In some ways, i think that depending on what types of media, we are judged and given a certain status. I think that music choice has a strong influence in the ways other people view us and what type of people they think we are. If a boy likes punk music, a girl who likes rap or hip hop might think the boy is 'uncool' and therefore having a lower status than her.If you are uncool, you are seen to have a lower status to a person who could be classed as 'cool'. Soociety as a whole could give a stereotypical label to somebody who likes rap and hip hop music as being 'yobs', 'troublemakers' and people who hang out in the streets and not interested in education - then linking them on to be seen as unintelligent.
To be seen as upper-middle class, a person would be listening to classical music. This genre of music is also seen as intelligent and intelectual.
However recently, music has developed into something more than just typical separate genres like rock, punk and pop etc. There has been a mixing of genres like 'pop punk' and 'indie rock'. This means there is a crossing of sterotypical people going into one. People are trying to break stereotypes and boundaries as they can be seen as predictable and i dont think class is as important nowadays. Break the stereotypes and listening to sometimes weird and different types of music can be classed as 'cool'.
A really good example of music separating different types of people would be back in the 1960's when there was a split between teenagers: you were either a 'Mod' or a 'Rocker'. Both hated eachother. Both had their own types of music. A mod couldnt listen to rock music and rockers couldnt listen to mod music. Both groups thought they were cooler than eachother.I think they were seen by society as trouble makers who hung out in streets, partying, taking drugs and drinking.
I myself listen to a wide variety like, alternative, new wave, punk, rock and cheezy 60's pop. I dont think it can define as person as something like it did a few years ago. I wouldnt like to judged and stereotyped in society as something specific just because of the music i listen to.
Linking this to the hypodermic syringe theory, i think the type of music you listen to can affect your actions. If you have been listening to agry music, it might cause you to be in an angry mood. If a teenager looks up to a musician who is into drugs and heavy partying, that teenager might think it is cool to act that way, and they are then influenced to do it themselves. However the fact that a musician is known to do drugs and party hard could then be linked to the information i did on magazines and newpapers in task 3. Stories of that musician doing drugs can be emphasized by the media, making it much more of a story than it actually is. So the teenager is influence badly by the musician who isnt actually doing as much drugs as the papers make out.
Society can see a teenager who watches the news, documentries and is interested in polictics as somebody who is intelligent and is going to be successful when they are older. Watching these programmes can influence somebody to be ambisious and wanting to be valued in society. A teenager who still watches cartoons and 'The Inbetweeners' could be seen in society as somebody who has a ood sense of humour, but doesnt have the intellgegence or thoughtful enough to go far in life. I do feel that this is very stereotypical of society to think that way.
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