Have you heard of 'symbolic annihilation'?

[SUDHAKAR Kuruvada]

Symbolic annihilation is used to highlight the erasure of peoples in → popular communication. George Gerbner coined the term to describe the “absence” (1972, 44; Gerbner & Gross 1976 ; → Gerbner, George ), “condemnation,” or “trivialization” ( Tuchman 1978 , 17) of a particular group in the media. Generally applied to women and racial and sexual minorities, symbolic annihilation points to the ways in which poor media treatment can contribute to social disempowerment and in which symbolic absence in the media can erase groups and individuals from public consciousness.