Race, Ethnicity, and the Media

Abstract

This chapter charts the historical development as well as key findings of media psychology research examining the representations of racial/ethnic minorities in the media and the subsequent effects of exposure to these portrayals. A special effort is made by the authors to document the perspectives used to date to understand such effects, as well as to draw on psychology research that has yet to be applied in this domain. Additionally, suggestions are made for advancing this research both theoretically and methodologically and in light of the new media environment.

Reliance on Direct and Mediated Contact and Public Policies Supporting Outgroup Harm

“…Although encouraging, the fact that minorities are mostly under‐ or negatively represented in American media (Behm‐Morawitz & Ortiz, ; Tukachinsky et al, ) dampens the enthusiasm for these positive effects. Indeed, numerous studies reveal that negative media stereotypes of outgroups influence negative attitudes and behavioral tendencies toward those groups (Mastro, ).…”

“…This is consistent with contact theory which suggests that media‐based contact effects are especially influential when direct contact is limited (Harwood et al, ). Although contact theory does not explicitly conceptualize exposure to different forms of contact as suggesting relative differences in the extent to which individuals rely on these contact sources for information, many media effects scholars interpret these effects as such (e.g., Behm‐Morawitz & Ortiz, ; Mastro, Behm‐Morawitz, & Ortiz, ; Ramasubramanian, ). For example, Ramasubramanian () discovered that Whites who relied on media as opposed to direct contact as the primary source of information about African Americans were more likely to express stereotypic beliefs and prejudice against African Americans.…”

Negative Stereotypical Portrayals of Muslims in Right-Wing Populist Campaigns: Perceived Discrimination, Social Identity Threats, and Hostility Among Young Muslim Adults

“…These political campaigns employ contentious verbal and visual appeals that ostracize Muslims from Western societies using slogans like “Stop the invasion of Muslims,” “Fight against Islamization,” or “Home not Islam,” which have the potential to induce or reinforce negative attitudes toward Muslims (e.g., Behm‐Morawitz & Ortiz, ; Dixon & Williams, ; Mastro, ; Matthes & Schmuck, ). However, right‐wing populist campaigns may not only induce negative stereotypes toward immigrants and minorities among majority members; they may also have detrimental effects on the depicted group members' perceptions about themselves (Saleem & Ramasubramanian, ).…”

Estereotipación de la mujer en la publicidad política. Análisis de los estereotipos de género presentes en los spots electorales de la campaña 2015 en Nuevo León

“…Dentro de los estudios sobre representaciones de los grupos sociales en los medios destaca la teoría del cultivo, planteada por Gerbner y su equipo de colaboradores a finales de la década de 1960de (ver Gerbner, 1998. Desde esta teoría se ha analizado el grado de influencia de la televisión y los efectos que los medios de comunicación ocasionan y tienen en los individuos, así como en la generación de actitudes a través de sus contenidos (Beaudoux, 2014b;Behm-Morawitz & Ortiz, 2013;Brown Givens & Monahan, 2005;Muñiz, Marañón & Saldierna, 2014). Y es que, como ya señalaron Shanahan y Morgan (1999) al revisar la teoría, "la mayor parte de lo que sabemos, o creemos saber, nunca lo hemos experimentado personalmente; 'sabemos' muchas cosas a partir de las historias que escuchamos y las que contamos" (p. 13).…”

“…Como se ha indicado, en gran medida las opiniones y los valores que prevalecen entre los ciudadanos en función de los asuntos públicos dependen de los mensajes que reciben a través de los medios de comunicación (Dixon, 2000;Seiter, 1986). Por ello, estos son señalados como responsables de las mediaciones sociales (Orozco Gómez, 1997;Sánchez-Tabernero, 2008), así como de la creación o difusión masiva de estereotipos y prejuicios que atañen a las minorías o grupos minoritarios (Barbalho, 2005;Behm-Morawitz & Ortiz, 2013;Brown Givens & Monahan, 2005).…”