How The Media Has Influenced in the Construction of the US Latino Essay

How The Media Has Influenced in the Construction of the US Latino Identity - Essay Example This study has been prompted by some of the urgent issues about Latinos and their image, portrayed by American media. By analyzing the way in which U.S. magazines covered Latinos, this study raises the following questions, such as what was the number of magazine stories about Latinos, what were the topics of these stories, what are the main themes found in the coverage of Latinos. This mounting influence the Latino community has in U.S. society coupled with the important role of the news media warrants a study that examines how Latinos are represented in U.S. mainstream news magazines. The study went on to expound on the portrayals of Latinos. Since the majority of the stories were about immigration, the study focused on how Latinos were portrayed in this capacity. Latino immigrants in these magazines were presented in a negative fashion and were seen as a threat and a ‘disruptive force in U.S. society. However, it must also be included that six of these stories of immigration and other Latino focused articles portrayed them in a positive fashion in a political capacity. This literature review has shown that in U.S. advertisements, Latinos are either being underrepresented, misrepresented or not represented at all in U.S. consumer magazines. However, underrepresentation is a poor marketing strategy as the majority of consumers are Latinos. Generally, Latinos are being represented in U.S. consumer magazines as blue collar workers like janitors or cleaning people as well as dirty and lazy immigrants.