Breaking down stereotypes using art and media | Bayete Ross Smith | TEDxMidAtlantic

TEDx Talks
19 Feb 201512:38
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThe speaker explores the power of media in shaping perceptions, using personal experiences to illustrate how media narratives can influence interactions. He emphasizes the responsibility of media makers to provoke thought and evolution in human consciousness. Through projects like 'Got the Power' and 'Question Bridge', he demonstrates the potential of inclusive media to empower communities and foster understanding, challenging stereotypes and promoting diverse voices.

Takeaways
  • 🌐 Media shapes our perceptions of people and events based on the images and stories we consume throughout our lives.
  • 🎭 The speaker has embodied various alter egos, reflecting how media can influence our identities and how we are perceived by others.
  • 📡 We are in an era where media defines us to those who don't know us personally, impacting how we are understood by the world.
  • 🤖 As media makers, we have a responsibility to create content that challenges and evolves our thinking, contributing to human evolution.
  • 🏠 An anecdote about a neighborhood watch and police interaction highlights how preconceived narratives can cloud judgment and understanding.
  • 🎵 The speaker's project 'Got the Power Boom Boxes and Community Soundtracks' uses boom boxes to collect and broadcast local community's favorite songs and memories, creating an audio portrait of a place.
  • 🌍 'Question Bridge: Black Males' is a collaborative project aiming to provide insight into the consciousness of black males, addressing misunderstandings and fears.
  • 📹 The 'Question Bridge' project facilitates a conversation between black males who may feel estranged from one another, using video to bridge the gap.
  • 👥 The project displays responses on five channels, allowing viewers to witness a conversation that would be impossible without technology.
  • 💡 The importance of being thoughtful about the media we consume and create is emphasized, as it has profound effects on our consciousness and understanding of others.
  • 🙌 The speaker calls for a continued process of thoughtful media creation that gives agency to all, ensuring a positive impact on society.
Q & A

  • What is the main theme of the speaker's talk about art and media?

    -The main theme is how art and media can change the world and the role individuals play in that change, particularly in shaping perceptions and identities.

  • How does the speaker illustrate the impact of media on our perceptions of people?

    -The speaker uses the example of different 'alter egos', which are all pictures of himself, to show how our perceptions can vary greatly depending on the images and stories we consume.

  • What does the speaker suggest about the power of media in defining who we are?

    -The speaker suggests that media is increasingly defining our identities, both to others and to ourselves, and that we now have more control over the media that defines us.

  • What responsibility does the speaker believe media makers have?

    -The speaker believes that media makers have the responsibility to create content that challenges people to think more sophisticatedly and helps evolve their thinking, contributing to human evolution.

  • Can you describe the incident involving the neighborhood watch and the police in Los Angeles?

    -The incident involved the speaker and his friends being questioned by a self-proclaimed neighborhood watch group and subsequently by the police, illustrating how preconceived narratives can override logic and recognition of one's neighbors.

  • What was the purpose of the speaker's trip to Poland with his friend Rob?

    -The purpose of the trip was to perform at the Henson National Gallery of Art in Poland for an exhibition called 'Black Alphabet', which focused on African-American artists.

  • How did the speaker's experience at the hip-hop club in Warsaw highlight the influence of media on people's behavior?

    -The experience was surreal as the speaker and his friend, being the only black people in the club filled with images of black men, were treated as heroes and received unusual attention, showing how media can shape unrealistic expectations and behaviors.

  • What is the 'Got the Power Boom Boxes and Community Soundtracks' project about?

    -It's a project where the speaker creates boom box sculptures at different sites, collects local people's favorite songs and memories, and broadcasts them from the sculptures, creating an audio portrait of the place and addressing identity in a fun way.

  • What is the 'Question Bridge: Black Males' project, and what does it aim to achieve?

    -It's a collaborative project that provides a platform for black males to ask and answer questions about their experiences, aiming to give viewers a window into black male consciousness and challenge misunderstandings and fears.

  • How does the 'Question Bridge' project work in terms of its medium and interaction?

    -The project uses video to record black males asking questions to those they feel different or estranged from, and then shows these videos to others who can answer them, creating a conversation that wouldn't be possible without technology.

  • What is the speaker's final call to action regarding the media we consume and create?

    -The speaker calls for thoughtful consumption of media and careful creation of media that gives everyone agency, with the aim of profoundly affecting our consciousness and understanding of fellow human beings.

Outlines
00:00
🎨 The Power of Media and Identity Perception

The speaker discusses the profound impact of art and media on shaping our perceptions of the world and ourselves. They use their own 'alter egos' as an example to illustrate how media narratives can influence our identity. The speaker emphasizes the emerging era where individuals have greater control over their media representation and the responsibility that comes with it as 'media makers.' They recount an incident in Los Angeles where preconceived notions led to a misunderstanding with the neighborhood watch and police, highlighting the power of media in shaping reality. The speaker calls for the creation of media that challenges and evolves our thinking.

