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Gender Representations, Cultural Norms and Message Features in Jamaican HIV/AIDS Advertisements: A Textual Analysis of Television Campaigns

Darlington, Kay-Anne P.
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2549-1593
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1438103621

Abstract Details

2015, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, Mass Communication (Communication).
Televised advertisements form a major part of the HIV prevention efforts in Jamaica. Though much progress has been made in reducing HIV infection rates, this Caribbean country still has features of a low-level generalized and a concentrated HIV epidemic among key-risk groups. The significance of gender and sexuality in health and other development issues has also become increasingly apparent in the last few decades. The types of gender and sexual representations utilized in media campaigns have the power to help or hinder HIV prevention programs, especially when the messages are misinterpreted. Through textual analysis and from a critical/cultural studies perspective, this dissertation explores the gender and sexual representations present in Jamaican HIV prevention advertisements. Additionally, it addresses the socio-cultural norms that underlie these representations, as well as the message features of the advertisement. The study found a progression from more stereotypical representations of men and women in earlier advertisements to counter-hegemonic and empowering gender and sexual representations in more recent advertisements. The results also highlight several socio-cultural norms underlying the gender representations, such as male promiscuity, irresponsibility, male dominance and expectations of superior sexual knowledge in men. The norms of female assertiveness, love and trust were also underscored. Regarding the message features, this study found that most of the advertisements lacked features that would likely gain the attention of audience members; they also had low information load which facilitates comprehension and used more proximal sources and emotional appeals to increasing audience yielding and retention. Finally, the findings revealed overwhelmingly heteronormative representations, with no reference to homosexuals or bisexuals, despite the high rate of infection among this key risk group.
Joseph Slade, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Roger Cooper, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Benjamin Bates, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
E. Edna Wangui, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
173 p.
Gender Studies; Health; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Public Health
Textual Analysis; HIV; AIDS; Television Advertisement; PSA; Gender; Culture

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Darlington, K.-A. P. (2015). Gender Representations, Cultural Norms and Message Features in Jamaican HIV/AIDS Advertisements: A Textual Analysis of Television Campaigns [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1438103621

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Darlington, Kay-Anne. Gender Representations, Cultural Norms and Message Features in Jamaican HIV/AIDS Advertisements: A Textual Analysis of Television Campaigns. 2015. Ohio University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1438103621.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Darlington, Kay-Anne. "Gender Representations, Cultural Norms and Message Features in Jamaican HIV/AIDS Advertisements: A Textual Analysis of Television Campaigns." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1438103621

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ohiou1438103621
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This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.