What meanings do youth audiences construct about Lad Culture in Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents?

7/28/2019 What meanings do youth audiences construct about Lad Culture in Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents?

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What meanings do youth audiences construct about ‘lad culture’ From Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents?

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EMED5037

What meanings do youth audiences construct about ‘lad culture’ From Sun, Sex and

Suspicious Parents?

Johnny Seifert

11703903

Contents

Introduction Page 2

Framework Page

Methodology Page

Analysis Page

Conclusion Page

Bibliography Page

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=nxV1KzDjvv5lIM&tbnid=_ApH4-GBhmTdDM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.soyouregettingmarried.com/2013/01/22/currently-loving-january-uk-wedding-blog/sun-sex-and-suspicious-parents/&ei=TsFVUZWAONP50gWT44CYDQ&bvm=bv.44442042,d.d2k&psig=AFQjCNEBcG1pelFmwHqqM9FikuUmyOzqGA&ust=1364660939542426




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Introduction

Hall (1973:52) defines representations as “the production of meanings” and the “concepts in

our minds through language”. For example, below shows a lower-class member of society

represented as a „chav‟ judged on his clothing brands, his location of being on a council

estate, being positioned on a bike and his skin head appearance. These connotations that have

been given are the messages that I have “decoded” due to the language that this picture

conveys. In this case, the language is “visual” but language also comes in the form of being

“spoken”, being “heard” or through our “ bodies” (Hall 1973:52). However the problem with

this is that the representations we give “define society and what policies are accepted or

rejected” (Hall 1986:9). Furthermore, we „stereotype-stereotypes‟ by perceiving them to be

negative, targeting minority groups, making them simple and not thinking about the social

and economic context as to why the stereotype exists.




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We look at representations with an agreed consensus due to being in the “same cultures”

where we have learnt about the world through “primary socialisation” from parents and from

“secondary socialisation” through education, religion and the media (Parsons 1967:5).

By being primary socialised we have enabled ourselves to be part of a concept map which

allows us to interact with different people in society yet keep the same meanings attached. In

this essay I am going to look how representations are formed and how they affect the male

youth audience as a social group. I will be using BBC3 documentary series „Sun Sex and

Suspicious Parents‟ to focus my research on by looking at the reception theory to see how

audiences interpret the mediations of the lad culture that are created which will be analysed

with theoretical contributions before making a conclusion into the extent of the

representation.

Framework

The first framework is the concept of stereotypes. Stereotypes exist due to the way that the

media sensualises stories through the “typography” process (Dyer 1986:6). Dyer sees that the

re-presentation is made with conventions of “media language” before stereotyping the

“representative” person to a social group and making the social group mediated for audiences

to interpret the “effects” through adopting the “dominated” or “negotiated” reading (Hall

1973:11). However, some theorists argue (Lippmann 1956:96) that stereotypes exist as a

projection of our “values and beliefs” to certify our place in society. Lippmann states that the

process involves making “short cut” representations. For example, some theorists (Linksy

1970:573) argue that in magazines, an alcoholic is represented with free will to drink, when

in reality they are battling a disorder and there are deeper social contextual studies that need

to be examined first. Secondly, Lippmann states that we use stereotypes to refer to fictional

characters with character traits. For example, we see Superman as a hero who saves the world

without seeing who Clarke Kent really is.




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I have shown below a screenshot of a western film to depict the stereotype . I have “de-

notated” (Barthes 1967:42) it as a western film due to the stereotypical alpha western male in

a cowboy hat with a moustache, “the western setting”, the “wildness”, having a gun and the

“self -interest” this person has (Kitses 1969).

Secondly, a bove shows a representation of a violent man, “connotated” due to his race. A

study was conducted between five newspapers and the conclusion was that “ black people are

seen as criminals” (Dijks:54 1991). The reason why we associate black people as violent is

due to the hegemonic ideology that we have seen in the media as “racial imagery is central to

the organisation of the modern world” (Dyer 1997:31). For example, in programmes such as

The Bill, black actors were cast to be violent characters due to „tokenism‟ as that is the

stereotype we, as an audience, expect to see as criminals.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=black+criminal&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=Ok2Qv3zCz4kYuM&tbnid=ZcaDCHAKiq4daM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.psychologicalscience.org/media/releases/2006/pr060425.cfm&ei=VCFDUcKeK8eY1AWxq4GgCA&bvm=bv.43828540,d.ZG4&psig=AFQjCNGsPiokxEbEqHBtwwBXHrmRshBjRg&ust=1363440320886052

