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Croteau, Media/Society, 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Chapter Outlines
Chapter 7: Social Inequality and Media Representation
Purpose and Goals of the Chapter
The examination of media content traditionally has been the most common type
of media analysis, perhaps because of the easy accessibility of media products. Chapter 7
examines how media portray central social inequalities in contemporary society, focusing
on issues of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation. The chapter looks at how various
groups are depicted in media content, how such depictions have changed over time, and
how these representations relate to social reality. Students tend to be especially interested
in the topic of media influence. Thus, the section of this chapter that gives an overview of
differing media theories is especially important. A central lesson of this chapter is the
need to distinguish between content and influence, especially given the viral nature of
digital content/context.
Outline of Key Chapter Themes
• Media have profound impact on the political process, affecting both elites and regular
citizens.
• Content is taking on multitude of significances based upon to communicative role that
content plays.
• Theories about media influence have evolved in the last half century from those
emphasizing direct and immediate influence to those suggesting little influence and
finally to those arguing for select influence and long-term consequences.
• Social movements (race, ethnicity, and media content) are also affected by the presence
of mass media and must take coverage into consideration when planning their strategies.
• Gender both in media and public life is affected by the presence of mass media which can
be seen in changing roles in presence and representation. A case study is offered through
women and sports.
• The export of American media products has sometimes sparked claims of cultural,
sexual, economic, and identity imperialism.
Chapter Outline
• Comparing Media Content and the “Real” World
• The Significance of Content
o Content as Reflection of Producers
o Content as Reflection of Audience Preference
o Content as Reflection of Society in General
o Content as an Influence on Audiences
o Content as Self-Enclosed Text
• Race, Ethnicity, and Media Content: Inclusion, Roles, and Control
Croteau, Media/Society, 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
o Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Media Content
o Growing Diversity and Abundance amidst Audience Fragmentation
o Race, Ethnicity, and Media Roles
▪ Early Images of Race
▪ Slow Change and “Modern” Racism
▪ Race and Class
o Controlling Media Images of Race
• Gender and Media Content
o Women: Presence and Control in the Media
o Changing Media Roles for Women . . . and Men
o The Case of Women’s Sports
• Class and the Media
o Class and Media Content
▪ Family-Based Situation Comedies
▪ Tabloid Talk Shows and Reality Television
▪ The Union Taboo
▪ News Media
▪ Advertising
o Explaining Class Images: “Some People Are More Valuable Than Others”
• Sexual Orientation: Out of the Closet and into the Media
• Conclusion
