We spoke to several sociologists and researchers about the power of representation, and what the lack of it might mean for people who don’t see themselves up there on the screen. Representation in media helps to break these formulaic approaches because it’s usually so rare for minorities to be given the spotlight. For example, while it is a biological fact that women can give birth, it is a social construction (→ Constructivism) that women in most societies are expected to be better suited to be the dominant caregivers of children. Representation is not about whether the media reflects or distorts reality, as this implies that there can be one ‘true’ meaning, but the many meanings a representation can generate. Look at recent films such as The Danish Girl, a portrayal of the first man to undergo a sex change operation, or 12 Years A Slave, a … Thus, meaning can be contested. ‘In representation that is immediately perceptible and more abstract, Hobbs documents a world that is both familiar and strange (even to those who know it).’ ‘The importance of Neoplatonic ideas in renaissance visual representation of and intervention in the physical world has been well documented.’ underrepresentation definition: Noun (uncountable) 1. representation definition: 1. a person or organization that speaks, acts, or is present officially for someone else: 2. the…. In media studies, representation is the way aspects of society, such as gender, age or ethnicity, are presented to audiences. Such representations may be in speech or writing as well as still or moving pictures. Media Representation Theory Representation refers to the construction in any medium (especially the mass media) of aspects of ‘reality’ such as people, places, objects, events, cultural identities and other abstract concepts. It is understood to be a product of “social technologies” (de Lauretis 1987), including media texts, the arts, and institutionalized discourses. Insufficient or disproportionately low representationWe are concerned about the underrepresentation of minorities. representation: Any action or conduct that can be turned into a statement of fact. Since the 1960s, research has found expressions of unequal power in media that, according to Michael Morgan, can be “very dangerous” and “very damaging” to people watching. Learn more. Meaning is constituted by representation, by what is present, what is absent, and what is different.