For this assignment, I have chosen to examine television broadcasting as a medium and type of popular culture. As for the topic, I want to discuss the relationship between the minority and dominant groups on TV. This can include both how TV portrays the groups, and how their interactions are reflected in television media. The relationship between dominant and minority groups has changed throughout television history, with aspects such as characterization, visibility, and realism considerably increasing in quality. TV, as a tool of entertainment, information provision, and education frames minority groups differently, causing people to develop specific views regarding themselves and others. I think this subject is sociologically relevant because visual media and television in particular have a close relationship with society. First, television can be seen as a reflection of prevalent ideological, cultural, and historical trends, acting as a reflection of reality (Tukachinsky et al., 2015). Secondly, TV can also be viewed as a tool that shapes people’s worldviews, including their perception of the self and others. The relationship between minority groups and dominant groups as seen on TV, then, reflects and primes people to see group relations in a certain way.
The topic can be seen as a more thorough discussion on the portrayal of power and society in media. The concept of power and social dominance, in particular, can be used to explain the state of modern-day television. The dominant group, through its access to power, resources, and communication channels, is able to create and promote narratives, while minority groups struggle to get the same outreach. Systematic social issues also play a large role in this discussion, being responsible for the large part of social inequality between different groups.
I think that learning more about this topic will be productive for my learning experience. Understanding how media frames social relationships is the first step toward critically consuming media, which is especially important to do. Without proper critical assessment, it is easy to fall for misinformation, misrepresentation, and propaganda. Furthermore, a deeper look into television media can allow one to better understand their own inherent biases or predispositions. Investigating this topic further will give me valuable information regarding the history of group relations within the television sphere, while also making historical trends apparent.
In everyday life, this discussion can be beneficial in a variety of ways. I will have a more critical and informed look at the media I consume or recommend to people. Furthermore, I will also be able to challenge more difficult topics or discussions about TV representation with a wider pool of knowledge. Similarly, I think that researching this specific topic can help me understand how other large institutions operate. The presence of unseen biases or structural discrimination, systemic lack of diversity in many industries, as well as the accumulation of power in the hands of the few rare problems that the TV industry shares with many other systems.
In conclusion, I think that discussing the relationship between dominant and minority groups as it is seen on TV is an important and academically intriguing task. With a large pool of information regarding changes in the television industry, discussing the potential implications of media becomes more fruitful. In reviewing how the visual media regards major social groups, one can see the reflection of both current and past problems, many of which spread into other areas.
References
Tukachinsky, R., Mastro, D., & Yarchi, M. (2015). Documenting portrayals of race/Ethnicity on Primetime television over a 20-Year span and their association with national-level racial/ethnic attitudes.Journal of Social Issues, 71(1), 17-38.