The media serves as one outlet to promote stereotypical views or ideals as to what people should do and how they should act. These depictions in television, social media, and in print publications represent an ideal to which viewers and readers could compare their family unit. Today, through social media and other forms of instant communication, references to diversity abound – including references to gender, sexual orientation, social class, race, culture, body type, and ethnicity. In your discussion, address the following questions:

In what ways has the media shaped your understanding of diversity? In what ways has social media changed the often-careful way that diversity is depicted in advertising?
What connections can be made between depictions of diversity in the media and the psychology of what we value and how we see power (Chapters 10 & 11 in Jones, Dovidio & Vietze, 2015)?
In what ways is diversity work hindered by depictions in the media?

Sample Solution