“You look like a thug!”: how do young people view the media’s construction of the criminal?

Abstract

From a scenario marked by different expressions of violence emerge media practices set on criminalizing impoverished youth. This article examines the meanings produced by youth aged 14 to 16 years about the media representations broadcasted by hegemonic sectors. A participative research designed based on sociologist Orlando Fals-Borda’s work and Mikhail Bakhtin’s co-authorship was conducted with youth from the state of Minas Gerais. Seven discussion groups were created to debate the association between youth and criminal activity on the news. Analysis of the dialogues showed that media content can impart a series of violence in their lives. However, they resist through creative strategies involving art and alternative media.

Keywords:
media; violence; youth