05:03
🎭 Cultural Perceptions and Media Influence

This paragraph delves into the speaker's experience at a club in Warsaw, Poland, named 'Harlem,' which was filled with posters of black men, creating a surreal and awkward atmosphere due to the media's influence on cultural perceptions. The speaker, being one of the few black people present, felt the weight of these stereotypes and the odd treatment from the crowd. The narrative explores how media shapes our interactions and the challenges of dealing with these preconceived notions, urging us to consider how we can harness media for positive change and inclusivity.

10:03
🌟 Media Creation for Empowerment and Identity

The speaker introduces two projects aimed at empowering individuals and communities through media. The first project, 'Got the Power Boom Boxes,' involves creating boom box sculptures that broadcast local community members' favorite songs and memories, offering an ethnographic audio portrait of the area. The second project, 'Question Bridge: Black Males,' is a collaborative effort to provide a window into the consciousness of black males, addressing misunderstandings and fears. Through video, black males ask and answer questions of each other, fostering a unique dialogue. The speaker concludes by advocating for thoughtful media consumption and creation that acknowledges and respects the agency of all individuals.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Media
Media refers to the various channels and tools used to communicate information, such as television, radio, newspapers, and the internet. In the video, media is a central theme, illustrating how it shapes public perception and personal identity. The speaker discusses how media defines people to those who don't know them and how it offers individuals the power to create and share their own narratives, thus influencing society at large.
💡Perception
Perception is the way individuals interpret and understand the world around them, often influenced by prior experiences and information. The speaker highlights how perceptions of people, shaped by media portrayals, can differ dramatically based on context. This is demonstrated through his personal anecdotes of being seen in various ways depending on the media-driven images people hold.
💡Identity
Identity is the conception of oneself and how one is recognized by others, which can be influenced by external factors like media. The video emphasizes that media plays a significant role in defining and sometimes distorting personal and group identities. The speaker's own experiences, such as his encounters with neighborhood watch groups and the police, illustrate how identity can be misconstrued based on media-driven stereotypes.
💡Narrative
Narrative refers to the structured account of a sequence of events, which can shape understanding and perception. In the video, narratives are crucial as they form the backbone of the media's portrayal of individuals and groups. The speaker suggests that by creating our own media, we can influence these narratives to be more inclusive and reflective of true diversity.
💡Agency
Agency is the capacity of individuals to act independently and make their own choices. The speaker emphasizes that with the advent of new media tools, people now have greater agency to create and disseminate their own stories and redefine how they and others are perceived. This empowerment allows for a broader representation of experiences and voices in the media landscape.
💡Representation
Representation involves depicting or portraying someone or something in a particular way. The video discusses how media representation impacts how individuals and groups are viewed by society. The speaker's project, 'Question Bridge: Black Males,' aims to provide a more nuanced representation of black male experiences, challenging stereotypical narratives and fostering understanding.
💡Cultural Influence
Cultural influence refers to the impact that culture, including media, has on shaping beliefs, behaviors, and norms. The speaker's experience in Poland at a hip-hop club named 'Harlem' illustrates how American cultural symbols and media representations can influence and even dominate foreign perceptions, creating both admiration and awkwardness.
💡Stereotypes
Stereotypes are widely held but oversimplified and fixed ideas about a particular type of person or thing. The speaker discusses how media often perpetuates stereotypes, leading to misinformed perceptions and actions, such as his encounter with the neighborhood watch and police, who reacted based on preconceived notions rather than the reality of the situation.
💡Community
Community refers to a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. The speaker's projects aim to build and reflect the identities of communities through shared stories and collective memories, like the 'Got the Power Boom Boxes' project, which captures and broadcasts local cultural narratives.
💡Empowerment
Empowerment is the process of gaining freedom and power to do what you want or control what happens to you. In the context of the video, the speaker argues that media creation empowers individuals and communities to tell their own stories and challenge dominant, often oppressive, narratives. This empowerment is seen as a step towards greater understanding and societal progress.
Highlights

Art and media have the potential to change the world and shape perceptions.

Media defines who we are to people who don't know us and those who don't interact with us regularly.

We are entering a time where everyone has the power to create media that defines themselves and others.

We have a responsibility as media creators to produce content that challenges and evolves our thinking.

A personal experience where a neighborhood watch and police acted based on preconceived media-influenced notions.

Visiting Poland for a performance piece highlighted how media shapes perceptions in different cultures.

In Warsaw, the contrast between media portrayals and personal interactions created a surreal and awkward experience.

Media consumption can lead to interactions that do not relate to who people truly are.

Creating inclusive media can empower individuals and give them control over their narratives.

The 'Got the Power Boom Boxes' project creates community soundtracks that reflect local culture through music and memories.

Boom boxes symbolize the sharing of music and culture before the digital age.

The 'Question Bridge' project provides a window into black male consciousness through video-mediated conversations.

The project addresses misunderstandings and fears surrounding black males in the United States.

Media has the power to create profound effects on consciousness and understanding between people.

The importance of being thoughtful about the media we consume and create to ensure it benefits humanity.

Transcripts

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Related Tags
Media InfluencePerception ChangeArt ImpactCultural IdentitySocial EvolutionMedia ControlPersonal NarrativeCommunity SoundtracksBlack MalesInteractive Art