This study builds on previous research analyzing the effects of cognitive busyness on recall of stereotype-consistent and stereotype-inconsistent information by examining the real-world context of Facebook profiles. College students (N = 160) were randomly assigned to either a cognitively busy or unbusy condition. They then looked at either the profile of an African-American male or female target. After, they were given a recall test to assess the number of stereotype-consistent and stereotype-inconsistent descriptors correctly recalled. Results were expected to show that participants recalled more stereotype-consistent information when cognitively busy, even more so for male targets. Conversely, participants were expected to recall more stereotype-inconsistent information when cognitively unbusy, even more so for male targets. Neither cognitive busyness nor the interaction between cognitive busyness and target gender affected the type of information participants recalled. Both results were inconsistent with previous research. Future research should find ways to strengthen the construct validity of measures as they operate in real-world contexts such as Facebook.

This study is a response to the growing demand for more critical examinations of the video game as a communicative as well as interactive medium of mass culture. It reflects the game in regard to its potentials and abilities conveying a message to its audience and sets it into a broader discourse of mass communication. The analysis focuses on opinion forming games and their agendas whilst scrutinizing the methods through which certain messages are delivered to the player. The study is primarily based on qualitative research and analyzes the mechanisms of manipulation through examples with an emphasis on the mechanics and rules of the game, its visual aesthetics, its narrative structure and the emotional dimensions of the gameplay. The analysis illustrates that games are effectively used to render the image of war and to frame the enemy in a stereotypical manner in order to match certain political interests. They also function as a recruitment tool for the military as well as for political and ethnic fractions. In addition the study demonstrates the positive potentials of the medium by referring to serious games which offer complex perspectives and profound knowledge about certain topics and encourage the player to aim for creative and constructive solutions in order to finish the game successfully. The results of the study demonstrate that video games can no longer be categorized as a subculture of entertainment for young men. With the growing acceptance of the medium as a part of mass culture its influence especially on young people had been taken into account by certain groups which made use of the video game to convey their messages to an audience. The analysis shows the inner complexity of the medium and gives examples for attempts to use its potentials by concluding that these efforts are far from being utilized fully. In this regard the study offers impulses for further research which should fill the void and explore the possibilities games provide and how we can make good use of them.

Sociologists have only recently paid attention to how men experience physical disability. However, current research continues to ignore how different racial groups experience it. The goal of this study was to examine how black and white men experience life with a physical disability. Using qualitative research techniques involving in-depth, face-to-face interviews with 10 black and 10 white men, I focus on how meanings of disability and masculinity shift after a traumatic injury. Using symbolic interactionism and social construction as theoretical frameworks, I examine how these men formed and modified meanings for disability and masculinity through social interactions. I also analyze the strategies they use to manage a stigmatized identity. Finally, I explore how they negotiate a masculine identity within larger social contexts. My findings suggest that black and white men’s constructions of masculinity and disability are more similar than different on all levels. Furthermore, these men used three strategies to negotiate their new social identities: reinforcing idealized masculinity, modified masculinity, and lost masculinity.

The discussion about gender and ideals shown in mass media is a subject of great importance for the society in general. Media is playing an essential part when it comes to establish standards and values and we are constantly exposed to all types of impressions, whether we are aware or not. It is therefore of great importance that we understand how stereotypes are built and to gain a deep knowledge that would enrich the area of Media and Communication Studies. The aim and focus of this study was to analyze how male stereotypes is communicated in print advertising and how visual means of expressions helps to construct the masculinities shown. From a semiotic analysis of seven print adverts appearing in the Swedish lifestyle Magazine Café were we able to gain a thorough understanding about how male stereotypes are communicated and built. The result showed that different kinds of stereotypes are in fact used but it is still a hegemonic masculinity that is predominating. Traditional male characteristics are still in use but we were able to see strong indications of effemination, sexualizing and objectifying. Metro sexuality is a recurring feature in the adverts, and one of the factors that indicate that masculinity is something complex and multi layered. Our study also shows that activity is still essential when it comes to form male qualities, but the impression of the same are nowadays of more importance than the actual activity itself. Attributes and surroundings are key components, and something that implicates that the social climate is focusing on material things.

This thesis aims to explore and describe the images of China in the Western tourist material. There is much literature talking about images of China; however, among the existing scholarship so far few have investigated from the angle as we do. We use social constructivism and representation as main theories and combined with central concepts of the tourist gaze, stereotypes and the other, and post-colonialism and orientalism. Moreover, we conduct a case study by applying qualitative discourse analysis in order to find out the stereotypes and orientalist ideas of China depicted in the tourist material. The findings show that in the perspective of western tourist material, China is representative of the Orient. The analysis also concludes that China is seen as a country with 5,000-year civilization whose people have lots of virtues; a developing economic power; a not so democratic socialist country; a potential threat and a global actor with increasing influences. Our thesis contributes to the existing literature on China research and tourism research—marketing and political implications for its national image improvement and tourism development.

