Stay out of gangs: a visual analysis of the public service campaign

Abstract

This visual analysis of the Stay out of Gangs public service announcement (PSA) is a site for social investigations. The investigation follows the question of what kind of work the campaign does, in terms of the social discourses it works within and its broader social impact. More specifically, this paper explores the design of the campaign, focusing on the way it frames and interpellates intended audiences, paying attention to the discourses that are produced. The discourses observed in the campaign both reflect and reference popular representations of the gangster and the stereotypes of ethnic minority groups in our society. This paper concludes that the interpellation of both the marginalized at-risk and the law abiding subject positions is working within the PSA, thereby reinforcing social discourses of social inclusion and exclusion currently working in society.