From stereotypes to structural inequalities: What do youth learn about race from mainstream media?

• In Event: Racism, Sexism, and Critical Consciousness in Adolescents’ and Emerging Adults’ Media Ecologies

Abstract

Background. Because many U.S. youth have little personal exposure to diverse racial groups, the media may provide foundational information about race. On television, African Americans are the racial minority group presented in the highest numbers, comprising 13% of TV characters. However, their portrayals are not always rich, and have traditionally centered on stereotypes that feature African Americans as criminals or as unintelligent. According to cultivation and social cognitive theories, heavier exposure to television content would therefore be associated with stronger support of racial stereotypes of African Americans. Yet social identity theories argue that these associations may be easier for outgroup members (i.e., white youth), whereas in-group members (i.e., Black youth) would be motivated to reject negative representations of their group and seek positive ones.

At the same time, exposure to media portrayals of race could provide insights into society’s structural inequalities. Exposure to news programming or programs that discuss race (e.g., Black-ish) could enhance youth’s critical consciousness, which is an understanding of structural sources of race, gender, and class disparities. This learning may be especially likely for interactions on social media, which offer adolescents new ways to engage in political dialogue and to support online activism (e.g., #BlackLivesMatter). With this study, we therefore examine among Black and White adolescents whether both television exposure and social media use are associated with their critical consciousness and stereotypical beliefs about African Americans.

Methods. We surveyed 496 Black adolescents and 396 White adolescents aged 13-18 (M=15.7). Measures of media use addressed hours of weekly TV viewing (3 items), and frequency of using 5 social media platforms. Critical consciousness (CC) was measured using the 8-item Critical Reflection subscale of the Critical Consciousness Scale. Perceptions of African Americans were assessed using 10 semantic differential scales reflecting attributes such as intelligent/unintelligent and not violent/violent.

Results. Descriptive statistics indicate that Black teens were heavier consumers of Instagram, Snapchat, and TV than were White teens, and also reported higher CC. For White students, heavier TV viewing and more frequent use of Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, and Snapchat were each associated with greater CC. However, neither TV viewing nor social media use was associated with CC for Black students. In terms of specific racial stereotypes, for white students, higher levels of TV viewing were associated with stronger perceptions of African Americans as poor, lazy, violent, untrustworthy, and likely to use alcohol. Few connections emerged between their social media use and negative stereotypes. As expected, for Black students, TV hours were not associated with negative stereotypes of their group. However, greater use of the platform Tumblr was associated with stronger perceptions of African Americans as lazy, unintelligent, and untrustworthy. Analyses underway test moderating roles of demographics, racial identity, and perceived media realism.

Discussion. Mainstream media use may play a central role both in raising the critical consciousness of White youth, and in reinforcing negative stereotypes. Further work is needed to tease out which media and which cognitive mechanisms are most influential in these processes.

Authors

• L. Monique Ward, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
  Presenting Author

• Enrica Bridgewater, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

• Stephanie Johnson Rowley, University of Virginia - Charlottesville