This study examines the representation of women and men through the quantitative analysisof quotations in three Swedish newspapers - Dagens nyheter, Aftonbladet and Barometern.The roles in which they appear have also been recorded, for example; managerial, political orparental. In addition to the main study, this report analyzes how often women and men appearin the respective photos of the articles examined. In total, 36 newspapers were included in thisstudy (12 of each paper) which resulted in a data set of 1453 articles and 1296 photos.The main aim of this study was to measure the degree of equality and in what differing roleswomen and men appear when being interviewed. Secondly, this study aims to highlight anydifference between women and men appearing in text and photo. The results were comparedacross the three newspapers examined with established theories on gender and feminism,equality, social construction, representation and media power being applied to understand andanalyse these results.The study shows patterns of an unequal distribution between the representation of women andmen in the three Swedish newspapers examined. In the articles where the individuals could beidentified by gender, approximately 65 percent of the persons interviewed were male and 32percent female (the remainder were not identified). Men were more likely to be quoted inexpert or managerial roles where as it was more common for woman to appear under thefamily and consumer headings. However, it was more common for women to appear in photothan in text, with 60 percent of the photos examined containing men and 40 percent women.

The purpose of this study is to identify the representations and stereotypes that are used in reviews to describe male and female pop artists and further on argue the consequenses these theses bring to the construction of male and female performers in society. The main question is: In what way do live act reviews present male and female pop artists?   A qualitative content analysis with tools from rhetoric analysis was used to answer this question. The content of Swedish newspapers Aftonbladet and Svenska Dagbladet was chosen to represent the media. The study is based on social constructionism and focuses on gender and stereotypes. These theories claim that men create the patterns that rule society and that women are unknowingly accepting this. We slowly grow into these stereotypical patterns so that we hardly recognize them anymore. The main reason for this is that the media provides information that is said to be objective, when it’s really influenced by the norms of society itself.   The result of the study proves that female artists are being held back by the unwritten rules of society while male artists are encouraged when it comes to developing themselves and their artwork. Women artists are portrayed as sexual and the journalists focus on details such as flaws regarding their singing skills. Male artists are portrayed in a more positive way and are mainly described as good entertainers.

When we talk about the females employment in different organization, it is till treated in different disciplines. There are some gaps linked to it which still need to be filled in order to give equal opportunities to females as well. Although, from the last few decades it is been said and noticed that the number of females are rising to the top which is a symbol of progressive social change. However, it is also been noticed that there is still gender inequality in top management positions which leads to under presentation of females in top management position. The society and the masculine man has developed some theories. Due to which, it is been said that female qualities do not contribute to the required management attributes. For instance, In order to have an executive role, a person must be more aggressive, competitive, more task oriented etc. but females always have the opposite qualities. For instance, interpersonal relations, emotional, collaborative etc. This paper is an effort that shows the obstacles that woman faces in order to reach top management positions. Moreover, I also tried to describe that the traditional leadership model is linked to the masculine stereotypes. Henceforth, I tried to explain that the new organizational culture requires also the feminine stereotypes (emotions, interpersonal relations, cooperation etc). So, one could say that the leadership is not just linked to the masculine stereotypes but it also requires more of feminine qualities as well. The empirical study involves the semi structured interviews from men and women on management positions and also general discussions with the public. Based on these interviews and discussions I tried to analyze if both male and female follow the gender stereotypes and if they have difference in leadership styles according to gender. Hence, companies should have a more diversity in their organization in order to have more flexibility in organizational culture.

The aim of this thesis was to examine how Islam and Muslims are represented in the daily newspapers in Luleå, Sweden. How are Muslims and Islam described and which representations appear in the newspapers? How are women represented compared to men? I examined texts from the two daily newspapers in the Swedish city Luleå. The method I used was a qualitative discourse analysis. I mainly looked for aware and unaware constructions of Muslims and Islam. I also looked for discursive themes with similar stories, choice of words, stereotypes and so on. I only examined written texts, not pictures. The result showed that the newspapers rarely write about Islam and Muslims and when they do, they write about them in a negative way. The newspapers represent Muslims as violent, different and evil. Not even one article describes a Muslim weekday or a nice and sane Muslim. There is also a lack of women in the articles, only one text includes a woman and she is represented as a victim in contrast to the men, who are described as evil and violent.

Our purpose with the study was to investigate how the image of a mother’s role is created by the magazines Mama and Husmodern. Mama is an existing magazine, but Husmodern ceased to exist in 1988. Both magazines focus on children, fashion and housework. We wanted to know what qualities you need to become a good or a bad mother. Also who is allowed to give advices on motherhood? We compared the magazines to find out how the mother´s role has changed over time. For that we used six issues of Mama from the year 2011, and six issues of Husmodern from the years between 1941 and 1959. The result of the research shows that mothers, now as well as in the 1940-1950's, are expected to put their children first. Nowadays, in Mama’s context, she is also expected to work. It is no longer socially acceptable to live as a housewife, which was the ideal in the magazine Husmodern. The result also shows that mothers, according to Mama, are in a constant state of stress. The magazine tries to offer them solutions for their stress-related problems. Husmodern on the other hand, puts a greater emphasis on moral, and offers the readers their moral values.