Media Magazine article Read the Media Magazine article on collective identity: Self-image and the Media (MM41 - page 6). Our Media Magazine archive is here. Complete the following tasks on your blog: 1) Read the article and summarise each section in one sentence, starting with the section 'Who are you?' Who are you: We are all involved in constructing an image to communicate our identity. I think, therefore I am: Our identity would have been based around aspects of our lives that were constructed outside of our selves: class, religion, gender and the predetermined roles From citizen to consumer: Consumer goods were about creating and then satisfying desires; and advertising informed people about what they could, and indeed, should want. The rise of the individual: During the second half of the 20th century, people began defining themselves as individuals, and so wanted to express their ‘difference’ and ‘uniqueness’; they were empowered by being encouraged to ‘be themselves’. Branding and lifestyle: Branding is the association of a ‘personality’ with a product. Who will we be?: Data mining – allows corporations to create products designed to meet the needs we reveal in our personal information.
2) List five brands you are happy to be associated with and explain how they reflect your sense of identity. One brand I am happy to be associated with is Apple. Apple are always one step ahead of everyone with their latest and innovative tech. Personally, I always like to be up to date with the latest technology and Apple allows me to do so. Another brand I am happy to be associated with is Nike. Nike are comfortable shoes with outstanding quality which allows the shoe to last a very long time. I always look for shoes that are comfortable and look at reviews. Nike has offered everything I look for in a shoe, from amazing quality to long lasting. Playstation is a brand I am happy to be associated with. Playstaion allows me to play online with my friends from games such as FIFA to Fortnite. It has a wide range of games to choose from and the quality of the games are phenomenal. Emirates is a luxury aviation brand. I am happy to associate myself with Emirates as they reflect the simple luxury I love. Emirates is all about making sure their customers are happy and the service/quality they're delivering is outstanding and consistent. Armani is a high quality luxury brand. The clothing they deliver is always in trend and styling. The brand reflects my sense of identity as I like to dress stylish with high quality material. 3) Do you agree with the view that modern media is all about 'style over substance'? What does this expression mean? Style over substance is when the appearance of something is more important than the actual thing itself. I strongly agree that the modern media is all about 'style over substance'. An example of this is that right now the headlines of the news is 'Oscars 2019 pictures: red carper glamour' whereas, there are other things that are more serious such as 'Plane 'hijacker' shot dead' which isn't getting as much coverage as the Oscars. This is purely because the Oscars have more appealing content to show whereas, the plane 'hijacker' doesn't. 4) Explain Baudrillard's theory of 'media saturation' in one paragraph. You may need to research it online to find out more. According to Baudrillard, the territory of reality no longer precedes the map of representation. Images and signs have become more "real" to us than "reality" itself. 5) Is your presence on social media an accurate reflection of who you are? Have you ever added or removed a picture from a social media site purely because of what it says about the type of person you are? My social media is somewhat a reflection of who I am. I have a interest in fashion and photography and my social media is mainly me wearing new unique/trendy outfits at unique locations. However, my social media only reflects the happy side to my life and doesn't reflect any negativity. I haven't removed any pictures from a social media site purely because of what it says about me. 6) What is your opinion on 'data mining'? Are you happy for companies to sell you products based on your social media presence and online search terms? Is this an invasion of privacy? Data mining should only be allowed with the persons consent. If a person does not give consent then products that are being advertised should not be related to what they're liking on social media. In my opinion, it wouldn't be a invasion of privacy is there is a consent form. Media Magazine cartoon Now read the cartoon in MM62 (p36) that summarises David Gauntlett’s theories of identity. Write five bullet points summarising what you have learned from the cartoon.
Gauntlett argues that the mass media text offers us a more diverse representation than ever before.
