ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores the intersections of race, class, gender, representation, media ownership and audience engagement. It examines Black women as a diverse television audience, discussing how this niche group interacts and responds to the constantly evolving television representation of their own image and likeness, specifically exploring how social media is used as a tool of audience engagement and empowerment. The book provides a historical background of the representation of Black women in television and reviews the literature of prominent film, television and cultural scholars in this field of study. Sociologist Patricia Hill Collins examined representation within a critical framework that considers race and gender relations in the production of those images but did not specifically explore aspects of production and consumption of these images in television sitcoms.