Media Representation of Young People

Media Representation of Young People

Introduction

The media has significant power due to its capacity to create extensive awareness on different issues and aspects prevailing in the society. According to Lawrence and Hesse (2011), ‘the media plays an important role in creating public opinion and in turn creating policy and law, negative media hype about young people can have serious consequences’ (p.3). The media influences the behaviour and attitude of different people through its reporting role. According to Mason (2011), the media in the UK has a significant influence on the society’s attitude and opinion towards young people. This aspect is underlined by Mason (2011) who asserts that ‘the media and the tabloid press in particular, often appear endlessly preoccupied with the notion that all young people are a danger to their communities’ (p.1). Moreover, Alexander (2008) affirm that the media in the UK has over the recent past created ‘a gang identity’ and a source of social crisis to represent the youth in the urban areas.   This underlines the negative and biased representation of young people in the society by the media, which is unfair. Williams and Thurlow (2011) argue that the media has greatly reinforced development of a stereotypic attitude towards the youth.  This aspect has largely been spurred by the fact that the society depends on media for information. This paper analyses how the youth are represented in the media. The analysis focuses on different discourses. The analysis further recommends the requisite issues that the media should consider in order to improve their representation of the youth.  

Literature review

Different people have varied beliefs and opinion regarding how the youth are expected to behave. Nevertheless, the balance between fact and opinion can be influenced by external forces originating from different sources amongst them the media (Australian Government Department of Health 2004). Despite the fact that the media constitutes one of the largest sources of information to the public, the opinion generated from different mediums is not always positive. This aspect can result into a remarkable impact on how the society perceives and responds to the youth.  According to Mason (2011), the media has played a significant role in the creation of a mismatch between reality and perception with reference to youth crime.  A study involving 2,500 newspaper articles conducted in Australia in 2001 by Howard Sercombe showed that 64% of all news articles involving the youth were in relation to juvenile crime. Hough and Roberts (2004) affirm that the public has progressively been misinformed regarding youth and crime.  A survey conducted in the UK shows that the country has over the past experienced a significant reduction in cases of crime. Nevertheless, the respondents interviewed were of the opinion that the number of young offenders has increased substantially. Sixty four percent (64%) of the respondents who were of this opinion cited the media reports as the source of their information, which underlines the negative representation of the youth as a threat to the society (Williams & Thurlow 2011). This assertion is supported by Alexander (2008), who affirms that the youth in the UK considered being ‘in trouble and a source of trouble’ (Marsh & Melville 2011).  

 The negative characterisation has led to creation of moral panic which according to Marsh and Melville (2011) refers to ‘exaggerated reaction from the media, the police or wider public, to the activities of particular social groups’ (p.2). Therefore, moral panic entails a society’s reaction to a behaviour that is considered a social problem (Critcher 2009).  During the 1960s, the UK experienced a significant increase in the number of cases of moral panics, which was triggered by the prevalence of different youth cultures. The youth cultures were associated in with deviance and delinquency by the media. Some of youth groups during the post-war Britain that led to led to development of moral panics include the Rockers, Teddy Boys, Skinheads and Mods (Marsh & Melville 2011). The development of moral panic in the society has greatly increased the society’s concern over the activities that the youth engage in.  Ungar (2001) emphasises that ‘moral panic has enjoyed a good run in the sociology of deviance, where it acquired a special affinity with youth related issues’ (p. 271).

The prevalence of moral panics indicates the extent to which the media may transform a reasonable ordinary event into an extraordinary occurrence. Halsey and White (2008) are of the view that creation of moral panics by the media increases the society’s target on young people. This arises from the fact that the media sets the boundary within which moral panics occur, viz. the young people. Subsequently, the society increasingly becomes concerned about the behaviour of young people a measure of the society’s health (Critcher 2003). Additionally, creation of moral panic may stimulate the government to act in an effort to break the youth culture labelled as law breakers by the society as a result of overemphasise by the media. In essence such a youth culture might not be a threat to the society. For example, the negative association of ‘hoodies’ culture in the UK, which simply entailed wearing of hoods by the youth as a dressing style indicate the influence of the media in creating a negative perception towards the youth. For example, in reaction to association of wearing of hoods with crime, some local governments banned wearing of hoods and baseball caps in some shopping centres such as in Kent. This move was considered by the renowned politicians such as the then Britain Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott. In their opinion, banning wearing of hoods and baseball caps would significantly deter threatening and antisocial behaviour amongst the youth (Marsh & Melville 2011).

