Assignment help – Discussion 5: The Danger of a Single Story
Consider what you have learned in previous chapters about the power of representation, and how it can create social inequality by representing certain social groups in ways that are one-dimensional and unrealistic. This week’s reading focuses on us as consumers, and suggests that our interpretations of texts and the ways in which we consume media are also a key part of shaping our world. In particular, participatory cultures, online participation, and the expansion of content creation has provided a much larger array of choices about what kinds of messages we consume in the first place. Before we can interpret a message, we choose what messages we hear. The purpose of this discussion is to consider the extent to which our choices with regard to what we consume affect our views of the world.
The assigned video for this week “The Danger of a Single Story” describes the importance of choosing to consume a diversity of stories. Chimamanda Adichie explains how a single story can rob people of dignity, and how single stories emphasize how we are different, rather than ways in which we are similar. As you watch this video, consider the single stories that you have believed, and reflect on the role of media in reinforcing these single stories, and in helping you unlearn them.
WATCH THE ASSIGNED VIDEO HERE.LINKS TO AN EXTERNAL SITE.
Or paste this link in your browser: https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story#t-198433
Watch this video, then create an original post and respond to two of your peers’ posts. Your original post should address the following questions:
1. What “single story” did you once believe (about anything!), and what kinds of things have you learned that have made you realize that a single story does not represent that phenomenon, issue, or group? (HINT: If you are struggling to think of something, seek out some media about a group of people you don’t know much about, watch it, and come back to this post)
2. What has the role of media been in teaching or reinforcing that single story, and/or in expanding that “story” so that you now understand multiple stories?
3. What role has your own agency in media use played in it? (i.e. how has your interpretation of media and your media choices affected your understanding of the story you’re discussing).
4. How do you think social structure may have restricted and shaped your own agency in media use surrounding this story?
