The Media's Construction of our Identity

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the way the media aids in the construction of identities. The author argues that the media controls certain images present on television, newspapers and other forms of communication, which shape stereotypes and identities. The paper focuses on the depiction of the Asian population with a careful analysis of the stereotyping of Asian men.

From the Paper:

"While watching the news on television, one may notice a skewed proportion of Asian men to Asian women. A close examination will show that Asian women fill the roles of news anchors, while Asian males are situated as field reporters. Asian men and women's education and experience have no function in the determination of these roles. Things are never what they appear to be; the just American society does not practice equality. Although one may imagine that talent and education determine one's compatibility for the spotlight, the fact is image plays the most important role. Yen Le Espiritu's concept of controlling images help to explain how the media portrays Asian men with such a negative identity that it creates what Stuart Hall calls positions of identification, or predetermined roles that they are confined within. The controlling images present in television, newspaper, and other mediums of communication construct negative stereotypes for Asian men, creating for them an identity that is unfavorable for television news. From the images present in the media, Asian men construct for themselves a position of identification: one with no association with television news."

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