Stuart Hall: Representation Theory

Representation in media refers to the way to show a group of people (such as gender, race, age, social class, religion etc.); different people can choose to represent a subject differently. How people read and understand representation in media differs. Stuart Hall's representation theory suggests that the original subjects represented in media do not have a definite meaning. The original subject does not have a fixed meaning; the producers of media create and choose which meaning the original subject represents. Subjects only have meaning once it has been represented multiple times through media. 

When a meaning has been represented multiple times in media, due to a lack of creativity and diversity in the writing room, and has circulated for a long time in media; it has become stereotyped - making it quick and easy for audiences to understand the meaning that is trying to be represented. Lots of media producers use stereotypes so that audiences can understand the meaning quickly. 

Here are examples of how Indonesians represent different groups of people in media: 

How motorbike users are represented in media: 

These images are from the Indonesia show called 'Anak Langit', from the year 2017. The scene above is a motorcycle gang fighting scene in one of the episodes. 

In Indonesian TV shows called Sinetron; motorbike users - mainly the 'motor gangs' are portrayed as cool, packed with action and 'badass'. The producers of these shows have made them use cool, black jackets and vests and have displayed these people in media to look cool with the use of low angles and random camera movement. The producers want to make them look cool so that they could fill the audience with thrill.