Representation theory Gauntlet

Who is David Gauntlett First and foremost, he is a sociologist, making this a sociological reading of media texts. He published several journals of media texts using his sociological knowledge.

Media 2.0 In 2007 he self published his work “media 2.0” Within it he suggested that with new technology such as web 2.0 people can create their own media rather than simply consume it This means that there is a wider range of representation available to the audience than ever before.

Gauntlett’s theory Gauntlett believed that representation in media is understood by the audience in a complex way No two media pieces represent people and society in the same way This is why representation is complex as different ideas are represented in different ways.

A quote Gauntlett suggests here that media representation is a matter of what the audience sees it to be. A media text can represent something in whatever way it wants to however what really matters is the audiences perception of it. Representation is decided by the audience, not the media producers.

Collective identity Gauntlett suggests that when partaking in social situations (ie watching a movie) the individual is gaining a sense of belonging within the situation. Individuals may identify with some aspects of the media (ie the demographics of the characters or the settings of the media)