Essay On Stereotypes In The Media

In contemporary media, people are beginning to be exposed to people of varying races with TV shows like Orange is the New Black (OINTHB), How to Get Away with Murder, and even the cartoon show Steven Universe. There has recently been a surge of prominent Non-White actors and actresses, models, and more. They were always there, but nobody really paid any attention to them. Even then, there still seems to be some lingering form of racism in the media.

What is the relationship between media portrayals of cultural groups and interracial communication? Most people receive their information from the media and, consequently affects how we communicate. People with shifting ideas pertaining to a certain racial group is likely to change based on how the group members are represented. The media’s portrayal of cultural groups can influence the views of the audience and reinforce stereotypes. Most often “comedy shows” reinforce negative stereotypes that the audience is more likely to believe. In shows like Bad Girls club, the black women are hypersexualized and tend to be overly aggressive, which translates to most Non-Black viewers that Black women are often likely that.

It’s easy for most people to say that racial representation or any kind of representation in the media doesn’t matter when it’s not pertaining to them. Media producers should be aware that what they present can directly influence the consumer’s views. Consumers with changing perspectives in social issues, specifically racial issues, are more likely to be influenced by the media than those who have a concrete perspective on the issues. It is also important to see people you can relate to in the media. When I was younger, I was exposed to shows that were predominantly white and that made me feel different and actually can be attributed to some internalized racism I had as a child. Media representation influences our worldview and what we find