ABSTRACT
This chapter uses the lenses of media socialization, racial/ethnic socialization, and critical media literacy to discuss the interpretation of Black media images by Black adolescents. Focus groups with 14-to-21-year-old Black adolescents were conducted to address the question, “What are the dominant messages represented by images of Blacks in the media?” Youth were able to identify images that represented positive media messages about Black men, yet virtually all of the youth reported “hardly ever” or “rarely” viewing these images on television. Unsurprisingly, youth easily identified negative images of Black males and reported greater viewing frequency. Gerbner’s cultivation theory suggests that higher viewing hours of frequent negative images would drive youth to endorse these messages as reality. However, thoughtful discourse among the youth revealed their critical analysis of the dearth of positive images and saturation of negative images. Our findings suggest cultivation theory is one-dimensional, as it fails to consider the cognitive abilities of the viewer and racial/ethnic socialization factors. Given the prevalent distribution of negative media messages, we argue racial/ethnic socialization and critical thinking are essential protective factors for media exposure experienced by Black youth and that critical media literacy is necessary for consumers who have limited interaction with Black individuals.
