Module 4: COMMUNICATION AND REPRESENTATION

Let’s Begin:

Liza Soberano was bashed for equating being Filipino with sinigang. Prince Harry of England had to apologize for wearing the swastika symbol during a private party. Robert Downey, Jr. was cancelled by social justice warriors for playing a character that wore black face in the movie “Tropic Thunder.” The movie “Black Panther” became a symbol of celebration for the Black community even if it portrayed a nation that was totally fictitious. The source of the conflict in the movie “Arrival” was when aliens used the word “weapon” when they actually meant “tool.” The word “nigger” when used among blacks is a term of community but should a non-block use it then expect a fight.

What do the scenarios have in common?  They are all concerned about Representation. The scenarios are illustrations of how representation plays a very important role in communication; particularly in the communication of ideas and concepts.

Learning Outcome: After this activity, you should be able to discuss the theories of Representation and their relationship with Culture and Communication.

Read

Chapter 1 of The Work of Representation by Stuart Hall which is available through this link: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~noenoe/hall1.pdf

Think

Answer the following questions (The first three questions are from Module 4 of Comm 10: Communication and Representation):

1. Why are signs and symbols important? 

2. How do the theories of representation differ from each other? 

3. Who are the key scholars of representation and what are their contributions to the 

     understanding of representation?

4. Choose one scenario mentioned in the Let’s Begin section and discuss your feelings 

    And views regarding your choice. How is representation manifested in the situation?

Dig Deeper

Lacey, N. (1998). Semiotics. Image and Repesentation: Key Concepts in Media Studies (pp.56-

            75). Palgrave Macmillan.

Let’s Begin

American Actress Claire Danes got the Filipinos’ ire when she said that Manila was full of squalor and cockroaches. Film director Brilliante Mendoza became an international sensation for his use of poverty porn with the Philippines as setting. American author Dan Brown once angered Filipinos because he described Manila as the “gates of hell” in one of his novels. In the foreign TV show “90 Day Fiance,” one of the most popular couples was No Neck Ed and Rose, an American and a Filipina. They became popular because of the conflict they had that revolved around Ed’s suspicion that Rose was only using him to get a green card and a good life in the US. Recently, the Philippines was described by a Thai newspaper as the “land of Covid-19.” 

With all the aforementioned scenarios, a typical Filipino can’t help thinking whether the Philippines is being represented accurately by various forms of media especially those based abroad. National pride is, of course, at stake. With an inaccurate portrayal of our country, there will be serious implications. A Filipino travelling abroad is usually met with suspicion in immigration counters around the world. A foreign tourist arriving for the first time in the Philippines is usually warned not to trust people in the streets. 

In this section we will discuss how representation in media can affect society. We will see how representation in media can influence our perspective about cultures and other societies.

Learning Outcome:  After this lesson, you should be able to discuss the relationship between media and representation.

Read

“Social Inequality and Media Representation” by Croteau and Hoynes in Media/Society: Industries, Images, and Audiences, pp. 195-227

Think

Answer the following questions: 

1)     How have the mainstream media become a tool for the dissemination of racial, ethnic, gender-based, and class inequalities? 

2)     How do dominant ideologies influence the images communicated through the mass media? 

3)      What is your opinion about the writers’ conclusion about this role of the media?

Dig Deeper

Angeles, Vivienne S.M. (2010). “Moros in the Media and Beyond: Representations of Philippine

           Muslims.” Contemporary Islam 4, no.1, 29-53. Available online:

           https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11562-009-0100-4 

Austria, Fernando A. (2007). “Gays, the Internet, and Freedom.” Plaridel 4, no.1, 47-76. Available

           online: http://www.plarideljournal.org/article/gays-the-internet-and-freedom/ 

Cañete, Reuben R. 2005. “Bench Underwear Ads and the Male Body.” Plaridel 2, no. 2, 69-92.

            Available online: http://www.plarideljournal.org/article/bench-underwear-adsand-the-male-

            body/