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‘1Xtra, MTV Base and ZeeTV are all hugely popular. But whenever I watch these channels, all I see is ghetto...Nobody wants to be in the ghetto, OK? We all want to live in the mainstream.”

Why would the group or place you have studied want to be represented in the mainstream media?

To a younger audience, the mainstream media offers youth’s a sense of security, embracing a communion of youths in society which will be accepted by young passive viewers everywhere, because they too share the same interests as them. However, as society has become more diverse, it is debatable whether youth’s being part of the mainstream media is something we actually consider as a healthier option or is it damaging how people in our society see youths. Over the years, society has become bombarded with negative criticism, targeting youths in general. Institutions and the news are frequently hypodermically syringing youths as: drug dealers, hookers, binge drinkers, gang members, and shoplifters. Examples of this is not only seen visually through the moving image platform but printed in the news, all playing its part in making sure the negativity of youths goes viral throughout the web. The fact some teenagers then aim to be a part of this mainstream audience and conform the stereotypes society gives them is debatable, yet if society has already made up its mind on what kind of people youths are, then how hard would it be to change the whole nation’s perspective of them. Whilst the mainstream media freely gives them Maslow’s sense of belonging, society refuses to provide us with this. This is then reinforced by institutions to create verisimilitude in films/Series, such as; Ill Manors, kidult hood, Top boy, some girls and Our girl.