Stereotypes are both created and perpetuated by the media. They are seen on all television shows whether it is on a reality show, where they strive to fulfill the expectation of diversity (the token black man, ditzy blonde girl, Jewish person, smart Asian, etc.) or on an episode of friends where there is an only white cast. People have set expectations of what people of all ethnicities, genders, sexualities, and religions should act like. When these expectations are actualized on an episode of “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” or “The Hughleys” there is no effort put into abolishing people’s pre-conceived notions of these groups
Television, like all mediums has an inherent bias. “It has within physical form a predisposition towards being used in certain ways and not in others.” (Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death) In this way of including some information and excluding others, a bias is formed. It is inevitable that this bias will help in some way to redefine the meaning of public discourse. This is seen especially in journalism and the news.
The media tends to create stereotypes that society feels compelled to act, dress, think etc. as. These stereotypes can depict a range of different peoples within society: lesbian, gay, straight, transgender, black, white, foreign, American, female, or male. The media exert over-emphasized generalizations of these peoples and society in return incorporates it within daily life. The media’s generalizations are often false portrayals and do not in any way represent all the variations within a group of people.
I believe the largest misconception that the media gives out to its audience is that females are sexual objects. Many of the images society sees in the magazines, television, movies, internet etc. all show women in minimal clothing, sexy poses, or sexual situations. The media has created a blueprint for how women today must look. All the women who are shown are petite, big-breasted, with no fat whatsoever on their bodies. This image becomes instilled within the new generation of girls and they become obsessed with obtaining this same body type. When the media is constantly surrounding them with these women how are the girls not supposed to be influenced?
The media has also created this idea of the “American dream”. On television and in the movies, interracial couples and families are usually not shown. The media believes that couples of the same race are more appealing to look at. In result, when society sees interracial families they respond awkwardly and may even discriminate against. This shows that the media’s influence is not always beneficial to society and can often create the stereotypes that society then considers.