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.
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