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Ximena Perez

ENGL 1302-228

Trisha Briones

March 7, 2024

Diversity in Media: A Multifaceted Industry

Diversity in the face of modern media, how a movement for change can impact an

industry culturally, economically, and socially. The most powerful format people use to gather

information is through media. Studying how the film industry works, without multicultural

diversity the field becomes obsolete. When diversity is not prevalent in media, it may fall flat

and lack range on spreading important topics. “Why do we see such a disparity in media’s

coverage of missing children cases?... argued that such factors as the missing children’s race and

social status matter” (Min and Feaster 208). The disparities between coverage and diversity are

an increasing problem, when minorities in media are not portrayed correctly many are affected

negatively.

Representation in the Film and Entertainment Industry

As the film industry grows, the need for representation grows along with it. Only recently

many film studios have started to seek diverse actors for their roles. As the industry expands,

roles must expand to fit the roles society seeks to present. As Borum Chatto explains in her

article “A well-developed body of research establishes both the challenges and importance of

reflecting gender and racial and ethnic diversity in mediated entertainment stories on screen”

(372). As studies show, diversity is the most valuable resource to connect to viewers effectively.
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Racial and ethnic representation is vital to producing and maintaining relatability while

keeping connections genuine. Being able to connect to a viewer, from a producer to an audience

standpoint allows for increased engagement. Cultural diversity has a massive impact on local and

global stereotypes, many factors play into making and representing stereotypes in media. As

Gupta states in the article titled “Is Indian the New Black?” he discusses how social trends can

lead to outdated stereotypes. “Stereotyped portrayals of Indian–Americans as the IT guy or

doctor reflect this model minority, but these images are far removed from how Indians and

Indian–Americans used to be portrayed in Hollywood and on television. In the media the image

has shifted from one constructed in colonial times by the British to reflect a more accurate

representation of the state of the community in the 21st century.” (45). Despite many acts for

change in media and politics, stereotypes are a societal problem.

Modern day representation impacts racial, age, and gender minorities. As studies show,

many adolescents are easily influenced by new media and technology. By simply participating in

a new trend or going to see a movie, many juveniles revolve their lives around media. As they

grow up, they tend to conform or side with values taught in adolescence. Parham-Payne dives

into how television and film can alter stereotypes given to young children, specifically black

children. Studying reports on how black children are depicted in media, Parham-Payne analyses

how these depictions may cause a negative impact to the growing generation. “While some have

speculated that negative images of blacks have adverse effects on the psychological and social

development of black children limited, if any, analyses have examined the roles of black children

in the media and the impact of those images on public perception” (461). Media, especially

television and film, have the greatest impact on the representation of reality, meaning they have

the leading power to alter reality through a camera lens.

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Diversities Economical Value

How does cultural diversity impact an industry’s economy? As mass media becomes

more accessible to certain demographics, more representation is needed to get these groups to

interact with their information. Targeting minorities or cultural groups is an important part of

tapping into a broader sphere of income. As conglomerates seek to broaden their impact in the

film industry many seek to pursue how marketable representation can be. Kawashima states that

if conglomerates deem the market as “too concentrated” it lessens its cultural diversity while

simultaneously producing homogenous products of culture (484). Representation can be seen as

a business move rather than an act for change to the entertainment industry.

Disney, one of the largest and most influential studios in the media industry has a

significant role in representation. Every year, Walt Disney Studios releases a new blockbuster

movie or award-winning series, their stories become more diverse as time progresses. Some may

call it growth; others understand that representation and diversity is a leading factor in

marketability and a highly profitable business move. In Kutsuzawa’s article, “Disney’s

Pocahontas,” she discusses that big companies seek profit over authenticity, “The growing

domestic and international economic power of Asians and Asian-Americans was yet another

reason that may have prompted Disney to produce the film. In the last fifteen years, the

Corporation has been aggressively transforming itself, not only as an international but also as a

transnational company” (Kutsuzawa 48). Economic growth is the most vital part to a company,

representation, and diversity factor into the growth unanimously.

