Representation of Women in Online Advertisements: A Content Analysis

Abstract

Social network sites may be defined as web based service that allow individual to construct a public or semi-public profile within abounded system articulate a list of other user with whom they share a connection and view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site (Boyd, Ellison, 2007). With a changing media environment, there is a distinct shift in traditional methods of advertising. The Internet has revolutionized the way advertising is done. Not only this, business houses today are making advertisements primarily for Internet users. The arrival of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and many other social media channels have altered the media landscape irrevocably. YouTube, a video sharing website, is one of the most popular internet domains at present times. YouTube has put together a list of ten most viewed advertisements in India in 2013.The role representation of women in these top ten advertisements is the primary objective of this study. This paper reviews related research and identifies how women are portrayed in advertisements at present times. Numerous studies suggest that woman in India, are often portrayed as traditional and stereotypical. This research, therefore, is an attempt to identify the extent to which the representation of women has changed over times. Content analysis method has been adopted for this study. It is noteworthy that the selected advertisement are willingly viewed by the audience and not forced as in case of many other forms of advertising.

Keywords: Women, Advertisements, Commercials, Content Analysis, YouTube, Internet