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Samar Shean
English 101H
Professor McKeever
1 December 2015

Social Medias Role in Creating Stereotypes and Spreading Negativity

In todays society, the world is defined by the different types of social media
people use. Per a research study conducted by the Pew Center, 74% of adults today are on
social networking sites (Pew, 2014). This study indicates and sheds light to the fact that a
new form of mass media is taking over society today, which is social media. Everything
that happens worldwide, whether it be positive or negative, is broadcasted on social
media. Millions have Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram accounts where they
share photos, their thoughts, and get to see what others are thinking too. It is interesting
to see how social media can transform societies globally, and how it effects the social
structure and culture of the world. Social media helped overthrow regimes in the Middle
East during the Arab Spring, and it helped make many talented individuals famous with
skills in singing, dancing and even activism (O'Donnell, 2011). It also became part of
creating negative racial stereotypes on local and international levels, egging on existing
ones, or helped eliminate some (Oltermann, 2012). This reinforcement of negative racial
stereotyping is creating divisions between different cultural and religious groups. Islam
and Black racism are two topics that many discuss on social networking sites more

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frequently in todays time, and are unfortunately unfairly portrayed minorities across the
globe.
In particular, African Americans were seen in the exploited stereotypes during the
Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown cases. These are two examples of how media negatively
influences the African American race image, as well as gives an outlet for people to
discuss their opinions and views on the incidents. Through a detailed description of the
incident and specific incidences of the medias coverage, it becomes apparent that the
media influences societys idea of racism. Whether it be mass media holding their own
bias, or social media giving everyday citizens and outlet to showcase their views and
biass themselves. Trayvon Martin was a seventeen-year-old African American male from
Florida. Zimmerman was suspicious and in the end resorted to tackling Martin to the
ground, as Martin yelled for help, a single shot was heard leaving Martin laying face
down on the ground dead. The ensuing investigation played out in the media with strong
racial undertones that the incident only occurred because Trayvon was black and
Zimmerman was white. The grand Jury found that Zimmerman was not guilty, and he
was not indicted in the end.
In the case mentioned above, media played a major role in why the Trayvon
Martin case became such negative influence on racism. In the article by Kathleen
McKinley, The Media Should be Ashamed for Their Part in the Trayvon Martin/ George
Zimmerman Case, gives an example of how media portrays a race. She states, They
referred to Zimmerman at first as white, then had to correct it to the ridiculous term
white Hispanic (McKinley, pg. 1). This clearly shows that the media was ashamed and
changed the story so the incident would not blame white people. This also shows how

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media portrays other minorities, and seem to have an easier time on blaming any other
race except for white people, who are perceived the face of this nation.
Many people view African Americans/Black people as criminals and problem
starters; whether this ideology came from mass media, or social media it has been an ever
evolving stereotype. When a black person is involved in a police altercation, people
automatically think they are guilty. The media does not make the situation any better
because it influences racism by exploiting stereotypes to either to either make a minority
look bad or to cover up for another race, so they dont look bad in the public's eye. Media
played a major role in influencing racism and exploiting stereotypes in the Trayvon
Martin case because they made Martin out to be a monster. In the article written by
Patricia William, The monsterization of Trayvon Martin, she does a great job of giving
examples of how media plays this role. She stated in the article that, Trayvon Martin
was made as mythical as some ancient berserker, a menacing wraith of superhuman,
sucker-punching strength, a heathen brute looming from the shadows on a dark stormy
night (Williams p. 20). This statement made it seem like Martin was just a monster that
could not be controlled. In reality it was just an average teenage boy who went to the
store to buy a snack, but because of stereotypes he was looked at as not only a criminal,
but animal.
Similarly, the media played a role in the Trayvon Martin case by influencing
racism and manipulating people with negative stereotypes. Williams mentions how the
defense attorneys did a good job engaging in public blitz in advance of the trial that
depicted Trayvon Martin as a violent gangbanger (Williams p21). This clearly shows how
she believes media tried to make it appear to society that Martin was a violent, powerful

