Culture and Race in Media: How Ads Depict Society and Race

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CULTURE AND RACE IN THE MEDIA
Culture refers to the shared values or beliefs of an individual or group, which may be a result of the nationality, religion, gender or educational specialism, for instance. Popular culture is associated with values and beliefs shared by the majority of people in society, for instance fashion and language rules. In economic terms it is also linked to capitalism and profit generation. In contrast high culture is not typical of the masses but often regarded as superior and therefore groups and individuals show do not share the values and beliefs of the masses (Storey, 2009).
The first advert was chosen from Amazon.com (Amazon, 2019) from their Happy Holiday’s Page selection. It was selling a Christmas light set for $11,95 a reduction of 25% on the list price. The product was suitable for indoor or outdoor use and lamps linked together by green wire. The packaging stated “original colour like your childhood memories” invoking nostalgia of a well-known cultural setting associated with Christmases past. The box containing the lights is green with a wide red ribbon tied around it, ending in a large bow on the top. There was also a graphic of the lights on a Christmas tree, situated in a typical family lounge which was surrounded by a large number of presents that extended onto the armchair on which a Santa hat was draped. A clock on the wall showed a time of 7 minutes to 12. The advert is targeted popular culture the typical American family, with several children from young Santa believers upwards. The profit motive is evident from the discounting aimed at selling more units than competitors and appealing to spending culture associated with Christmas. Collective culture is implied and confirmed by The United States Embassy (USE, 209), which states that a Christmas culture shared by diverse races living in the country. USE (2019) also infers that high culture groups, in this case...