How are different social groups represented in the sequence you have analysed?

How are different social groups represented in the sequence you have analysed? What role does the use of media language, signs and signifiers have in constructing and presenting these representations as real?

Throughout the first episode of stranger things we are showcased a range of social groups that are represented in real and truthful ways. One main representation being the social groups within teenagers and because all media products are constructed we are shown this through the use of characters. For instance, mike, Lucas and Dustin at school. The three boys here represent a stereotypical social group within the pre-teen area which could be classed as ‘nerds’. This is presented when we see their interest towards the AV club and them being bullied by the popular, more superior children in middle school. This is done through the use of the camera shot being behind the three boys when confronted by the bullies which allows us as an audience to feel connected and apart of the ‘nerd’ group. Constructed realism is used here to indicate to us as an audience that we feel sympathy for Dustin, Lucas and mike and hatred towards the bullies from this camera angle. Along with their characters feeling more real due to the representations showed of being vulnerable and interested in school in this scene.

However, the character of Jonathan byers breaks the stereotypical teenager when he is shown as a ‘father figure’ to his younger brother, will instead of a typical 17-year-old. We know this with the dialogue he uses when he says, “I thought we could use the extra cash”. This is in contrast to the character of Steve Harrington, seen in the popular social group in teenager society. He is a stereotypical popular boy with big hair and plays football. The use of Strauss’s binary opposition here and how he believes that as an audience we understand the world through the relationship that two opposites have together, allows us as the viewers to believe Steve feels more real and truthful compared to Jonathan who is not a stereotypical teenager and is harder to believe as true.

Another social group that is presented in the first episode is the police force. Typically shown as lazy and laid back the use of props and setting can indicate this to us. For example, we watch hopper turning up late to work then moving onto eat a doughnut whilst his colleagues around him play card games. This is all shown through a slow pan of the camera to suggest the calmness of the police force since nothing ‘serious’ happens in Hawkins. These stereotypical features can be similar to characters in shows like the Simpsons such as a doughnut, an instantly recognisable icon that can be linked with policeman. This constructed representation is encoded into the episode so audiences can quickly see and understand what sort of characters we are dealing with. Overall helping reinforce the realness of them which will then allow audiences to relate more with them.