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=black+criminal&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=Ok2Qv3zCz4kYuM&tbnid=ZcaDCHAKiq4daM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.psychologicalscience.org/media/releases/2006/pr060425.cfm&ei=VCFDUcKeK8eY1AWxq4GgCA&bvm=bv.43828540,d.ZG4&psig=AFQjCNGsPiokxEbEqHBtwwBXHrmRshBjRg&ust=1363440320886052




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Furthermore their colonial status is “decided for them” through social, political and

economic factors through “indirect rules” (Cashmore and Jenning 2002:4).

The second framework is looking at the term „celebrification‟ (Turner 2006:3) which has

been used to describe how “media-savvy” (Andrejevic 2002:5) audience members who will

go on reality TV shows such as “ Big Brother ” and “Shipwrecked ” for exposure to the mass

audience to make a career in “TV presenting” or to be famous to “earn money” . Whilst some

audience members will do this to “overcome the hierarchy of mass society”. By going on a

reality TV show one will convert them self into a “celetoid”. Celetoid‟s can be defined as,

“accessories of cultures organized around mass communications and staged authenticity who

command media attention one day, and are forgotten the next” (Rojek 2001:20). Producers

favour reality TV as its cheaper then producing sitcoms and dramas which need to be scripted

and have studios. For example, ITV2‟s The Only Way Is Essex pay the cast £80 (Holmwood

2012) a day in contrast to an actor who will get £50,000 for appearing on a period drama. In

addition, it leads to an “interactive commerce” with the audience where anyone can appear on

the show (Andrejevic 2002:5). However, this can lead to audience members being seen as a

moral panic. A “moral panic” refers to the “ability to transform an event or situation into a

threat to society through stereotype and sensualise reporting of the news” (Cohen 1972, 1).

This device is used for newspapers to make profits as they make stereotypes such as „lads‟

into “folk devils” through portraying them as criminals which attracts audiences as they want

to keep reading about them. An example of this was in the 2010 riots where the BBC news

focussed on teenage boys causing environmental damage around London. However, some

boys may do this to establish their masculinity.




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In addition, A Panorama episode in 1964 looked in to the mods in Brighton referring to

them as „they‟ with the connotation of segregation as well as referring to them as a gang

making them segregated from society giving a stereotypical view. Some may have seen this

as good for gaining subcultural capital whilst others would have felt this was an unfair

representation.

However, by being given the stereotype of being a problem to a society can lead to members

of groups to gain a “badge of honour”. One can gain this “badge” by driving dangerously “or

being seen as a womanizer ” which impress fellow men (Courtenay 2000:1385). Furthermore,

a study was conducted in 1972 looking at 12 school lads with a “symbolic internationalist

approach” taken. The study showed that the lads deemed to reject the rules in school and

society. For example, the lads wanted to be in the real world where they could break the law

and spend their day drinking and smoking which would give them freedom (Willis 1972:30)

and getting to “act on the edge of danger and security” (Lyng 1990:256). However, Willis

was criticised for using a small sample to make generalisations as well as trying to portray the

lads as working class heroes for wanting to have alpha-male roles in manufacturing.

Methodology

I am going to look at how audiences interpret the stereotype of the lad culture as seen on Sun

Sex and Suspicious Parents. The reception theory focuses “on the interpretative relation

between audience and medium, where this relation is understood within a broadly

ethnographic context” (Livingstone 1998:2). It is important to study audiences as we need to

see who the media is targeting and the representations that are mediated through the

polysemic (Dahlgren 1998:299) meanings that are constructed.




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For example, a study was conducted in response to the “reception of” soap opera „ Dallas‟

(Katz 1986:273). The mediation meant that different cultures read the messages differently.

Whilst the “Russian Jews (made) ideological readings on the politics, (the) Americans

focussed on personalities”. The diversity of audience‟s readings is apparent here which can

be researched further through carrying out a virtual ethnography into audiences perceptions.

