This document discusses and analyzes four different media representations of bullying: an image showing physical bullying, a cartoon video depicting child abuse, an educational website aimed at children, and a poster encouraging bullying victims to seek help. The analysis notes how each representation portrays bullying and its intended audience and message. The image and video aim to elicit sympathy, while the website and poster target children and encourage seeking help, though the poster is deemed less effective in doing so.
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1. ISSUES A PERSONAL RESPONSEF486JAMES NEWTON RESEARCHING AN ISSUE
2. Bullying Image This image stresses the issues of physical bullying and is almost a predictable view of bullying. It shows two taller, larger school kids using physical violence on a smaller child. This photo does not issue much of a personal response because the face of the victim is not shown; therefore I cannot see what emotions the victim is suffering so I am not able to sympathise with him. However because the boy is being ganged upon by stronger boys, a level of sympathy is given out because if I experienced being bullied like that myself I would be terrified. The image is trying to reveal that the boy is isolated and bullied with no support from others.
4. This video is a NSPCC advertisement about children getting psychically abused by their parents. However in this advert the child is a cartoon and people usually laugh at animated violence because the people are not real. The sound effects are also comical with bangs and crashes when the boy is thrown around house. These sound effects are classical effects added to cartoons to amplify the audiences response. It is difficult to laugh at because of the seriousness of the message and the furious voice and tone of the parent as he violently beats his child. Another sound effect that is added is the background laughter of an audience each time the child is abused; his makes you feel obliged to laugh but because the man is real you fell as if it could just as well happen to you or your children. The ending of the video is another shock top audience when The camera looks over the couch and reveals that the cartoon child was real the whole time. This makes the viewer feel guilty for laughing. Although the advert is about child abuse, it is still another of the many forms of bullying which take place. Click the link below to view the video Bullying Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxnfGghO5gQ
6. Bullying Website This bullying website’s audience is aimed at children. It contains varied uses of colour and cartoon images to generate a response from children and make them feel welcomed as they browse the site. The website is looking at the lighter side of bullying but is showing how it can progress and this is shown by the series of cartoon shows about a new student trying to fit in at a new school. It builds up a story and looks at the various ways off bullying so that if the audience is suffering from bullying they can relate to it and empathise with the characters. The episodes of the cartoon also shows that victims of bullying can receive help from others and that they should never be afraid. I think that this website is very successful at getting its message across but only towards younger children; this is because of the games and cartoons that are available to the audience.
8. Bullying Poster This anti-bullying posteris from Childline target audience is a child of any age. This is because he child’s age on the poster is not completely noticeable and the poster is black and white. This produces a more ominous and eerie effect to make the viewer feel aware of the seriousness of bullying. The message which the poster is trying to get across is shown by the large blue text which covers most of the screen is that victims of bullying should phone Childline and receive help because keeping silent is “doing the bully a favour”. I believe this poster is not very successful in generating the right response needed to stop bullying. The poster lets the audience to beware of bullying but it does not show the serious affects; I do not think it will encourage bully victims to call Childline.
