Media, Gender and Identity by David Gauntlett

Highlighted quotes from Media, Gender and Identity by David Gauntlett. This book has interesting information on media theorists, as well as a small part dedicated to gender and gaming.

Fiske: Audience Power (Pages 27 - 29)

Fiske's work represents a view diametrically opposed to Adorno's. Near the start of Understanding Popular Culture he tells Adorno fans bluntly:
Popular culture is made by the people, not produced by the culture industry. All the culture industries can do is produce a repertoire of texts or cultural responses for the various formations of the people to use or reject in the ongoing process of producing their popular culture. (1989a: 24) (Gauntlett, 2008; p27)

In other words, the power of the audience to interpret media texts, and determine their popularity, far outweighs the ability of media institutions to send a particular message or ideology to audiences within their texts. This position did not, of course, appear out of the blue. Stuart Hall's 'encoding/decoding' model (1973) had already suggested, in more modest terms, that a media message could be 'decoded' by the audience in different and unpredictable ways. (Gauntlett, 2008; p27)

We should note that although Fiske was opposed to the cynical stance of left-wing critics like Adorno, Fiske's arguments are not (intended to be) a 'right wing' response. Instead, Fiske comes across as an upbeat leftie and a 'man of the people' who wants to show that 'the people' are not foolish dupes. (Gauntlett, 2008; p27)

A singular mass of consumers does not exist: there is only a range of different individuals with their own changing tastes and a 'shifting set of social allegiances' which may or may not relate to their social background, and which are complex and contradictory (Fiske, 1989a) (Gauntlett, 2008; p28)

Fiske does not deny that we live in a capitalist and patriarchal society, but suggests that it is silly to think of popular culture as a manufactured thing imposed by capitalists upon the unsuspecting masses. 'Culture is a living, active process: it can be developed only from within, it cannot be imposed from without or above' (p 23). (Gauntlett, 2008; p28)

Instead they reflect what is genuinely popular. (Gauntlett, 2008; p28)

The public choose which items they actually want and like. (Gauntlett, 2008; p28)

People relate to their current favourite single or film, as they relate to all media texts, in a complex, shifting way, based in their own identity, which is unique to themselves. (Gauntlett, 2008; p28)

Nevertheless, Fiske says there is an 'overspill' of meaning (p. 70), so that most texts contain the 'preferred' meaning -  the one intended by its producers - but also offer possibilities for consumers to create their own alternative or resistant readings. (Gauntlett, 2008; p28)

Fiske therefore answers the Pop Idol conundrum: consumers have not simply been duped into conforming to the demands of the culture industry; rather, viewers have taken the contestants into their hearts, literally and individually. They buy the singles and albums by the winners because they feel that they have developed a personal connection with these people over several weeks of televised trials and tribulations. (Gauntlett, 2008; p29)

The obvious criticism of Fiske's work is that it is far too optimistic about the challenging impact of mainstream texts - or to be precise, the challenging consequences of people's own unique readings of mainstream texts. But it's certainly a thought-provoking response to Adorno's extreme pessimism. (Gauntlett, 2008; p32)


Gender and Video Games
In video games, the representation of men and women is more stereotyped. By their nature, video games are typically about action rather than reflection, and male characters in games are often brutal gangsters or grunting soldiers. Female player characters are not weak - which would make for boring game play - but are usually fighters who are meant to have a particular 'sexy feminine' allure (Jansz and Martis, 2007) (Gauntlett, 2008; p68)

Gauntlett, D., 2008. Media, Gender and Identity. 2nd ed. Oxon: Routledge