RESEARCH: Concept - Representation

Representation is the constructed and mediated presentation of people, things and ideas. The media often represents different types of people to the audience in a way which results in the audience feeling like they know what this group of people are like. The audience often takes these representationa for granted, as represenation is the process by which the media presents the 'real world'. 

You can represent:

• Individuals
• Groups
• Places
• Nations
• Ideas
• Regions/Locations

Important questions to ask:

• Who or What is being represented?
• How is the representation created?
• Who has created the representation?
• Why is the represenation created in that way?
• What is the effect of the representation?

Mediation
Meaning is created in the construction of that representation and the combination of all the chioces coming together. Mediation always ends up with the audience being pushed towards concentrating on one aspect of the text and ignoring others.

• Representations as reflections - sometimes represenations are assumed by an audience to simply replicate the real world.
• Represenations as Deliberate Constructions - sometimes representations are seem to be a deliberate attempt to create associations and ideas for the audience.
• The Constructionist Approach - meanings are created by the realtionship between the producers, the text and the audience.