Easter Holiday Homework
Lesson 5
Media Products?
- Kidulthood (Film)
- Top Boy (TV Series)
Adorno: Culture Industry
"The culture industry has moulded men...(and) reproduced (them) in every product...the essential characteristic of the culture industry is repetition..."
In other words,
all media forms have represented people in a
certain way, this is then repeated across other products so the audience will be left with little alternative to the representations that they see, making them believe that the representations they do see are in fact the reality.
Kidulthood
Adorno's theory can be related to Kidulthood as it reinforces the same characteristics that most media forms associate with the collective identity of teenagers. They present them to be involved in criminal behaviour in terms of drugs and violence. All teens are dressed in hoodies and come from working-class backgrounds. This is connoted through their chosen locations; estates.
Top Boy
Like Kidulthood, the TV Series 'Top Boy' represents the collective group of teenagers to be involved in murders, drugs, sex. Although they are different media formats, they still reinforce the exact same image of teenagers; representing them to be rebellious, involved in criminal activity and are represented in the similar 'teen' attire of hoodies. They, too, are from working-class backgrounds. This is portrayed through their idiolect and settings of council estates.
Top Boy
As you can see, in two images from a whole TV Series, there are vivid examples of the repeated representation of the collective group of teenagers. They are all black, apart from one character. They are all dressed in hoodies and baggy attire. And they are located nearby council estates which suggests they come from a working-class background. They are also involved in anti-social, violent, intimidating behaviour. When this idea and representation is repeated through most media formats, it blurs the line between reality and stereotypes which makes society fear teenagers as they believe all teens are like this.
Kidulthood
Like Top Boy, the young black male teenagers are dressed in hoodies and baggy attire. They are also taking part in aggressive, anti-social and violent behaviour. The victim, stereotypically remains white while the teenage criminal is black. This negative representation of teenagers is repeated so often that it becomes standardised and naturalised which makes it unusual and unlikely to see much variation in the way young people are represented.
Althusser's Theory
"Ideology interpellates individuals as subjects"
In other words,
individuals identify with a representation
that they see in the Media and through interpellation, becomes subjects of the representation rather than individuals.
In the cases of 'Top Boy' and 'Kidulthood', interpellation has caused for audiences from other social groups (especially adults who belong to the dominant group) to accept the negative representation of teenagers. They identify teenagers with a specific role, attitude and lifestyle: an anti-social, violent, unapproachable collective group who should be feared, especially when they are wearing hoodies.
Apply Althusser's Theory to the 2 Examples...
'Top Boy' & 'Kidulthood'
In the cases of 'Top Boy' and 'Kidulthood', interpellation has caused for audiences from other social groups (especially adults who belong to the dominant group) to accept the negative representation of teenagers. They identify teenagers with a specific role, attitude and lifestyle: an anti-social, violent, unapproachable collective group who should be feared, especially when they are wearing hoodies.