Rheingold (1993:1) defines a virtual community as “a group of people who ... exchange

words ...on a computer bulletin board”. I decided to use a virtual ethnography as “the

internet... (Allows)...social interactions where practices, meanings and identities are

intermingled” (Dominguez t al 2007:1). For example, virtual ethnographies have been

carried out looking into the Archers forum (Thomas 2009:1). Thomas used this method to

“get under the skin” due to the “freedom of speech”. As Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents is a

programme that would have mixed reactions, it is important that posters feel that they can air

their opinion which is either positive or negative which I can use when studying the subject

of lad culture on Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents as the BBC3 show gets mixed reactions as

seen in the analysis section. In the study they found that “audience members would get

attached to certain characters and mirror their identities” to gain sub-cultural capital as a fan.

I am going to carry out a virtual ethnography on the Digital Spy message board, a trusted

forum used by 509,823 people (Digital Spy Online 2013). There is a dedicated television

forum that will give me access to TV audience‟s aged between 16-34 (BBC Three Online

2013) where Sun Sex and Suspicious Parents has previously been discussed which will allow

me to join in the conversation with the users as I am already a member. In addition, a survey

was also conducted on „Survey Monkey‟ to gain private results from youth audience

members who I know who also have opinions on the programme.




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I have accessed these people on social media websites by publicising a Facebook status for

those who watch the programme to help fill out a survey.

However, my findings will be generalised as it will just focus on the opinions on the radio

board and excludes the “larkers” (Mitra 1997:1) also users may make up their identity to fit in

with the online culture and think that they need to agree with other users to gain sub-cultural

capital and appear popular on the message board.




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Analysis

My analysis will be formed with the answers that I was given to the questions posed which

has then been linked to theoretical concepts to get an understand in the wider context.

What is your name, age location?

My first question enabled me to understand who my participators are. The location is an

important factor as different parts of the country have different outlooks on the social aspect

of life. For example, stereotypically Geordies are known to drink more than people from

London. My research shows that the majority of respondents are from London and will

therefore have a similar opinion to each other. Secondly, this question addressed the

participants age. BBC3 caters for the 16-34 year old (BBC3 Online 2013) age group and

therefore it is important that I get information from the target audience. An audience member

should be able to adopt the “desired behaviour and communicate incentives or benefits” for

watching the programme to fit in with the “values of the target” audience (DeJong 1990:30).

In contrast, if an audience member is not connected to the BBC3 audience then it is possible

for them to take on the „negotiated‟ reading (Hall 1973:11) and reject the messages that have

been mediated by the producers.




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Why do you watch Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents?

When analysing the respondents answers, the majority of respondents said that they watch for

comedic value and as a form of entertainment.

One can relate this to the „Uses and Gratifications‟ theory (McQuail 1972:290). The Uses and

Gratification model refers to how audience members use the media for escapism. Sun, Sex

and Suspicious Parents airs at 9pm on a Tuesday night when most students would have

finished their homework and want some entertainment. McQuail sees that audience members

will form “personal relationships” (298) with the „lads‟ that they see. For example, one

respondent said “it helps me see how to get girls”. This is an interesting comment as it shows

how this person uses the show as a guide with how to talk and approach females. By a male

being like this it keeps them in society as a “sturdy oak” (Brannon 2004:12) referring to how

a male should appear as confident which they might not necessarily be able to do but look at

the lad on the programme as a role model and try and “identify” with them. Furthermore,

another respondent said they watched the show “to compare it to... (a) holiday (that they)

have been on”. Some audiences will use “surveillance” (299) to see that type of behaviour

and characterises of a stereotypical lad of whom they need to conform too, to fit in as a „lad‟

in society when they go on their own clubbing holiday. For example, audiences may use the

show to choose their holiday destination, the types of drinks they drink and the type of

activities that can be done in the day. This can be exemplified in Series 3 episode 6 that

showed Ollie, represented as a clever student that wanted fun with his friends going go-

karting as they did not believe that you should be asleep the whole day and up the whole

night.




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What is your ideal stereotype for the typical lad that gets set up?

