Stereotypes In Social Media

The world is full of many evils, including hate, war, discrimination, poverty etc, and though it is nowhere near as bad as it once was years ago it is still an issue for society today. The idea that an entire group of individuals who share similar characteristics are all the same is known as a stereotype (Kassin, Fein, Markus, Burke, 2013). There are several different stereotypes ranging from gender to race, age, social class, ethnicity, etc. Unfortunately far too often members of different social groups experience discrimination by people who are prejudice towards them because of their social group. The majority if not all people will experience some type of discrimination due to stereotyping throughout their lifetime. This also means

Incorrect stereotypes and misconceptions about certain groups of people can have a devastating impact on one’s future. Many of these stereotypes and misconceptions have been passed down from previous generations and some are based on false assumptions or lack of education. Stereotypes are a label that categorizes a group of people for behaving or thinking a certain way. Misconceptions are created by stereotypes and are based on untruths. We have stereotypes and misconceptions because many individuals learn to be biased from one’s parents or society. The stereotypes and misconceptions of people with diabetes are so severe that most people do not care about finding a cure for the disease. Many people who are not diabetic do not understand the

Stereotypes are simple images or beliefs over the attributes assigned to a particular social group, are models of behavior that become schemes deeply rooted in our mentalities to the point that we adopt them as part of human naturalness. Stereotypes can be racial, religious, sexual and social. These could be the caused of a known incident or attitude years earlier, or simply the result of frequent rumors. Stereotypes can affect different spheres of society. These assumptions can filter into many aspects of life.

A stereotype is a fixed set of beliefs upon of a certain group of individuals who share common traits. Stereotypes can be classified into a wide range of categories such as: race, culture, ethnicity, gender, social or economic status, and religion. A stereotype has to do with a group of people rather than an individual. Most stereotypes are biased and untrue. Stereotypes often lead to prejudice, meaning that one acts a certain way due to the fixed beliefs they have toward a certain group of individuals.

In today’s society, individuals and groups are labeled with either positive or negative stereotypes. People encounter stereotypes everyday and everywhere. It is the picture people paint in their minds when approaching a group or individual when in fact it may be different in reality. Stereotypes affect a person’s way of living and thinking either in a negative or positive way. Stereotypes are based on truth but in an exaggerated way, while misconceptions are formed from having stereotypes.

Imagine being perceived in a way were almost everyone thought one lived a catastrophic life based on the school they went to. A stereotype is an image of a person or group of people that is labeled or seen in a specific way by a range of people. Although stereotypes come with some legitimacy, another way groups and individuals are judged or viewed differently is by misconceptions. False interpretations forming from misunderstood ideas or thoughts are misconceptions. Stereotypes have come from past generations which are now influenced from media such as movies, tv shows, and social networks.

According to Lippmann, “stereotypes are ‘pictures in our heads’ that we use to apprehend the world around us” (16). Stereotypes can be formed due to effects of media, as Wood describes media as pervasive, powerful and influential (31). Hence, stereotypes can be defined as inaccurate perceptions towards a group of people or community that is strongly influenced by the media. Whether positive or negative, stereotypes are usually false as they are formed based on personal judgments, which are biased or exaggerated.

All Asians are good at math, all blondes are dumb, all Muslims are terrorists - these are all common stereotypes. Without even realizing it, stereotypes have undeniably played an enormous role in individual lives. Minds seem to already set a certain image in them based on the people they encounter. People judge others by their skin tone, ethnicity, and physical appearance unconsciously, and this have been proven by many social experiments. Of course, though these stereotypes might be accurate at times, there are situations where they are completely defied.

Stereotypes are the ugly truth, that become exaggerated. A person becomes stereotyped by the way they act and behave a certain way. Stereotypes consist of two people or more which create a group. Everyone is categorized in groups by a stereotype that is associated with them. For instance, at a high school there are the jocks, the preps, the geeks, the poser and et cetera.

The act of stereotyping is assuming that all members of a group have similar knowledge, behaviors, or beliefs simply because they belong to a group. Using stereotypes is one of the most common reasons why countless people are misjudged. It can occur with the person’s knowledge or it can happen subconsciously. Sometimes, in writing, authors will form stereotypes for their characters to fit into. By using a stereotype, it sets a base for the character to build off of and show change.

Misconceptions are a view or opinion that is incorrect because it is based on faulty thinking or understanding. Stereotypes are often passed down from parents, peers and the media, which is why all the stereotypes still exist and only continue to get worse over time. Stereotypes can also be based on how a particular group has acted in the past causing people to believe that group is still the same now. In the online article, Stereotypes, Saul McLeod explains why we have stereotypes when he states, “The use of stereotypes is a major way in which we simplify our social world; since they reduce the amount of processing (i.e. thinking) we have to do when we meet a new person... by stereotyping we infer that a person has a whole range of characteristics and abilities that we assume all members of that group have.”

Hidden Stereotypes There is one hard and very evident fact that exists in the world we inhabit; that fact is that stereotypes are as common as rain. A stereotype, as defined by bing.com, is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. They happen so often that we aren’t even aware that they occur. These atrocities appear in books, films, the news, and other worldwide forms of media.

Over the span of hundreds of years these stereotypes have developed and now help define groups of people. A stereotype is not necessarily a true statement or it may not describe every person in a race but due to popular belief it has become this way. Some people tend to believe that stereotypes are correct and they judge races according to them. When a person is asked to describe someone from a specific race, they will most likely state multiple stereotypes that for most are not even true. This becomes the reason for most racial profiling and increases the barrier between people.

Stereotyping occurs when a person assumes that every member of a society or subculture has the same characteristics or traits. Whenever we make judgements about people without knowing them, we are stereotyping them. There are various types of stereotypes, but the most common ones are racial stereotypes and gender stereotypes. Race, nationality, gender, and sexual orientation are the main factors of stereotyping. All Blacks are great basketball players and All Muslims are terrorist are examples of Racial Stereotypes.

Our world is full of stereotypes passed down through cultural norms, the television, newspapers, Disney movies, and in just about every aspect of life. While it is important to make heuristics for survival purposes, making these quick snap judgements