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person who deserved what happened to him. In reality, Martin was none of these
generalizations and was unfortunately penalized because of negative stereotypes.
As seen through the presented examples and material, the media today is not
credible, nor accurate like it was in the past. Today, the media promotes stereotypes and
exaggerates stories for their own benefit. It would blow a situation out of proportion for
money and ratings. It happens so much, that the human population is becoming immune
to it and actually starting to think its normal. Media did a perfect job in sensationalizing
the Trayvon Martin case in the article, The Medias Zimmermania by Noah Rothman.
The article basically lays out how badly the media blew the case out of proportion.
Rothman states, The president of the United States delivered an unscheduled 18-minute
speech on this Peculiar, and goes on to state, He was driven to do so not because of the
circumstances of the case warranted it, but because the coverage-because the media made
doing so a necessity (Rothman p.27). This shows how exaggerated the media was in the
Martin case, not to put an end to the situation, but to hype it up for their own benefit.
Another example of how this article shows the racial sensationalization of the Trayvon
Martin case is when Rothman writes After the reckless commentary on cable and in
print following verdict, it seemed likely that the media manufactured racial crisis
surrounding the Zimmerman trial would be without and redeemed value (Rothman
p.30). The media put these negative stereotypes out to the people so much that they began
to believe them, before it was even presented to them.
Similar to the Trayvon Martin case, in the Ferguson case, Mike Brown was caught
stealing cigarillos from a convenient store, and was approached by a police officer. The
officer fired 12 rounds, after he got into an altercation with Brown, ending his life. The

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grand jury found the Officer not guilty. Although Mike Brown did commit a crime, which
is stealing from the store, the punishment he received was not deserved nor was it
necessary. Brown was unarmed and not harmful to anyone in his surroundings. Later
when the media put out information on this story, they did not do Brown justice at all.
Brown was made to be a thug, because of what he was wearing. In the article by Van
Woerkom, Challenging stereotypes; Michael Brown and #IfTheyGunnedMeDown, he
showcases how media exploits stereotypes. He states After the killing, a particular
image of Brown prevailed in the media. In the photo, he towered over the camera
flashing a sign that some people interpreted as gang-related (Woerkom p.2). What
appears simply to be the peace sign, was made out to be a gang sign by media. Media
again used stereotypes to cover up for the officer on this case, or make Brown look like a
bad person who deserved his punishment.
On the other hand, Arab/Islamic negative stereotypes are also increasing in all
social media realms. Visual media is a very important sect of media where many follow
magazines, newspapers, and publications off line and online today. Not just Islam is
discussed through visual media, many other controversial topics are discussed through
visual media on a regular basis. Diana Watt in a research article on Islam phobia
discussed the role of visual media in the creation of this concept. The article argues that
most people receive their information about ethnic or racial groups from mass media
(Watt, 2008). Watt argues media helps shape peoples perspectives on Muslims and Islam.
Not only visual media helps shape these perspectives, with the prominence of social
media today, many more perspectives are being shaped. Social media gives a lot of space

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for people to share such images without background education, and many share without
understanding the picture.
A research article by Liz Jackson discussed images of Islam in US media. This
article brings in a different aspect of media and Islams interpretation. The article focuses
on images of Islam spread on US media, and what really represents Islam, and what
doesnt. Jackson argues that media changes so often that the old forms of media like film
and news are no longer central to an objective view of recent contemporary media
representations (Jackson, 2010). She argues how media is educational, and how many
learned about the Middle Eastern culture from the movie Aladdin for example. Images of
terrorism are very common, and most common images are the images of the World Trade
Center Towers after being attacked. Jackson argues that mass media does associate Islam
and Muslims with terrorism, and it focuses on portraying them as fundamentalists.
Jackson used multiple pictures in her study to measure how people portray Islam or what
they think represents Islam. She used pictures of Bin Ladin, cartoonic caricatures of
Islam and Mohammad the prophet of Islam.
Opposing views claim that reporters do their best at projecting the news and do it
in the fairest way possible. Eli Avraham explains in his book, Behind the Media
Marginality, news is reported to serve the interests of everyone, but slightly serves those
that are in a more dominant position to a higher extent (Avraham p 106). This seems to
please the majority of people, because those in power are running our country, so why not
keep them pleased. After all everything in life is business, and it is inarguable that the
ranks of well-paid public relations practitioners continue to swell which rational analysis
can only conclude is evidence of market demand and effectiveness. In another article

