Podcast on Queer Representation in TV & Streaming [23.06.22]
In the podcast "Wissen Weekly", Prof. Dr. Sabine Trepte talks about the perspective of media psychology on the representation of the queer community in TV & streaming together with Lisa-Sophie Scheurell. The podcast episode is available on Spotify.
Fabricated norms and missing role models - Prof. Dr. Sabine Trepte is part of the second episode of the "Wissen Weekly" theme week on the pride month and the LGBTQI+ community. In conversation with podcast host Lisa-Sophie Scheurell, she shares media psychology's perspective on the representation of the queer community in TV & streaming, and explains when and why role models become important for people.
Role models are especially important in times of transition, she says. Then one needs clues as to how different identities can be lived, and what are the appeals, but also the dangers. Sabine Trepte explains that role models are one way of doing this. Here you can observe live what it's like to be part of the LGBTQI+ community. These role models are particularly important during adolescence. According to a study by Bradley Bond (UC San Diego), friends are the most important role models for young people. In second place, however, there is a difference between heterosexual and queer youth: The former name their family in second place, while queer youth orient themselves towards the media, since the availability of queer role models among family and friends is not always given. This is the reason why role models presented in the media is often mentioned as a source of information, according to Sabine Trepte. The similarity is particularly important here.
In addition to more frequent representation, more diverse representation would be needed, claimed Sabine Trepte. At the moment there is a dominant "norm" for images of queer people and relationships, which does not correspond to reality any more than a heterosexual "norm". Only those that represented a lot could depict the complexity.
The entire episode is freely accessible on the Spotify channel of "Weekly Wissen" (to the episode). Wissen Weekly is the widest-reaching channel for knowledge communication on Spotify and currently ranks 19th among all Spotify podcasts.
