Gender Stereotypes in Media

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Gender Stereotypes in Media

The mass media plays a significant role in the contemporary society. It provides broadcast information at a fast race and gives entertainment to audiences from diverse social backgrounds. Mass media is made up of press, books, magazines, radio, television, and internet. The internet is the most embraced medium in the contemporary society where digital technology dominates. Nevertheless, TV also has a wide influence in the society. By creating and conveying certain type of information to the audience, media can manipulate the attitudes and opinions of people. In this study, we intend to discuss problems associated to media influence through an investigative study of its commercial structure. The study also tries to specify gender stereotypes as used in persuasive advertising technique.

Humans organize their knowledge about the world sorting and simplifying the information they receive (Gu 291). They tend to establish cognitive schemes that are certain representations of reality portraying its basic elements and features (Everett 387). The schemes developed by humans are responsible for the definition of our perception and view of the world. They have significant influence our social understanding, situation, anticipation and emotional control. The most common type of these schemes used for social orientation in our environment is stereotypes (Darling 153). The stereotypes scheme represents the opinions and perceptions among members of a certain social group about the other social group. These opinions and perceptions are internalized during the socialization of the two groups (Inness 62). Stereotypes can result from our observations or we can adopt them from the influence of our family, friend, educators and media.

Because of their simplicity and general aspects, stereotypes depict incomplete, subjective and false image of reality (Darling 166). They are often based on the conventional...