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written by Jim Macnamara, Journalism and PR: Beyond myths and stereotypes to
transparency and management in the public interest, he states,
journalists have become passive processors of material other people provide
because of reduced journalistic staff levels resulting in less time for journalists to research
stories and check facts (Macnamara p 1). So the blame here would be put on
management and the way these media business are run, and not on the people who project
the news. Some truth must be hidden behind these stereotypes, but how much of this truth
makes them a valid claim.
However, not enough many people say. Ignorance and lack of cultural
competency about other races and cultures lead newscasters and reporters to take part in
creating and promoting these stereotypes. Editors lack of familiarity and connections
with other communities, complements the ignorance of these reporters. Avraham
mentions a very important aspect that the choice of topic covered and language used to
describe the event, is a reflection of what the White American population wants to see.
This is characterized by an ethnocentrism that in the spirit of the chosen people, places
white Americans above others (Avraham p106). How is this in any way fair or just, to the
minority groups living in this country? Reporters need to build integrity and
independence, so that the news they spread is fair to all religions and cultural groups.
In conclusion, social media as a media form or model is a home for over a billion
users in many different forums. As mentioned above, images for theyre sharing
convenience are a key factor in creating or enlarging any stereotype. Jackson in her
article explained how media is important and it could even affect the educational process.
One image that goes viral could change how an entire race or religion is seen. Stereotypes
have always been a major cause in the way people view different cultures, most

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commonly the African American and Arabic Islamic cultures. Unfortunately Media has
changed for the worse. In our previous generations, media showed real news without the
influence of bias reporters. Furthermore the media only portray what the majority of the
people want to see, not the actual truth. The media lacks credibility and honesty, and this
only makes us question, how true is the news we hear. I hope that one day we will reach a
moment in time where this will change and we can actually start believing the news we
see and hear on social media, but until then, Ill stick with common sense and real life
situations.
Works Cited
Avraham, E. (2003). Behind media marginality: Coverage of social groups and places.
Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books.
Jackson, L. (2010). Images of Islam in US media and their educational implications.
Educational Studies, 46(1), 3-24. doi:10.1080/00131940903480217
Macnamara, J. (n.d.). Journalism and PR: Beyond Myths and Stereotypes to
Transparency and Management in the Public Interest. Retrieved December 3,
2015, from
http://www.academia.edu/830291/Journalism_and_PR_Beyond_Myths_and_Stere
otypes_to_Transparency_and_Management_in_the_Public_Interest
McKinley, Kathleen. "The Media Should Be Ashamed For Their Part In The Trayvon
Martin/George Zimmerman Case." TexasSparkle. N.p., 15 July 2013. Web. 02
Dec. 2015.
O'Donnell, C. (2011). New Study Quanitifies Use of Social Media in Arab Spring.
Retrieved from University of Washington:

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http://www.washington.edu/news/2011/09/12/new-study-quantifies-use-of-socialmedia-in-arab-spring/
Oltermann, P. (2012). Can you spot national stereotypes in social media? Retrieved from
The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/feb/24/nationalstereotypes-social-media
Pew. (2014). Social Networking Fact Sheet. Retrieved from Pew Research Center:
http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/

Rothman, Noah C. The Medias Zimmermania. Commentary 136.2(2013): 27-30. Web.


22 Nov. 2015.
Watt, D. (2008). Challenging islamophobia through visual media studies: Inquiring into a
photograph of muslim women on the cover of canada's national news
magazine. Simile, 8(2), 1-14. doi:10.3138/sim.8.2.001
William, Patricia J. The Monsterization of Trayvon Martin. Nation 297.7/8 (2013): 1722. Academic Search Complete. Web 23 Nov. 2015.23: 147-178.
Woerkom, Marieke Van. Challenging Stereotypes: Michael Brown and
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown. Morningside Center for Teaching Social
Responsibility. N.p., 22 Nov. 2015. Web. 03 Dec.2014.

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