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Mass Media Impact on Stereotype Creation

Table of Contents

Introduction
The Lack of Diversity and Integration
Impact on Public Opinion
Attention Spirals
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Modern society is often affected by a variety of stereotypes that could expose inequality and discrimination. Therefore, the majority of stereotypes coming from the mass media field cannot be considered neutral. The prevalence of cultural, political, and psychological factors makes it exceptionally hard to fight stereotypical thinking and poorly considered decisions. Any given stereotype from the online environment possesses a great deal of social power (Miller et al. 1947). The latter can be utilized to analyze the frequency of stereotypes being displayed and their socio-economic magnitude. The differences between various social groups have to be viewed through the prism of diversity, as people have to gain an understanding of stereotypes and their value for the community. Thus, stereotypes can be useful in helping people make sense of the world by putting things into a logical order and relying on stereotypes to determine how to react to certain events and people.

The Lack of Diversity and Integration

The first problem with stereotypes in the media is the presence of limited diversity and integration. Certain cohorts of individuals could be misrepresented, leading more people to believe incorrect information and never conducting relevant fact checks (Herrero-Diz and Ramos-Serrano 107). In order to prevent such events from happening, individuals would have to try their best to investigate both sides of the argument. The process of stereotyping rarely discriminates, but minority groups cannot fight the lack of diversity. This is where an alternative attitude toward stereotypical thinking becomes essential for resolving various disputes. One of the ways to achieve an improved image of stereotypes would be to motivate journalists to contribute to the process by criticizing social issues that could have led to stereotyping in the first place (Stamps 125). The advent of people advocating for stereotypization proves that some stereotypes could be harmless and cause no particular damage to the community.

At the same time, the role of the integration-fragmentation dichotomy cannot be overlooked when discussing stereotypes. There is nothing wrong with the existence of opposing opinions and consequent disagreements among individuals or groups of people (Appel and Weber 163). Stereotypes could be treated as a bridge between the emphasis on social issues and the need to point out certain populations that could be suffering from consistent exposure the most. The long history of minority populations not being integrated into their communities fuels the debate on whether stereotyping is necessary. Despite the negative connotation of stereotypes, much more individuals are becoming conscious nowadays and recognize the areas where their participation could be appreciated. Mass media often emphasizes variables that generate a negative image for groups and individuals, but stereotypes could help in persevering through self-criticism and awareness (Rodgers et al. 276). The lack of positive integration reduces ones chances of experiencing positive stereotyping and learning more about themselves.

Impact on Public Opinion

The second problem with stereotyping in the media is that people communicating certain ideas could shape public opinion in the best way they can. For example, specific details could remain unpublished in order to develop a certain image for the author or the main character of a tabloid (Shamilishvili 73). Contemporary social media users seem to be unfazed by the existence of fake news, but limited access to evidence could become a new level of stereotyping both online and offline. Given that someone else decides what is important and what is not, it can be challenging for individuals to keep track of events and recognize the actual state of affairs. Stereotyping behaviors in mass media revolve around the grade of control one could achieve to manipulate opinions and outlooks on crucial subjects (Stamps 123). Without live access to questionable debates, an individual could be lured into believing something that is not true.

In a sense, the most stereotypical instances of media communication could become the best way to disprove it. The growing number of articles that replicate the original publication might be a negative trend overall (Ward and Grower 180). Irrespective of the issue that has to be resolved, stereotypes could be applied to the given scenario to make people more invested in the discussion. The spiral of attention would engage a huge number of people in the argument in order for the relevant publications to become viral. This is one of the main reasons why stereotyping must be preserved to a limited extent, allowing for intensive coverage when necessary. The questions of race, ethnicity, gender, and creed require societal resonance to be noticed. Thus, stereotypization serves as a catalyst that launches the debate and makes the issue tangible (Herrero-Diz and Ramos-Serrano 111). This approach is crucially abused by politicians, but mass media sources could utilize it for improved coverage.

Attention Spirals

Despite being mentioned not so often, attention spirals represent a vital subtopic for mass media-based stereotypization. It happens because of how the chain of communication affects both the senders and the receivers in the long run. If the team does not take the time to investigate the message and its origin, the outcomes for the targets of stereotyping could become exceptionally negative (Ward and Grower 189). Nevertheless, stereotyping through attention spirals could highlight unlawful policies, questionable government decisions, and local deeds that require additional investigation. The increasing support displayed toward certain members of the population could become a decisive factor in building rapport with the whole community. This is why mass media represents both a blessing and a curse for unprivileged cohorts looking for assistance and media coverage (Rodgers et al. 276). Many issues might have remained unnoticed without attention spirals even if they were casually covered in relevant tabloids. Yet, word choice and evidence trustworthiness define the length of the attention spiral experienced by stereotyped populations.

Conclusion

When looking at stereotypes that are currently plaguing all kinds of mass media, one should never forget the incredible level of influence that perceptions can have on ones decisions. This is why there can be situations when a person can be removed from the radar completely, making the public gradually forget about them and the events linked to the case of stereotypization. Even though minorities have been found to experience discrimination way more often than any other group of people, the mainstream mass media does not avert anyone from being hurt by stereotypes. The idea is that people should carefully tune into the information shared by various sources and develop their own image they can assign to certain people and events. There are positive aspects of stereotypical thinking that have to be leveraged for community members to overcome prejudice for the sake of diversity and collaboration. This is where the omnipresent interconnectedness associated with the contemporary mass media is going to contribute to positive outcomes.

Works Cited

Appel, Markus, and Silvana Weber. Do Mass Mediated Stereotypes Harm Members of Negatively Stereotyped Groups? A Meta-Analytical Review on Media-Generated Stereotype Threat and Stereotype Lift. Communication Research, vol. 48, no. 2, 2021, pp. 151-179.

Herrero-Diz, Paula, and Marina Ramos-Serrano. Breaking Stereotypes Online: Young Activists Use of the Internet for Social Well-Being. Catalan Journal of Communication & Cultural Studies, vol. 10, no. 1, 2018, pp. 99-114.

Miller, David I., et al. The Development of Childrens GenderScience Stereotypes: A MetaAnalysis of Five Decades of US DrawaScientist Studies. Child Development, vol. 89, no. 6, 2018, pp. 1943-1955.

Rodgers, Rachel F., et al. Stereotypes of Physical Attractiveness and Social Influences: The Heritage and Vision of Dr. Thomas Cash. Body Image, vol. 31, 2019, pp. 273-279.

Shamilishvili, Guranda. Psychological Influence of Modern Mass Media on Formation of Gender Stereotypes. Economics. Ecology. Socium, vol. 3, no. 2, 2019, pp. 71-76.

Stamps, David. Race and Media: A Critical Essay Acknowledging the Current State of Race-Related Media Effects Research and Directions for Future Exploration. Howard Journal of Communications, vol. 31, no. 2, 2020, pp. 121-136.

Ward, L. Monique, and Petal Grower. Media and the Development of Gender Role Stereotypes. Annual Review of Developmental Psychology, vol. 2, 2020, pp. 177-199.

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