The language and specific selection of images used in the coverage of the London riots created a very particular negative representation of young people. These descriptions ranged from "orgy of brutality" to "young thugs with fire in their eyes and nothing but destruction on their mind". This essentially helped to reinforce a negative stereotype of anarchic teenagers.
Why does David Buckingham mention Owen Jones and his work Chavs: the demonisation of the working class?
David Buckingham talks about Owen Jones' work in reference to the idea of elitism and the ideologies based around classism that is arguably present in modern society. Media coverage in terms of the London riots saw the demoralisation and negative representation of the working class. Furthermore these working class and students were shown quite significantly to be a threat to society and therefore created a sense of moral panic and hegemony in society as perceived by the middle or upper class.
What is the typical representation of young people – and teenage boys in particular? What did the 2005 IPSOS/MORI survey find?
The 2005 IPSOS/MORI survey states '40% of newspaper articles featuring young people focused on violence, crime or anti-social behaviour; and that 71% could be described as having a negative tone.' Furthermore there is a typical negative representation of young people in particular teenage boys as they are seen to be very aggressive or lazy and susceptible to gang violence.
What elements of the media and popular culture were blamed for the riots?
Stanley Cohen's theory of Moral Panic can easily be linked with the coverage of the riots as the coverage presented the ideas that the young people and the working class involved were an apparent threat to the workings of society and the establishment. This would essentially create a sense of fear and panic as it would encourage readers to feel as if they are in danger from the youth and the working class.
How was social media blamed for the riots? What was interesting about the discussion of social media when compared to the Arab Spring in 2011?
Essentially social media was blamed to be a huge factor in the result of the riots. It was argued that social media platforms such as Blackberry and Facebook had a huge impact and was one of the main platform of communication amongst young people in order to co-ordinate the riots. However, in the case of the Arab Spring in 2011, the use of Facebook as a way to co-ordinate the rebellion was a huge factor but was not reported in a negative manner through the media coverage possibly due to the fact that the rebellion had not impacted the western establishment negatively whereas the London riots did.
The riots generated a huge amount of comment and opinion - both in mainstream and social media. How can the two-step flow theory be linked to the coverage of the riots?
The two-step flow theory can be linked into the coverage of the riots through the fact that the influence of opinion leaders in the media was highly sought after by press and also by members of society as the events occurred. These opinion leaders consisted heavily of politicians, journalists, and experts that sought to give reasoning behind the London riots to the audiences through the process of analysis. However it can be argued that there was such a huge state of urgency to find out what was going on in the form of information, these groups of "experts" used the platform to voice their own personal opinions or agendas to the masses with the only intention of creating more moral panic and perpetuating stereotypes of the working class or the youth.
Alternatively, how might media scholars like Henry Jenkins view the 'tsunami' of blogs, forums and social media comments? Do you agree that this shows the democratisation of the media?
Media scholars like Henry Jenkins would essentially view the 'tsunami' of blogs, forums and social media comments as a sign that the social media is allowing the increase of public voice and opinions being heard a lot more rather than the audience simply being a passive reader. Personally, I agree with this idea that it creates a sense of democratisation as it allows for a greater range of opinions being presented in society, however it can be argued that this leaves room for an increase in ignorant or overtly racist opinions surfacing.
What were the right-wing responses to the causes of the riots?
The right wing had a general response that focused on the young people themselves. Their views were based on the ideas that the welfare system of benefits in the UK has essentially created a young generation that has "no moral compass" as they have spent their entire life relying on the state. This can therefore mean that the right wing view the younger generation as people that leech off the system and are only creating more problems.
What were the left-wing responses to the causes of the riots?
The left wing had a general response of being a bit more critical about society as a whole. They focused on the ideas that there has been a great inequality amongst classes in society and something like a riot was inevitable due to the rapid decline in the equality. It can be argued that the areas where poverty was already present was where the riots were a huge impact and these were areas where there had also been a huge amount of cuts made to youth services.
What are your OWN views on the main causes of the riots?
I personally believe that there is a mix of many reasons that led to the riots. It is unfair to generalise all young people as angry and aggressive towards the system, but they have a right to be. Young people and the working class are marginalised on a daily basis and therefore it is completely understandable for them to lash out in aggression. But it is also not right to say that all young people and working class are like this, you did not see every single student in the country out rioting, many helped to restore community as worked with the police to help set things right. I personally think that inequality and the government constantly marginalising key members of local communities had a huge impact in initiating the riots and therefore resulted in many members of group feeling like they are misrepresented.
How can capitalism be blamed for the riots? What media theory (from our new/digital media unit) can this be linked to?
Capitalism can essentially be blamed for the riots as the majority of nation's wealth, influence and, power lies in the minority of society and therefore it creates this false sense of democracy which Marxism argues against. Bankers and politicians have reached a point where they have the most influence in society and are generally seen to be forwarding their own agenda or personal needs.
Were people involved in the riots given a voice in the media to explain their participation?
It was actually very clear that those involved in the riots weren't really given a voice or any type of coverage that involved explaining their motives for the riots, however the views of historians and professors and politicians like David Starkey or Theresa May were very vocal and consistently in the media coverage.
In the Guardian website's investigation into the causes of the riots, they did interview rioters themselves. Read this Guardian article from their Reading the Riots academic research project - what causes are outlined by those involved in the disturbances?
The causes outlined in the article are:
- There was the chance for rioters to get "free stuff" in the midst of the chaos
- Unemployment or poverty
- The feeling that people were experiencing unfair treatment whilst other groups were not
- Possibly due to the cuts of the education maintenance allowance
What is your own opinion on the riots? Do you have sympathy with those involved or do you believe strong prison sentences are the right approach to prevent such events happening in future?
I personally do not have sympathy for those involved due to the fact that I do not believe in violence being the answer to getting governments to respond to the needs of the people, it has never worked in the past and will never work in the future. However, I do not believe in giving out strong prison sentences as it just shows that the government does not understand its people and therefore will only create more tension. I believe the right approach to preventing such events from happening in the future will involve greater communication and cohesion between the government and its people. The government needs to realise that its people holds the power as they are all elected by the people and to prevent such events they need to listen to the needs of the masses and not their own personal needs.
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