Representation of Social Groups

 How social groups are portrayed in media

Considering representations is more about being aware of the choices that are made whenever something or somebody is portrayed in a work of popular literature. In order to create the depiction that the viewer will perceive, some facets of the subject's personality and look are frequently emphasised and exaggerated since it is hard to depict every part of a person in a photograph, let alone a feature film. Media materials tend to emphasize the following when depicting a person:

• Age
• Culture 
• Class / Financial status
• Ethnicity
• Gender
• Sexualities 

Visual representations of these traits are made using signs and symbols. In order to categorise and "read" these clues in context, we make assumptions about the identity of the character as we decode them (often by comparing them to similar characters we've seen before). Producers might, for instance, provide an elderly man with white hair and a walking stick or a wealthy lawyer a three-piece suit to wear and a briefcase to carry when developing characters for a television or film scene. Although not all old people need a walking stick and not all lawyers have briefcases, these are straightforward and speedy methods of expressing character.