Ideology - final tasks (MM52 reading) Page 34: The World Of Mockingjay: Ideology, Dystopia And Propaganda 1) Read the article and summarise it in one sentence. Mockingjay focuses on the media and the use of propaganda. 2) What view of capitalist ideology is presented in the Hunger Games films? Those in power control ideas, as well as resources. - MM 3) What do the Hunger Games films suggest about the power of the media to shape and influence ideological beliefs? The people will always find a way to rebel and to resist power, often not through civic means such as voting and campaigning within the political system as it is, but through organising and connecting in other ways, such as citizen journalism, social media and the use of symbols. - MM Page 48: They Live - Understanding Ideology 1) Read the article and summarise it in one sentence. In Britain the ideologies are so dominant that they're 'natural' to us. 2) What are the four accepted ideological beliefs in western societies highlighted by the article? • People should put their families first. • People should work hard for their money. • Women should behave in feminine ways, and look after their appearance. • Law is better than disorder. 3) What does Gramsci's theory of hegemony suggest about power and ideology in society?
Gramsci's theory of hegemony suggests that the dominant classes are creating their own ideologies which are being seen as 'common sense' and 'natural' to the world. 4) What does French theorist Louis Althusser suggest about ideology and consumerism? Louis Althusser suggests that ideology is the greatest material power and dominates our day to day lives through key forms of control: Repressive State Control and Ideological State Apparatuses. He also carries on and says ideologies pervades all ages, genders and is a dominant in the 21st century west.
5) Do YOU agree with the idea behind They Live - that we are unthinkingly controlled by the media which is run in the interests of the economic elite? These are the big questions of A Level Media! Yes! I strongly believe that we are unthinkingly controlled by the media and nowadays everything we see in the media we are easily influenced and we agree with people such as celebrities. The economic elites are the ones with all the money and therefore they have the power.
Watch this clip from BBC Question Time with Russell Brand and Nigel Farage. The BBC deliberately placed the two against each other and the episode resulted in far more people watching and tweeting than usual.
1) What examples of binary opposition can you suggest from watching this clip?
The binary opposition I can suggest from watching this clip is :
Left + Right
Nationalist + Globalist
Young + Old
Capitalist + Socialist
Working class + Middle/Upper class
Audience + Panel
2) What ideologies are on display in this clip?
The ideologies that are on display in this clip is that immigration is bad for the UK as we don't have enough primary school places and GP's for people.
Another ideology in this video is that Nigel Farage has all the money however he isn't doing anything to fix the economy. He is blaming the immigrants for the economic crash that happened in 2008.
Ideology and your own choice of clip
Now do the same activity for a clip of your choice. Embed the YouTube video in your blog and answer the questions in detail:
(02:06 - 04:13)
Contains strong language. 1) What examples of binary opposition can you suggest from watching your clip?
This video by Krept & Konan shows how the police are corrupt as they stop two young black males who had just finished having lunch with their friends. The police officers had stopped the two young males for no specific reason and exploited their powers. The binary opposition creates the stereotype that the police are racist and abuses their powers.
2) What ideologies are on display in your clip?
The video reinforces what a lot of young black males go through during their daily life.
1) What are the two texts the article focuses on? The two texts the article focuses on is Pan am and Beyonce
2) What examples are provided from the two texts of the 'male gaze' (Mulvey)? One example that is provided from the text of the 'male gaze' is when Beyonce is objectified in her music video. Another example is in Pan am that women are clearly illustrated as attractive and appealing to men. "With a face like that you will find a husband in a couple of months" reinforces the fact that women are being objectified and only their looks matter.
3) Do texts such as these show there is no longer a need for feminism or are they simply sexism in a different form? No, these texts show that feminism is strictly needed. The text clearly illustrates that women are being objectified and are being judged based on their looks.
4) Choose three words/phrases from the glossary of the article and write their definitions on your blog.
Male Gaze – The gaze referring to Laura Mulvey’s seminal article ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’ which argues that main stream Hollywood films subject female characters to the ‘male gaze’ of the camera, fragmenting and objectifying their bodies.
