Title: Media Representations and Their Broader Implications for Intergroup Relations

Abstract: This talk highlights the role of media as an ecosystem in cultivating societal divisions within multicultural contexts. Utilizing correlational, experimental, and longitudinal research methodologies, I provide a comprehensive analysis of the nuanced effects on both racial majority and minority audiences. The findings reveal three broader implications of media depictions of racial minorities. First, exposure to negative media portrayals of racial minorities adversely affects the attitudes and behaviors of racial majority members towards these groups. Second, such negative depictions harm racial minorities’ self-esteem and group esteem, while reinforcing their perceived disadvantaged status in mainstream society relative to other groups. Finally, mainstream media representations undermine the sense of belonging, inclusion, and integration of racial minority members within mainstream society, culture, and politics.