A dissertation completed at
The Center for Education, Widener University,
One University Place, Chester, PA 19013 		 
THE IMAGE PROBLEM: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF TECHNOLOGY ADVERTISING AND ITS PORTRAYAL OF TECHNOLOGY USAGE
Linda D. Feeney, Ed. D.
Tuesday, January 29, 2002

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edited 6/9/02

 


ABSTRACT

As higher education continues its drive to incorporate technology in the instructional program, the information technology (IT) professionals who support the technological infrastructure and its end users become increasingly valuable to the organization. However, higher education is experiencing a critical shortage of qualified candidates with appropriate information technology expertise. Not only is there a shortage, but several segments of the population - women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and older workers - are under-represented in the IT workforce.

Research has pointed to the negative media image of IT professionals as a factor in deterring IT as a career choice. This linkage, coupled with the image-shaping qualities of advertising, the high levels of television advertising exposure in the average American household, and the increase in advertising for technology products, leads to some obvious questions. If the image of technology usage in advertising affects the public's impression of the IT field, how are technology users/professionals actually portrayed in television advertising? Are the imbalances in the IT workforce reflected in television advertising and are individuals in these advertisements portrayed negatively (i.e., as "nerds")?

This study involved a content analysis of technology advertising. The individual characters portrayed in this sample were not reflective of the population, differing from the population in representation of gender, race/ethnicity, age, and disability. The results were similar to those of other researchers who examined advertising across all product types. Male characters dominated. Female characters were more often depicted as passive/emotional, more often shown in a family setting, and more often depicted as

younger than male characters. Differing from general research, sexual objectification was rare in this sample. Race/ethnicity attributes were similar to those found by other researchers. Examining age alone, the most frequently represented groups were young adults and mature adults. Only one advertisement depicted an individual with a disability. The "nerd" stereotype was observed rarely.

The data was also analyzed to see if a typical user profile emerged. The primary users of technology in this sample were depicted as young and mature adult white males. Their numbers dominated in technology advertising just as they dominate in the information technology workplace.

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