Music video analysis
Watch the Beyonce video for ‘Why Don’t You Love Me?’:
1) How might this video contribute to Butler’s idea that gender roles are a ‘performance’? This video might contribute to Butler's idea that gender roles are a 'performance' because women are preforming themselves in this way so they can be objectified and stereotyped in such a way. 2) Does this video reinforce or challenge the view that women should perform certain roles in society? In my opinion this video does both reinforces and challenged the view that women show perform certain roles in society. In the beginning of the video it is challenging stereotypes as Beyonce is attempting to fix the car. Usually men are seen as the mechanics and the ones that are fixing things but you can clearly see that this stereotyped is being challenged. On the other hand, throughout the video Beyonce is wearing seductive clothing and is cleaning the dishes with reinforces women stereotypes that they're meant to be in the kitchen and they are objectified because they want to be/ because of the clothing the wear.
3) Would McRobbie view Beyonce as an empowering role model for women? Why? McRobbie is a British cultural theorist known for her work analysing magazines aimed at women and teenage girls in the 80s and 90s. McRobbie highlights the empowering nature of magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Glamour, taking a different perspective to traditional feminists. McRobbie would view Beyonce as an empowering role model for women as she was being very dominant in her music video. She was attempting to fix the car which most women wouldn't do and she chose to wear seductive/revealing clothes because she wants to and isn't afraid of what others would think.
4) What are your OWN views on this debate – does Beyonce empower women or reinforce the traditional ‘male gaze’ (Mulvey)? In my opinion, I think Beyonce reinforces the traditional 'male gaze' as she is wearing revealing clothes to be objectified and in the video she is seen in the kitchen cleaning the dishes which people would expect from women.
Watch Will Jay's video for ‘Gangsta’:
1) How does the video suggest representations of masculinity have changed in recent years? This video would suggest representations of masulinity have changed in the recent years as Will Jay is saying "I don't need to be a gangster to be a man". People would usually refer to gangsters as more manly, dominant however, Will is going against the stereotype saying you don't have to be the following to be a man. 2) What does David Gauntlett suggest about representations of men in the media over the last 20 years? He looked particularly at theorists such as Butler and McRobbie: "Although the popular remix of feminism is accepted by young women, it remains the case that most women and men remain somewhat constricted within the particular gender role". 3) What is YOUR view on the representation of men and masculinity? Are young men still under pressure from the media to act or behave in a certain way? I believe the media influences men to be more dominant. Series such as Power show that men are always looking out and taking care of women and also making sure they're happy.
1) Type up your feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential). WWW:
You cover a range of theories in Q3 and engage with one half of the effects debate
EBI:
Revise Industries
Revise Public service broadcasting
Q3 offers only one side of the debate... You need to explore both sides. You also need to be more sophisticated as an A-Level Media student.
2) Read the mark scheme for this assessment carefully. Identify at least one potential point that you missed out on for each question in the assessment. 3) On a scale of 1-10 (1 = low, 10 = high), how much revision and preparation did you do for this assessment? On a scale of 1 to 10 I'd give myself a 5. The reason I didn't get a very high mark this assessment is because I had revised on everything from September and I wasn't aware of the fact that we would be tested on everything we learnt in the term. 4) Look at your answer for Question 1. Did you manage to write about three different strategies and three different benefits? It's vital you read the question and follow it exactly. For question 1 I was only able to talk about two strategies and two benefits. Talking about the third strategy and benefit would've potentially gained more marks for me. 5) Look at your answer for Question 2. Did you follow the question guidance and write about both the BBC and commercial broadcasters? What could you have added to this answer to reach a higher mark? For question 2, I misunderstood the question and started talking about regulation and public service broadcasting which led me to gaining no marks for question 2. 6) Now look over your mark, teacher comments and the mark scheme for Question 3 - the 20 mark essay question on media effects theory. Write a new paragraph for this question based on the suggested theories/answers in the mark scheme. Make sure it is an extensive, detailed paragraph focused on the question and offering examples from the wider media. I strongly agree with the view that the media has a damaging effect on audiences. Gerbner's cultivation theory suggests that watching TV over a long period of time with influence the audience's ideas and perception of everyday life. Gerbner later developed a theory that suggests heavy TV viewing made viewers fearful. This is very damaging to society. Gerbner's cultivation theory also suggests that heavy TV viewers developed a 'mean world syndrome' an saw society as far more dangerous than it actually is. This is a significant damaging effect on the audience. An example is the hypodermic needle theory. The hypodermic needle theory is massively discredited but is becoming relevant in the era of 'fake news'. Fake news is created very often and TV viewers are fallen into the trap believing the fake news that they see. This supports that the media has a damaging effect on the audience. Another reason why I strongly agree that the media has a damaging effect on the audience is because of Bandura's social learning theory. Bandura's social learning theory suggests that people copy behaviour seen on screen. Because of the media the audience try to be celebrities by acting and behaving the way celebrities do through imitation, modelling and mediation. However, the experiment was with children and has been discredited by some studies since. This raises questions about regulation and whether young people should be protected from certain media content. In the digital age, this also raises question if such regulation is even possible when content can be downloaded and parents are not always aware of what their children is consuming.
