Magazine-Theoretical Research

Stuart Hall describes representation as an essential part of the process by which meaning is produced and exchanged between members of a culture. it involves the use of language, of signs and images which stand for or represent things. According to Hall, representation is the use of language and signs to say something meaningful about, or to represent the world meaningfully to other people. Hall adds that representation is the construction of meaning through language. Language, signs and images play an important in shaping and developing what people perceive as reality and thereby developing their identity. 

"For many people, media has become increasingly accessible and often dominant in daily life, they make powerful contributions to our understanding of what is public and what is private in contemporary life, and they tend to naturalise these distinctions so that they appear as common sense". This clearly highlights the power of the media and reinforces media's ability to impact and contribute to identity construction. The media are power agents of socialisation, a carrier of culture, and a way of communicating ideologies. Hall describes representation as an essential part of the process by which meaning is produced and exchanged between members of a culture. He examines the way that media keep those who are powerful in society in control, while at the same time, keeping the powerless people powerless.

The media also has the power to influence society by conveying stereotypical and patriarchal representations of women. Some theorists, such as Stuart Hall and Laura Mulvey, believe that when women are portrayed in the media, they are often sexualised, typically showing them in provocative clothing. If the media focus their attention and continuously play down the achievements and contribution of women in society, these patterns will become internalised and accepted as 'the norm'.