Media Messages

Do average Americans believe that what is portrayed on TV is more "real" that their own experience? This eye-opening book analyzes the kinds of messages about race, class, gender, and sexual orientation that are being conveyed in the entertainment media. The author examines the homogeneous images, characters, and themes that are offered on prime time television and in popular film and music, and their potential impact on the audience. She uses three main techniques -- reconstructing knowledge; personal experience; and entertainment assessment theory -- to illustrate media's view of the world and show how media stereotypes reinforce this view.