This question allowed me to see how the mass audience views a stereotype. Stereotypes

guarantee “our self respect and project our values and position in society whilst attaching our

own feelings to them” (Lippmann 1956). The producers set the typical „lads‟ up as the

stereotype is easy to form and is a simple representation to dentate for the audience. For

example, if a producer wanted to represent a hairdresser they may stereotypically choose a

blonde girl to portray them to fit in with the image of a „dumb blonde‟. However, one can

question the “authenticity” of how the lads are set up in Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents due

to “different meanings” that the audience can take due to the “highly constructed reality

programming” (Van Leeuwen 2001:397) One respondent answered, “Someone who is known

to be a good character and maybe goes wild unexpectedly - Someone chavvy who is

obviously going to be mental/slutty”. This quote can be highlighted in episode 1 of season 4

we see 20 year old Ashley go to Magaluf with his friends. Ashley is a mummy ‟s boy who

gets everything done for him in contrast to when he is in Magaluf he is represented as a

womanizer. The majority of lads that appears on the show portray the character trait of being

womanizers to seem popular and to conform to the “male gaze” by “eyeing up the females”

abroad. The producers highlight with the use of camera work to make the women seem as

“sex objects” for the lads to do what they want with (Mulvey 1975:833).




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Do you agree with how the lads behave on the show and why do you think the lads act

like this?

This question gave split opinions as some respondents said that this is okay as “they are on

holiday”. For example, in modern society the term “what goes on , stays abroad” has been

coined. This can be exemplified by a study that was conducted in Torque. Dr Carr studied 5

men in Devon aged 18-24 years old. One of his participants was quoted as saying, “I think

it‟s „cause like a lot of people say about Ibiza, „oh, you‟ll go out there and you‟ll get wrecked

every single night‟. You‟ve got to experience that and you‟ve got to see what it‟s like”. This

is because the “tourist culture” represents an “animated no ordinary lifestyle, observable

rituals, behaviours, and pursuits” (Bystrzanowski, 1989: 37). Which leads to holidays

existing as an “opportunity...to experiment” (Ryan and Robertson 1997). In addition, the

“dominant” (Hall 1973:11) audience are watching for entertainment and so they want to see

“people act stupid when they are drunk” and watch for a comedic value. However, 70% of

respondents adopted the “oppositional reading” (Hall 1973:11) as they did not agree with

how they “objectify women” as it “shows a lack of respect” for women and “puts pressures

on men”. Audiences rejected the stereotype that they were given as alot of them have been

on clubbing holidays before and therefore know what to expect. However, Miller (2013) has

looked into how the lads would be represented on a reality show such as Sun, Sex and

Suspicious Parents:

“Reality shows do not make society change...These transgress behaviours of the cast

are not normally what happens in real life. They take issues that are meant to be more

private, such as fights, disrespect, and sexual relations and turn them into something

public, for everyone to see and judge. We judge these people, whether we mean to or

not. By watching them and getting entertainment out of their misery and exploitation,

we are making judgments about them” (Miller 2013).




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As miller states, the show exists for entertainment and so the representation of being a lad has

been exaggerated and so the behaviour may not be as real as we see due to participants

“playing up for the camera” as one respondent stated, with another saying that they represent

themselves like this due to “peer pressure” with “how they should act on TV”.

Conclusion

In conclusion, through this report I have looked into the background of stereotypes with how

they are used in the media. Secondly, I looked at the representation of “celebrification” on

reality TV to understand the type of person that would appear on the show. Thirdly, through

using a virtual ethnography I was able to conduct audience research into audiences

perceptions of the stereotypical lad culture as seen on Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents. Using

Dyer‟s concept of „typography‟ one can see that the representation of the lad culture has

meant that the BBC are responsible for the representation which they have made the lads

seem as a moral panic for entertainment value. Whilst audiences understand that the lads are

portrayed like this for entertainment, they think that you do not find lads like this in society or

on clubbing holidays taking the “negotiated reading” (Hall 1973) overall.

To gain a better understanding, I could undertake further research into the concept of lad

culture on reality TV shows. I would research into other programmes such as „The Magaluf

Weekender’, ‘Ibiza Uncovered’ and ‘Geordie Shore’ to understand how men are represented.

Furthermore, I would carry out a histography to look at how the representation of the lad

culture has changed over time. For example, Long (2004) analysed documents on Charles

Parker, a BBC radio producer who created documentaries for the BBC in 1960s. Long

noticed how in the 1950s, documentaries were performed by upper class actors to create radio

plays using scripts. However, in the 1960s, Charles Parker started making documentaries

using “real proletariat” citizens giving their first hand accounts.




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I can apply this to my question by looking at the changes in the 90‟s and the 00‟s to the

presentation on lads on shows. Finally, I could speak to casting agents to see how they choose

their participants and the type of people they look for when casting reality TV shows.

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What meanings do youth audiences construct about Lad Culture in Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents?

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