Diverse Coverage in News Media

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Coverage in the media is an essential component to reaching a wider audience, which

helps increase awareness of certain topics or issues. When done incorrectly the lack of coverage

can lead to inequality in opportunities, access to new or important information and may cause

restriction to certain perspectives. One of the most important components to media coverage is

the ability to quickly broadcast missing child’s cases. When it comes down to missing children's

cases, it is a matter of life or death, time is valuable. “So why do we have such a disparity in

media’s coverage of missing children’s cases?” asks Min and Feaster.

Representation of juvenile offenders, a small minority group that can be seen as the most

malleable when placed under pressure. Many young people grow up and choose paths that

determine what their outcome in life will be. With the right guidance, many become respectable

citizens in society. Most of the time, these minority groups are depicted positively in the media,

but what about their delinquent counterparts? Do they get misrepresented in media coverage? In

the article “The Representation of Juvenile Offenders by Race,” Dixon and Azocar seek to break

down how social constructs given to people can be racially targeted and misleading. The

portrayal of race and crime is a vital part to the sphere of media and film, many watch for

entertainment purposes while others watch to be informed.

It is important for Media, Television and Film to accurately represent history accurately.

If history is inaccurately represented or misconstrued it will reduce its impact on society, while

misinforming the audience. History is an important genre to film and television, mostly seen as

an entertainment genre, many seek to learn directly from media. As King mentions in his article,

the media industry takes important historical events and turns them into pieces of media through

television and film. If certain historical events are dramatized, a lot of the time the information or

events turn into fictional pieces of artwork, which is what the industry often looks down upon.
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“Dealing with diversity has posed a continuing problem to filmic representations of American

society and its history since the industry began,” Diversity helped promote and encourage the

production of new film and media genres (164).

In conclusion, the representation of diversity in modern media, particularly involving the

film and television industry has vast effects on the industry culturally, economically, and

socially. As the authors argue, diversity is important for breaking stereotypes and representing

minority groups properly. Representation and diversity impact younger audiences, as it is argued

that it can influence behaviors early on in their adolescence. Economically, diversity is argued to

be a selling point, a lucrative business move. It helps access new audiences and markets. Diverse

representation in coverage is argued to be an essential part of news and journalism in media, it

promotes easy access to information. Diversity in the media is seen as a key element to creating

an industry that will work for representation and creating a new and welcoming environment.
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Works Cited

Borum Chattoo, Caty. “Oscars So White: Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Diversity and Social Issues

in U.S. Documentary Films (2008–2017).” Mass communication & society 21.3 (2018):

368–394. Web.

Dixon, Travis L., and Cristina L. Azocar. “The Representation of Juvenile Offenders by Race on

Los Angeles Area Television News.” The Howard journal of communications 17.2

(2006): 143–161. Web

Gupta, Amit. “Indian Is the New Black? The Rise of Indian-Americans on American

Television.” Round table (London) 105.1 (2016): 43–55. Web.

Kawashima, Nobuko. “Are the Global Media and Entertainment Conglomerates Having an

Impact on Cultural Diversity? A Critical Assessment of the Argument in the Case of the

Film Industry.” International journal of cultural policy: CP 17.5 (2011): 475–489. Web.

King, Desmond. “Americans in the Dark? — Recent Hollywood Representations of the Nation’s

History.” Government and opposition (London) 38.2 (2003): 163–180. Web.

Kiyomi, Kutsuzawa. “Disney’s Pocahontas: Reproduction of Gender, Orientalism, and the

Strategic Construction of Racial Harmony in the Disney Empire.” Asian Journal of

Women’s Studies 6.4 (2000): 39–65. Web.

Min, Seong-Jae, and John C. Feaster. “Missing Children in National News Coverage: Racial and

Gender Representations of Missing Children Cases.” Communication research reports

27.3 (2010): 207–216. Web.

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Parham-Payne, Wanda. “Hollywood’s Social Construction of Innocence: Entertainment Media’s

Deviant Portrayal of Black Children.” Journal of African American studies (New

Brunswick, N.J.) 25.3 (2021): 460–474. Web.