Hispanic Influence and Representation in American Entertainment and Consumer Culture

By Meghan Bannister Florida State University

The United States population is made up of individuals from a variety of cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. With this, Hispanics are a growing part of this diverse population and make up “over 622 million people” in the United States (Korzenny et al., 2024, p.1). They are not only a major part of what makes up our country, but are also key consumers in America. Being such a large part of the population, they hold significant buying power and have an influence over style, trends, and media. However, Hispanic consumers not only influence these elements of our society, but also the American entertainment industry as a whole. Through music, television, and fashion, Hispanics are helping to reshape mainstream culture with their values, ideas, and creative contributions. Yet despite this growing cultural and economic influence, Hispanic consumers and their values have been overlooked, particularly in media and marketing. This essay will explore the growing influence Hispanic consumers have on American entertainment and culture, and why it is essential for media and marketers to recognize and reflect the cultural values they have previously neglected.

Although Hispanic consumers have become a powerful cultural and economic force in the United States, companies and marketers have often failed to recognize or respond to their influence. This impact is especially clear in demographic data, as “Latinos constitute one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in the United States, comprising 17% of the population and over 20% of the key 18–34 marketing demographic” (Negrón Muntaner et al., 2014, p. 1). Yet despite these numbers, Hispanic audiences remain underrepresented, specifically in media and entertainment. When reading about the underrepresentation of Hispanics in film, one article stated that “ratings about Hispanics in the book publishing and their recording industries are so scarce that we can only hope that adequate documentation will be developed in some other publications” (Kanellos, Esteva-Fabregat, & Padilla, 1994, p. 304). This reflects a long-standing lack of industry support for Hispanic voices in media and literature, which is something that must change. This demonstrates just how important it is for industries to start truly valuing and including Hispanics, not just as consumers, but as a vital part of our culture whose voices and stories deserve to be seen and heard.

The growing influence of Hispanic consumers is especially evident in the world of television, where Hispanic viewership continues to rise at a rapid pace. In fact, “in 2010, the number of U.S. Latinx households with TV sets increased by 3.1 percent, three times more than all households in the U.S. general market, and television advertising grew 10 percent, doubling the bounce that network TV overall received” (Retis, 2024, p.11). These statistics emphasize that, even in the face of limited visibility, Hispanic consumers are shaping the entertainment landscape through their power as viewers. These trends show that Hispanic audiences are not a passive market, but rather an active force pushing for more inclusive and representative content. However, representation goes beyond simply increasing the number of Hispanic characters or shows. It also involves addressing the diversity within the Hispanic community itself. As one study notes, “interestingly, the whiteness of Spanish TV surfaced as a greater concern among United States-born Latinos and Latinas than among recent immigrants, reminding us that immigration and the length of stay in the United States are central variables affecting an individual’s experience and awareness of United States racism, and make more likely the expression of dissatisfaction with the lack of racial representativity in the Spanish TV networks by United States-born Hispanics” (Dávila, 2002, p. 40). This highlights the need for television networks, both mainstream and Spanish-languages, to acknowledge the variety of culture within the Hispanic population and create more authentic and inclusive storytelling.

In conclusion, the Hispanic population in the United States represents a powerful and growing force that is reshaping American culture, especially in the entertainment industry. Although Hispanics have been historically underrepresented, their significant buying power and cultural influence can no longer be disregarded by companies and media. The increasing demand for authentic and diverse representation reflects both the size and the diversity of this community. As one clear example of the growing importance of the Hispanic market, “evidence of the growing importance of the Hispanic market may also be seen in the purchase of 10 stations, formerly controlled by SIN by Hallmark Cards” (Gandy & Matabane, 1988, p. 6). This demonstrates that major media companies are beginning to recognize the value of Hispanic audiences. Moving forward, true inclusion must go beyond simply increasing representation to fully embrace the diversity within the Hispanic community. Within entertainment, it must also be ensured that Hispanic voices and stories are genuinely seen and heard as an essential part of the American cultural landscape.

References

Dávila, A. (2002). Talking back: Spanish media and U.S. Latinidad. In M. Habell-Pallán & M.
Romero (Eds.), Latino/a popular culture. New York University Press.

Gandy, O. H., Jr., & Matabane, P. W. (1988). Television and its influence among African-Americans and Hispanics.

Kanellos, N., Esteva-Fabregat, C., & Padilla, F. M. (Eds.). (1994). Handbook of Hispanic cultures in the United States: Sociology. Arte Público Press.

Korzenny, F., Chapa, S., & Korzenny, B. A. (2024). Hispanic marketing: The evolution of the Latino consumer (4th ed.). Routledge.

https://www.routledge.com/Hispanic-Marketing-The-Evolution-of-the-Latino-Consumer/Korzenny-Chapa-Korzenny/p/book/9781032137742

Negrón Muntaner, F., Abbas, C., Figueroa, L., & Robson, S. (2014). The Latino media gap: A report on the state of Latinos in U.S. media. Commissioned by NALIP, The Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race at Columbia University, and the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts.

Retis, Jessica. (2024). Hispanic media today: Building a more inclusive media landscape. https://democracyfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2019_DemocracyFund_HispanicMediaToday.pdf