Muncie (2012) argues that ‘the media discourse is the main source of people’s knowledge, attitudes and ideologies, both of other elites and of ordinary people’ (p. 10). This aspect underlines the power of the media in creating public opinion towards the youth. The negative characterisation of the youth is not limited to certain sub-culture of the youth but cuts across all the youth irrespective of their cultural background. Mason (2011) asserts that the youth are represented as dangerous, evil, and violent predator. This aspect is underlined by Vromen, Xenos and Loader (2015) who affirms that the media has over the past decades developed a tendency to report the most sensational and violent crimes, which are in most cases a minority of the issues prevailing in the society. Thus, the crimes reported are not representative of the offences that the youths are engaged in (Burke 2010). (Hough & Roberts 2004).  This aspect has increasingly made the youth to be maligned through the media.  A survey conducted by HM Treasury in 2007 revealed that 71% of all stories involving the youth reported through different mediums are negative. Most of the reports associate the youth with involvement in crime. The study further reveals that 25% of adults consider youths ‘hanging around’ their neighbourhood to be a risk (HM Treasury 2007). According to the survey, 98% of the youth interviewed were of the opinion that the media portrays them as antisocial (HM Treasury 2007).   

In addition to the above aspects, the media largely misrepresent the youth in their reporting role. This aspect is underlined in an article by Young and Hallsworth in 2005 in which the authors affirmed that the term gang is largely used to refer to youth groups (Cushion, Kerry & Jewell 2011). Violent crimes involving use of knives and guns are generalised too have been committed by a gang of young people.  Despite the fact that the public is frightened by the prevalence of violent crime in the society, the media has remarkably contributed to presentation of the issue out of proportion. For example, a newspaper article in The Times in 2006 stated that ‘Over half of young people claim to know how to obtain a knife’ (Cushion, Kerry & Jewell 2011). In 2006 and 2006, the UK was characterised by increase in the number of crime involving knife amongst the black youth which received extensive media coverage (Okoronkwo 2008).  Despite the fact that the youth generally access knives as one of the basic household items, this assertion highlights the extent to which the media is representing the youth in negative light.

 The tone adopted by the media in covering events involving the youth has a considerable impact in shaping public opinion.   According to Mason (2011), the media uses tone to influence viewership or readership.  The tone can either be positive, negative or neutral. A study conducted in the UK shows that approximately 30% of reports on young people were based on a negative tone while 20% of the reports were positive. The study further showed that 50% of the reports were neutral which means that they neither adopted a positive stance nor a negative stance in representing issues related to the youth. The fact that 30% of the media reports adopted a negative stance indicates that fact that the media is more concerned on creating audience as opposed to presenting facts. The prevalence of negative representation of the youth in the media is further supported by another study conducted by Young People Now in the UK in 2007 (Mason 2011). The study involved a survey to evaluate the representation of young people in the media. The table below illustrates the extent to which the newspapers reported on youth issues on the basis of a neutral/balanced, positive or negative tone. According to table 1 and graph 1, it is evident that most of the newspaper articles represent the youth negatively.

Table 1

Source: (Mason 2011)Source: (Mason 2011)Table 1

             The sensational reporting on crime involving the youth indicates the selective reporting approach by the media hence leading to exaggeration and distortion of reality. Lawrence and Hesse (2011) are of the view that violent crimes committed by the youth get un-proportionate media coverage hence leading to creation of a distorted view about the youth.  According to Muncie (2012) ‘such selective reporting can actually create crime waves and social problems’ (p.120). Moreover, Williams and Thurlow (2011) argues that the media can lead to emergence of public indignation and increased concern over certain types of behaviours amongst the youth despite the threat of such behaviours being minimal. Cushion, Moore and Jewell (2011), asserts that the media is inclined to create moral panics through sensational reporting by media institutions in an effort to make a good copy. This discourse has significantly influenced the societies’ attitude towards the youth.       

            Contrary to the sensational reporting by the mainstream media, some newspaper agencies have largely avoided sensationalising negative issues surrounding the youth. One of the classic examples of such newspapers in the UK includes The Voice, a weekly tabloid newspaper. The newspaper largely focuses on issues surrounding the Caribbean and African communities in the UK (Cushion, Kerry & Jewell 2011). Despite the fact that The Voice does not avoid reporting issues related to black youths, the newspaper avoids sensationalising such crime but reports on the facts and underlines some of the underlying issues that might culminate in development of such deviant behaviour (Cushion, Kerry & Jewell 2011).  

Ethnic prejudice

Apart from creating the public opinion on youth involvement in crime, the media has also played a major role in influencing the generalisation of the demographic characteristics of the youths involved in crime. A significant proportion of the public is of the view that crime amongst the youth is perpetrated by youth aged between 16 and 24 years (Durkin et al. 2012).