The dependency theory supports the idea that the media is having a damaging effect on audiences. Rokeach and Defleur said audiences were becoming dependent on the media in 1976 and possibly even today. Studies in recent years have raised concerns over young people and social media use. The two-step flow theory suggests that audiences are more likely to respond to people rather than media institutions so opinion leaders in the media are crucial in influencing opinion and audience responses. This could still have a damaging effect depending on political viewpoint e.g. celebrities or columnists.
In conclusion, I think the media is having a extreme damaging effect on the audience as there is fake news which is created very often to fool TV viewers and the TV viewers are falling into the trap. Furthermore, people are imitating celebrities to be like them so they're liked by people and they're no longer being their selves anymore.
Read the Media Magazine feature 'Representation old and new'. This is in MM51 on page 6 - go to our Media Magazine archive to find the article. Complete the following tasks: 1) Why is representation an important concept in Media Studies? Representation is an important concept in Media Studies because it creates meaning to something that'll appear in the media. The media has the power to change the representation so the audience can look at something in a completely different way. It changes the view of something which could change someone's opinion on something. 2) How does the example of Kate Middleton show the way different meanings can be created in the media? If the picture that is taken was with Kate's consent then it tells us that she has specifically chosen this outfit, location, pose etc. She might be trying tell the audience something however, if paparazzi took this photo, it was done without Kate's consent however she'll try to control the picture as much as possible. 3) Summarise the section 'The how, who and why of media representation' in 50 words. Representations are there for a reason, it is trying to address a specific message for the audience. When producers are constructing representations, they'll need to consider: The expectations and needs of the target audience, the limitations provided by the genre codes, the narrative they wish to create and the institutional remit. Not all representations are accepted, some are rejected. The simplest things such as the colour of the wallpaper can create ideologies. 4) How does Stuart Hall's theory of preferred and oppositional readings fit with representation? Stuart Hall's theory of preferred reading is when the producer's intentions is agreed with the audience's views. Stuart Hall's oppositional reading is when the audience does not agree with the producers intentions. These theories fit in with representation because sometimes when the media try represent something, it often gets rejected by the audience (Oppositional reading) however, it also gets accepted by the audience (Preferred reading). 5) How has new technology changed the way representations are created in the media? New technology has changed the way representations are created in the media by using things like Instagram and YouTube. This allows the audience to construct and share their own media products e.g. YouTube Vlogs. 6) What example is provided of how national identity is represented in Britain - and how some audiences use social media to challenge this? An Example: Representing National Identity in Old and New Media Old media forms have always attempted to define and construct an identity for their audience, using certain types of representation to prescribe how people think about themselves and others. National identity is invariably raised during national sports competitions. During the 2014 World Cup, The Sun sent a free newspaper to 22 million households in England which represented its own concepts of ‘Englishness’ by symbolic references – queuing, the Sunday roast, Churchill and The Queen – to heroes, values and behaviours that the paper (and its owners, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corps) defined as appropriate expressions of ‘English identity’.
