Gay rights and representation has changed and developed drastically since the advent of the internet in 1982 and as access to this technology continues to increase Chung-Yi Cheng and Kenneth C. C. Yang observe (2011, p163), “The rise of the Internet has dramatically changed the conception of community as a space-bound entity”. A new platform was born in which the gay community could communicate and interact, one where programmes about the 'gay-lifestyle' could be openly shared using over-the-top services instead of being hidden behind post-11pm time slots on television or through a veil of heteronormative ideology within mainstream media. I want to discuss the way this has affected the portrayal of homosexuality on mainstream television screens today and how different avenues of access have altered the way in which broadcasters and programmes currently approach the broadcast of lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB) content.
Newspaper headlines surrounding gay kissing on broadcast television are a thing of the past in the UK and we can look to studies into gay rights to see how liberal attitudes towards homosexuals are increasing, with the UK among the most tolerant countries in Europe, according to ILGA-Europe. There is a wide variation in opinion though depending on age, gender, class and those with strongly held religious and political beliefs. How then can a broadcaster with a Public Service remit approach the topic of homosexuality in a progressive way when a survey conducted by ‘British Social Attitudes-30’ in 2012 of social attitudes towards homosexuality reported that 28% of the population believed that homosexuality is ‘Always’ or ‘Mostly Wrong’? I want to look at the on demand and catch-up services offered by both the BBC’s iPlayer and Channel 4’s 4oD as well as programming currently offered by both of these public service broadcasters (PSBs) to see if some clarity can be reached as to the effect that the economic and ideological structures within each organisation has on the LGB community. I also want to note here that I have intentionally left the T out of LGBT because transgender issues are, I would argue, a separate topic and deserves a dedicated space whereby a discussion around gender should take place but it will not be the focus of this blog.
The question of whether or not television positively impacts social attitudes or merely regurgitates and reflects social norms and shifts in opinion might seem inherently speculative but increasingly more studies have looked to empirical data for insight. Take the recent (Flores 2014) study “Exposure to the Lives of Lesbians and Gays and the Origin of Young People’s Greater Support for Gay Rights”, which points to increased exposure to homosexuals either through direct, interpersonal contact or through parasocial/ mediated contact as having the greatest impact on youth liberalism. It is important to acknowledge the many other influences at play in developing wider social change and while that is not the focus of this blog it is important to keep in mind and will be touched upon throughout.
 |
| BBC's Eastenders with the first gay kiss on British Television in 1989 which prompted the headline: "Filth! Get This Off Our Screens". |
These statistics point to an increase in liberal attitudes, particularly in young people, but with opinions in older generations stagnating (Park, Rhead, 2013) potentially due to a lack of online access (Smith, 2014) it could be argued that this is where broadcast television could have the most influence considering that, in America at least, the median age of broadcast TV viewers has increased from 41 to 54 (Blake, 2014). But with “gay” programming being relegated to online spaces, has this encouraged a reluctance to commission shows that tackle gay or lesbian issues directly in prime-time slots and not just on youth orientated sub-channels such as E4 and BBC3?
There is no doubt that gay rights have come a long way since the 2013 repealing of the ‘Gross Indecency’ law (1885) which prohibited sexual contact between men but with homophobic attacks in the UK on the rise (Press Association, 2014) and one of the leading causes of youth homelessness being parents throwing their children out of their home after discovering that their son or daughter is gay (Tatchell, 2014), now is the most important time for Public Service Broadcasters to use their voice in order to instigate further positive change and push against the current stagnation of acceptance towards homosexuals in older generations.
Bibliography
Blake, M. (2014). The Big Bang of Older TV Viewers. LA Times. February 22 2014. [Online]. Available at: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-aging-tv-audience-20140223-story.html#page=1 [Accessed 11/12/14].
British Social Attitudes. (2012). Homosexuality. [Online]. Available at: http://www.bsa-30.natcen.ac.uk/read-the-report/personal-relationships/homosexuality.aspx [Accessed 09/12/14]
Chung-Yi Cheng, Kenneth C.C. Yang (2011), Internet, Computer-Mediated Communications and Gay Rights Movements in Taiwan, in Diana Papademas (ed.) Human Rights and Media (Studies in Communications, Volume 6) Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp.161 - 179
Flores, A. R. (2014). National Trends in Public Opinion on LGBT Rights in the United States. In International Journal of Public Opinion Research.
Guardian, The. (2014). Rise in number of violent homophobic crimes being reported to police. The Guardian. Wednesday 26 November 2014. [Online]. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/nov/26/rise-violent-homophobic-crimes-reported-police [Accessed 10/12/14]
Smith, A. (2014). Older Adults and Technology Use. Pew Research Centre. April 3 2014. [Online] Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/04/03/older-adults-and-technology-use/ [Accessed 13/12/14].
No comments:
Post a Comment