The ethnic background also plays a major role in influencing the extent to which the public perceives youth. Mass media across the globe represent ethnic minority communities in the society in a limited and stereotypic way. According to Durkin et al. (2012) assert that ‘ethnic minorities are frequently associated in the media with threat, especially in relation to crime, antisocial behaviour and terrorism’ (p. 461).  For example, most youth from ethnic minority groups such as black, Latino, and Asian youths are more likely to be associated with crime compared to youths from white backgrounds (Lawrence & Hesse 2011). The negative representation of the youth may have long term effects on the attitude developed towards the ethnic communities. A study conducted by Downing and Husband (2005) shows that ‘children use the mass media extensively from an early age, consuming an average of over 7 hours per day during middle childhood’ (p. 53).  Therefore, the media can significantly influence children’s perception towards youth from ethnic minority group depending on the representation of the ethnic minority youths in the media. For example, the representation of ethnic minority youths as a source of antisocial behaviour may increase the likelihood of children developing a racist attitude towards the youths from ethnic minorities.  The development of negative perception towards the public is underlined by the Social Identify Development Theory (SIDT), which proposes that the development of ethnic attitude amongst children occurs in phases as children progress from lack of awareness on ethnicity and society organisation to creation of such knowledge (Durkin et al. 2012).

 The collectivisation of youth crime and a particular ethnic group or culture is not limited to the general public but is also prevalent amongst the politicians. This assertion is underlined by Tony Blair’s, former UK Prime Minister, assertion in 2007 that the problem of gangs in the UK is as a result of ‘a specific criminal culture to with guns and gangs’ (Alexander 2008). Blair explicitly associated crime with youth from the black community in the UK. This assertion was widely reported by different media in the UK such as Daily Mail and Daily Express. Through such sensational reporting, the media collectivised black youth in the UK as a criminal gang despite the fact that most black youths in the UK are law abiding citizens and victims of crime. According to Lawrence and Hesse (2011), the media has led to communisation of black youths as one of the criminal cultures in the UK. This shows that the media has greatly contributed to development of a myth about black youth involvement in crime. The collectivisation of involvement in crime amongst youth from minority groups is further underlined by Howard Sercombe’s study in Australia which showed that 83% newspaper reports on youth and crime were in relation to the Aboriginal community (Australian Government Department of Health 2004). This aspect underlines the extent to which the media has progressively represented the youth from minority communities as problematic.  The prevalence of the elements of ethnicity in reporting issues related to youth involvement in crime has led to racialisation of criminal activities (Cushion, Moore & Jewell 2011).  The negative representation of young people by the society can lead to alienation and unfair discrimination.

Involvement in antisocial behaviour

In addition to the above aspect, the media has also had a great impact in labelling the youth as perpetrators of antisocial behaviour (Atkinson, Bellis & Sumnall 2013). This aspect is underlined by the extensive representation of the youth as binge drinkers with reference to alcohol consumption. The labelling of the youth as binge drinkers is illustrated in different television programs such as Soap Operas, which depict youthful characters engaging in antisocial behaviour due to excessive consumption of alcohol.  As a result of this type of labelling, the youth are considered to be excessive and problematic consumers’ of alcohol, which reinforces the stereotypic belief towards the youth.  Atkinson, Bellis and Sumnall (2013) are of the view that the labelling of youth as binge drinkers in the media largely targets youths from poor neighbourhoods which leads to stigmatisation of youth from such backgrounds.

Conclusion

            The analysis indicates that the media possesses substantial power in shaping public opinion on different elements or aspects in the society. Its power emanates from the fact that substantial proportion of the society depends on the media for information. The analysis indicates that the media largely represents the youth negatively. Only a small proportion of media reports involving the youth represent the youth in a positive way. The analysis indicates that the media associates the youth with a culture of crime and antisocial behaviour. This association influences the society’s perception towards the youth. Additionally, the media sensationally reports crime involving the youth hence leading to creation of moral panics. Media firms are largely motivated to adopt a sensational reporting approach in an effort to make sales. Such creation of moral panics may force the government to react by formulating laws targeting the youth. This aspect is underlined by the banning of youth from wearing hoods and baseball caps in some towns in Britain such as Kent. In addition to identifying the youth as a threat to the society, the media has further led to ‘racialisation’ of crime by associating crime with a specific race or ethnic community. This aspect is highlighted by the extent to which some mainstream media associate youths from some communities such as the African and Caribbean communities with crime. As a result of extensive association of youth with crime and antisocial behaviour, the media has contributed to creation of ethnic prejudice. This arises from the fact that the media’s overemphasis on the ethnicity of youth who engage in crime increases the negative perception towards such communities.

In summary, the negative representation of the youth in the media and the subsequent collectivisation of youth with antisocial behaviour and crime might increase the rate of discrimination towards the youth. Therefore, it is imperative for the media to adopt a balanced reporting approach. This outcome can be achieved by ensuring that the media reports focus on all issues involving the youth. For example, the media should report on other issues that might promote the youth’s welfare such as job creation, innovation and creativity. This approach will play a significant role in promoting the efficacy with which the media represents the youth positively. Subsequently, the likelihood of the media eliminating the negative perception towards the youth will be significantly reduced.

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