JMC 1100 1st Edition Lecture 19 Media Uses and Effects Stereotypes in the Media Media Today I France bans ultra thin models a Ex 5 7 with weight less than 121 b Violations jail and 82 000 fine c Joins Spain Italy and Israel II Tulane and College Stress a Five students have died this year b Death and suicide higher than it s ever been Last Time I Social comparison theory a Upward comparison b Downward comparison II Media and Body Image a Changing ideals b Objectification Why it Matters I Affects our Media Literacy a Our ability to access analyze evaluate and communicate mediate information II Media literacy allows us to be critical thinkers and reduce an media effects a Examples effects on our identity or formation of stereotypes How we process Media I Schemas organized systems of thoughts and information II Cognitive students in our minds III Contains the perceiver s knowledge beliefs and expectancies about some group Schema I Simplify complex social environments by helping us process incoming information quickly efficiently a Based on the presence of few relevant characteristics b We develop schemas about objects events animals people etc Why are Schemas so helpful II Brain is bombarded with information a Processes 400 billion pieces of info per day These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute b Media 34 gigabytes 100 000 words per day c If we were conscious of every piece we d go insane think about breathing for an hour III Schemas allow us to make judgments about our environments without much mental effort IV Schemas help determine which is the safer alley Priming triggers Schemas I Schemas are activated through priming a Primes can be anything that we see hear or observe in our environment II Priming then triggers related thoughts or memories III Based in evolution a Blowing wheat b Or saber toothed tiger Priming in practice I What would you think of if we heard a siren right now a Speaking activation message activates a memory node which activates another memory node and so on Schema and Media Images II III Schema how we understand the world Archetype a Typical example of certain person group or thing b Makes it easier for us to relate to a situation Stereotypes I II Use of limiting traits or negative stimulus to relate to a person or situation Stereotypes acts like a cod that give a quick understanding of a person or group of people based on their class ethnicity or race gender sexual orientation social role or occupation Stereotypes in Reality I They limit how we perceive people II Many stereotypes are coded as cultural norms III Example Disney films and Gender Definitions Priming and Stereotypes I Remember schema contain archetypes and stereotypes based on knowledge beliefs and expectancies about groups a This is when priming occur II Example Blonde niece and nephew or legally blonde III Archetypes and stereotypes tell us what features or traits we should expect to encounter IV It creates an expectation that if certain features are true then we are primed to see additional features a If a stereotype it limits how people are allowed to be Stereotypes and the Media I II When people don t have contact with members of a minority group a They tend to rely on media portrayals to develop schema about that group Minorities are under represented in the media a Roles are limited b Examples Latinas Nannies maids grandmothers hypersexual fiery Why it matters I II III IV Stereotypes structure our experiences and influence how we perceive different groups Some stereotypes are so well learned that when we encounter someone from a particular group our stereotype of them is triggered primed and automatically activated Influences subsequent cognitive processing and how to interpret situations Stereotypes in the media do not give the whole picture a Not neutral b Tend to suggest the way groups should be treated in society