Representation of Hispanic culture in Delta's Sky magazine

Abstract

As part of the largest minority group in the U.S., Hispanic people play an increasingly significant role in media consumption. Prior studies have investigated this key demographic's consumption of advertising, but research about editorial content targeting this key demographic is lacking. To fill this gap, this study examined the representation of Hispanic culture in the articles and photos that compose the Spanish section, Despegando, of Delta Air Lines' Sky magazine from 2014 to 2019. The content was examined for the presence of five stereotypes realized in prior research: family, soccer, ethnic pride, experience with discrimination, and spirituality. The study found that all five stereotypes were discussed in the articles, but the results did not provide conclusive evidence to establish that the text in Despegando reinforced stereotypes. However, the minimal amount of photos that depicted stereotypes suggested that the photos do not reinforce them. The most frequently addressed stereotype in the text was family, whereas the most prevalent stereotype in the photos varied between ethnic pride, religion, and family. Further, it was shown that Despegando's inclusion of stereotyperelated content rose and fell over the past 6 years, suggesting that its content hasn't been influenced greatly based political changes and sentiments.