ABSTRACT
It is no secret that the media are extremely powerful institutions, having an impact on users' social perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and how they conceive of themselves. For decades scholars in mass com-munication, communication studies, psychology, sociology, women's studies, and African American studies, have devoted theoretical and empirical research to understanding how media play a role in the development and preponderance of various social identities. Taking the differing findings as a whole, it is safe to say that media inform users of a group's position in society. Through images and other representations, media help to maintain the status quo (Harwood & Roy, 2005). These unintended consequences especially have an impact on marginalized groups, reinforcing subordinate identities and even influencing policy making that affects the well-being of these groups. Because television and other forms of media play a significant socializing role (Bandura, 2009; Gerbner, Morgan, Gross, Signorielli, & Shanahan, 2002), it is worth exploring the influence of media production and consumption on African Americans' lived experiences. In doing so, it is also important to recognize that the African American experience is not monolithic. There are a variety of social identities that one may possess and general-market and ethnic-oriented media both play roles in shaping these identities.
