How Sociology Supports Diversity in Creative Media
Think of the last time you went an entire day without looking at a screen. Can you recall one at all? If so, did you manage to completely avoid the radio on that day as well? The possibility is unlikely. The fact of the matter is: media has been embedded into human society. It’s interwoven into our daily lives and we constantly consume it. Creative media in particular is a common comfort of the people. We pass time by playing games on our phones, listening to music on our way to work, and watching television when we have the chance. We indulge ourselves in worlds others create - it’s a part of our culture. We’re introduced to these behaviours as children and then we pass them on to the next generation.
What we read, hear, and see also has an impact on us. When we explore creative media, we are looking through the eyes of the writers. Whether we recognize it or not, we are viewing the world through their perspective and, furthermore, the components of their own culture. Even pieces meant to take place in other universes are influenced by their creator’s upbringing. This is because when our own values are all we know, our work becomes limited to them. If we combat this by introducing a diversity in viewpoints, it gives us the opportunity to tell stories many had never imagined possible.
Incorporating diversity in creative media has plenty of other benefits as well. One of the most significant is reducing prejudice. From a sociological perspective, many of us belong in one minority group or another. Women, racial minorities, the LGBTQ+ community, the physically disabled, the mentally ill, linguistic minorities, even single parents - these are all examples of groups of people that hold a lower level of power than the dominant majority. Note that having a lower status doesn’t equate to them being worth less as individuals. Rather, it means that compared to the majority, they receive unequal treatment, are looked down on for their characteristics, identify with others in their group, typically didn’t choose their position, and often stick with fellow group members.
When an individual is rejected because of their membership in a minority group, that’s prejudice taking place. Generally, we can split prejudice into three different levels: the cognitive level where stereotypes and other general assumptions about groups are made, the emotional level where we develop certain feelings or emotions due to interactions with a member of another group, and the action-orientated level where we take action due to some sort of involvement with a minority group we don’t belong to. Most of our prejudicial behavior is learned from the groups we’re associated with ourselves - this can include our family, school, work, etc. Picking up the behaviors we’re surrounded by in the environments we grow up in makes sense. We’re taught to be prejudiced. Yet, by this logic, prejudice can also be unlearned!
We can see how this ties into creative media by returning to the subject of a diversity in perspectives. If we want to reduce the prejudice towards a specific minority group, the main avenues are to increase interaction with that group, raise awareness about the group, and advocate for it! There are two sociological components that make creative media a great way to introduce a group’s culture to the general population. The first is cultural literacy, which basically means learning about and understanding the culture of a specific group. By giving minorities the opportunity to create their own media, it’ll likely be influenced by their own culture, and we’ll end up learning as a result. For example, say your favorite tv show introduces a new character that happens to be intersex. We’ll say that this was the idea of an intersex writer or someone who has studied intersex people and put in an extensive amount of research to make sure their depiction was accurate. Prior to this, you didn’t know that intersex individuals existed or the fact that they’re people who are born with sex characteristics that aren’t exactly male or female. Then congratulations - that tv show successfully introduced you to the intersex minority group! Hopefully, as the character makes more appearances in the storyline, you’ll get to learn more about them and the culture of their group!
This isn’t to say that a minority character’s whole existence should solely center around the fact that they’re a minority group member. Like people, well-fleshed out characters should have more to them than their group membership. They have their own interests, dreams, faults, and problems. After all, while the minority groups we’re a part of may constantly play into our lives, it is only a factor of our existence. It isn’t our entire identity.
Cultural literacy can apply to other forms of creative media as well, not just the ones that contain characters. You may hear about minority groups on podcasts or documentaries - possibly even in the music you listen to. Instances like these also tend to tie into cultural relativism, our second sociological component. Please note that the cultural relativism we’ll be discussing here takes on a different context from the general philosophical term. While cultural literacy is more about learning and understanding, in terms of minority groups, cultural relativism is about seeing things from their perspective. Most of us are ethnocentric in nature - we judge others based on our own values. Cultural relativism is the opposite of that. It’s about understanding a culture based on their point of view.
Let’s go back to our intersex character example. What if the latest season of the show featured an episode in their perspective? We’d be able to see the world through their eyes and potentially be able to understand that minority group a little more. We’d get to establish a unique connection of our own with the character - one where the unfamiliar suddenly becomes familiar. If being put in their shoes is handled well, the impact of this episode may have us become more aware of the differences in the people around us. More diversity in media means we get used to seeing those minority groups in our own lives, which leads to them being normalized. Establishing a minority group as a “new normal” is a social change that causes less rejection and more acceptance.
However, failure to properly represent a minority group can ultimately lead to more prejudice towards that group. For instance, we see this a lot with characters that are meant to have Dissociative Identity Disorder. It’s rather common for media to depict them as people with “split personalities” or even as murderers. In reality, someone with Dissociative Identity Disorder is actually a system of individuals that share one body. The condition can develop from trauma or other means; it is an adaptive measure taken to adjust to adverse situations. They’re not violent people with fake personalities, they’re simply alters that work together as a plural collective to function.
This is why it’s important for the creators behind the representation to either be a part of the minority group themselves or to thoroughly do their research with the group. If minority characters are created without minority members being involved with any part of the creative process, you can easily end up misrepresenting them and sharing inaccurate depictions. If the minority group can’t see themselves in the character, then you may be doing it wrong. Above all, making sure that the minority group depicted can actually relate to the minority representation is absolutely vital. Diversity in representation certainly benefits people outside whichever minority group as well, but the minority group itself should be put first and foremost.
Nothing compares to the feeling of being seen. Sometimes we need to know that the issues we face as minorities aren’t only on our own minds. They exist - and when a viewer comes face to face with a character that is like them, a unique bond is created. Seeing someone else express facing the same dilemmas, whether it be out of their own mouth or through a character they’re projecting on, is that reassurance we all need. Yes, our struggles are real. Yes, there are others out there facing exactly the same thing. No, we are not alone.
When a creator takes that step for us as a minority - to publicly share what we’re dealing with - it’s an incredible gesture. When we can see ourselves existing in others’ worlds, whether fantasy or reality, it can mean so much to us as people. We feel recognized. We feel understood. We know that there’s someone else out there who’s on our side, and we know it’s possible for us to be a part of creative spaces.
This doesn’t mean diversity should be shoved in every project possible. This means creators should be given the opportunity to properly represent themselves and other minorities. Minority member or not, everyone has the potential to learn from and enjoy diverse media. We need to do our best to advocate for it and support it when it’s done right.
Written by Mx. RuK
Edited by Moonstar, Stardust Daydreamer,
and Dyce Quinlivan
Swedish translation by Nega Nexus
Japanese translation by JamietttSpecial thanks to Skye, maybell, LUCY,
and Professor Mampilly!
Additional sourcing from
Strangers to These Shores by Vincent N. Parillo