How have I represented

my particular social group?

There is a common stereotype of 15 – 25 year old males. Many people, particularly the older

generation, place a negative label on this age range. In my magazine, I have embraced this stereotype. I have acknowledged that it is not

necessarily true. However, I’ve also looked at the fact that my audience are people who enjoy dance

music and enjoy the clubbing scene which is closely linked with alcohol, drugs and nightlife. To make my magazine more attractive, I have had to act upon this and include some things which I feel

are relevant to my audience and social group.

What, in my magazine, could

be seen as reinforcing the

negative stereotype...

SmokingA negative label sometimes put on young adults

and teens, I have used cigarettes in my magazine. I don’t feel this creates controversy as it’s not illegal

or uncommon.

SwearingTaboo language is not exclusive to 15 – 25 year olds, many older people swear or curse. However, a high

percentage of 15 – 25 year olds do swear, so to address this, I have included some in my article to show how in sync it is with my specific audience.

DrugsBy featuring an article about drugs doesn’t imply that the magazine support it. I feel that getting

people aware and knowledgeable about drugs will be beneficial. Furthermore, I would expect a proportion

of my audience to be involved with the drug scene as it is often partnered with nightlife and clubbing, so including an article about it will invite and engage

them in.

By featuring all of these elements inside my magazine, I

aim to re-sculpt people’s negative views. However, to counteract these “negative

stereotypes”, in my magazine, I have included positive ones too.

For example:

I talk about how Afrika – my featured artist – enjoys education and is actually fairly intelligent. This

disproves the negative stereotype some people may have of young people of them being “lazy”, “drop

outs” or “thick”.

Education