a distinctive and symbolic use of style, which includes fashions, music and mannerisms" - Hebdige (1979)

Hebdige also wrote a book called 'Hiding in the Light' which was published in 1988. It is here that he discussed the concept of youth being represented as either a threat or a non-threat. 

The first chapter of this book opens as below:

Hebdige's hypothesis here is that society in general (through the media) are only concerned in representing youth when there is something negative to say. He discusses the birth of the concept of the 'teenager' and goes on to assess the effect of consumerism and the move from a one-dimensional representation of youth, to a two-dimensional representation of "youth as trouble, youth as fun". He writes that teenagers are seen as either "troublesome youth" or "fun-loving youth."

Hebdige sees 'youth as trouble' as being a political representation whereas 'youth as fun is commercially driven.

So, when you look at representations of British Youth Culture in the past can you see evidence to support Hebdige's thoughts? You can read 'Hiding in the Light' in full by CLICKING HERE.

Collective identity past questions

Here is a collection of past questions from the Collective Identity section of the exam paper. Hopefully, by looking at these you will be reassured that the exam does not hold any great terrors for you.

A good piece of advice to try to make the question more accessible is to replace the term 'group of people' with 'British Youth'. 

For example:

Analyse the ways in which at least one group of people is mediated'

becomes

Analyse the ways in which British Youth are mediated.

"Media portrayal of young people - impact and influences"

CLICK HERE to open up a research document published by the National Children's Bureau.

This is a screen shot from the document explaining the purpose of this research project.

"Negative portrayals of teenagers In the media" The Guardian

Another useful bit of independent reading regarding the perceived negative portrayal of teenagers in the media. This time it is from The Guardian and reflects on their own representation of teenagers. 

CLICK HERE to read it.

'Hoodies, louts, scum' How the media demonises teenagers

CLICK HERE to read an interesting article from The Independent concerning the media's portrayal of teenagers in the UK. 

The use of the word 'demonise' is interesting in itself if we remember that Stan Cohen used the term 'folk devils' when reflecting on the portrayal of teenagers following the Clacton / Brighton fights in 1964. There seems a clear association between young people and language connoting evil.