Displaced By Words: How Does Media Impact Gentrification?

Abstract

To put it simply, gentrification is a process where capital investment in a previously neglected area leads to the influx and eventual takeover of middle-class groups, displacing the original working-class residents in the area during the process. This research paper is a literature review that discusses the background of gentrification, how it is portrayed and facilitated by the media, and how it could be countered through media. I specifically examined different forms of media that can either facilitate or counteract gentrification, while closely relating these examinations with societal factors of class and race. Overall, the media has an affirmative role in gentrification, with some forms more so than others. This can be largely attributed to the fact that mainstream media typically supports the stance of the middle class, which is the primary gentrifier in the process of gentrification. The media can also be used to combat gentrification, both for promoting anti-gentrification movements and for identifying gentrification. However, there are significant challenges in these methods that are yet to be fully overcome.