Why the Media's Role in Issues of Race and Ethnicity Should be in the Spotlight

Abstract

In everything from the policies that regulate media industries to the practices of the organizations that produce the messages to the usage patterns of the consumers that choose them, mass media are implicated in real‐world interracial/ethnic dynamics. Yet, despite the obvious associations between media and issues of race and ethnicity, a comprehensive effort aimed at documenting and addressing these links has not been undertaken. The current issue, Media Representations of Race and Ethnicity: Implications for Identity, Intergroup Relations, and Public Policy, endeavors to do just that. The merits of such an effort are articulated in this introduction to the volume alongside a review of the current state of the research in this domain.

I Saw You in the News: Mediated and Direct Intergroup Contact Improve Outgroup Attitudes

“…Antipathy toward outgroups has grown to troubling levels. In the United States, Americans express strong dislike for ideological “others” (Iyengar & Westwood, ) and ethnic relations are one of the most challenging issues of the century (Mastro, ). In Europe, increasing tensions surround immigration.…”

How do people with refractory irritable bowel syndrome perceive hypnotherapy: Qualitative study protocol

“…What may cause this is highly speculative, one theory is that hypnosis is surrounded by myths [41] often perpetuated by images in popular media which may be intimidating, controlling or sexualised [42], in particular the hypnotist has a long history of being portrayed as possessing abilities which appear supernatural [43]. As media stereotypes can influence an individual's perceptions [44,45] it is possible that these supernatural qualities are predominant in the public mind and may even be a barrier to hypnotherapy's use. There is evidence that hypnotherapists are conscious of the influence upon the perception of hypnotherapy which at the least stage hypnosis exerts, for example the British Society of Clinical Hypnosis (BSCH) explicitly prohibits members from using hypnosis for entertainment purposes.…”

From All American Girl to Fresh Off the Boat: Exploring the Relationship Between Media Representations and Identity Formation

“…Communities are becoming more diverse but individuals still tend to socialize with people of the same racial and ethnic group (Mastro, 2015, p. 2). His candid remarks illustrate how in the absence of direct contact or limited contact, the media act as a substitute -a way to teach society about various groups of people (Mastro, 2015).…”

“…Additionally, two related areas that could benefit from future research are streaming services and prejudice reduction. Messages and representations seen on television are not consistent with other texts such as streaming services and user generated content (YouTube) (Mastro, 2015). These areas can be studied to provide a fuller picture on the effects of representation as TV shifts towards a more digital future (Molina-Guzman, 2016, p. 451).…”

“…The importance of representation and the way social groups are represented in media has also been well documented (Mastro, 2015;Mastro & Greenberg, 2000;Tukachinsky, Mastro, & Yarchi, 2015). Spencer describes representation as the "social process of making sense of the many signifying systems within a culture" (2014, p. xviii).…”