INDEX

1) Introduction to Media: 10 questions
2) Media consumption audit
3) Semiotics blog tasks - English analysis and Icon, Index, Symbol
4) Language: Reading an image - advert analyses
5) Reception theory - advert analyses part 2
6) Genre: Factsheets and genre study questions
7) Blog feedback and learner response
8) Narrative: Factsheet questions
9) Audience: classification - psychographics presentation notes
10) October assessment learner response
11) Audience theory 1 - Hypodermic needle/Two-step flow/U&G
12) Audience theory 2 - The effects debate - Bandura, Cohen
13) Industries: Ownership and Control
14) Industries: Hesmondhalgh - The Cultural Industries
15) Industries: Public Service Broadcasting
16) Industries: Regulation

Industries: Regulation

Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet 128: Contemporary Media Regulation. Our Media Factsheet archive can be found at M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets

Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks:

1) What is regulation and why do media industries need to be regulated?

Systems of regulation are required to provide rules and regulations to ensure that organisations operate fairly.

2) What is OFCOM responsible for?

Broadcast media (TV and Radio) are regulated by OFCOM.

3) Look at the section on the OFCOM broadcasting code. Which do you think are the three most important sections of the broadcasting code and why?

Sections 2, 5 and 6. For sections 5 and 6, impartiality in politics is incredibly important to democracy and for section 2, media that could cause harm and offence is needed in order to not cause outrage and spread hate.

4) Do you agree with OFCOM that Channel 4 was wrong to broadcast 'Wolverine' at 6.55pm on a Sunday evening? Why?

Yes, as it goes against section 1 of the broadcasting code. Viewers would not have expected a violent film at this time slot as, previously, family friendly films were broadcast at similar time slots.

5) List five of the sections in the old Press Complaints Commission's Code of Practice. ) Why was the Press Complaints Commission criticised?

Section 1: Accuracy. Section 2: Opportunity to Reply. Section 3: Privacy. Section 4: Harassment. Section 5: Intrusion Into Grief and Shock

7) What was the Leveson enquiry and why was it set up?

An inquiry into the “culture, practice and ethics of the press” was held throughout 2011 and 2012 mainly due to a phone hacking scandal where phone calls connected to the royal family were illegally intercepted.

8) What was the PCC replaced with in 2014?

On 8th September 2014, the PCC was replaced by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). This new body (like the PCC) has been set up by the newspaper industry itself and it’s code of practice is essentially the same as the code administered by the PCC.

9) What is your opinion on press regulation? Is a free press an important part of living in a democracy or should newspapers face statutory regulation like TV and radio?

I believe that freedom of speech is integral in society, however newspapers are a largely trusted and consumed piece of media that could cause an outcry if it were to showcase violent hate speech for instance. Too much regulation could be considered dangerous as well, as it can lead to silencing freedom of speech and even propaganda. 

10) Why is the internet so difficult to regulate?

Because the internet is under the ownership of one single country and so it's impossible for governments to enforce the rules of a single government upon it. Also, huge internet conglomerates like Amazon and Google are larger than any single government.

Public service broadcasting

Ofcom report

Read the first few pages of this Ofcom report into Public Service Broadcasting in 2017.

1) How does the report suggest that TV viewing is changing?

People are viewing content in a larger variety of ways, including both the television other devices. The amount of PSB content being viewed is substantially less for young adults and, up to the age of 45, television behavioural patterns are changing.

2) What differences are highlighted between younger and older viewers?

In 2016, viewers aged 65+ watched an average of 5 hours 44 minutes of TV on a TV set, and 16-24 year olds watched an average of 1 hour 54 minutes. These figures are 3 minutes less than 2012 for viewers ages 65+, and 43 minutes less for 16-24 year olds. In conclusion, younger viewers are watching much less broadcast TV.

3) Does the report suggest audiences are satisfied with public service broadcasting TV channels?

Yes, as overall, 78% of regular or occasional viewers of any PSB channel claim to be satisfied with PSB broadcasting, significantly higher than in 2015 (73%).

4) Public service broadcasting channels are a major aspect of the UK cultural industries. How much money did PSB channels spend on UK-originated content in 2016? 

The PSB channels spent a total of £2.6bn on first-run UK-originated content in 2016.

Goldsmiths report

Read this report from Goldsmiths University - A future for public service television: content and platforms in a digital world.

1) What does the report state has changed in the UK television market in the last 20 years?

The television sector has undergone huge changes over the past generation as new technology has facilitated on-demand access to television content, and created new services and platforms, while consumer behaviour has started to change rapidly, particularly among the young.

2) Look at page 4. What are the principles that the report suggests need to be embedded in regulation of public service broadcasting in future?

Retransmission fees should be paid by pay-TV platforms to public service television operators to address the current undervaluation of public service content by these distributors.
Ofcom should continue to monitor the independent production sector and take action.

3) What does the report say about the BBC?

The BBC is the most important part of the television ecology, but the model of universality underpinning its public service credentials is under threat. 

4) According to the report, how should the BBC be funded in future?

The government should replace the licence fee as soon as is practically possible with a more progressive funding mechanism such as a tiered platform-neutral household fee, a supplement to Council Tax or funding via general taxation with appropriate parliamentary safeguards. 

5) What does the report say about Channel 4?

Channel 4 occupies a critical place in the public service ecology – supporting the independent production sector and airing content aimed specifically at diverse audiences. 

6) How should Channel 4 operate in future?

Channel 4 should not be privatised – neither in full or in part.

7) Look at page 10 - new kids on the block. What does the report say about new digital content providers and their link to public service broadcasting?

Digital content providers should be boosted by public intervention.

Final questions - your opinion on public service  broadcasting

1) Should the BBC retain its position as the UK’s public service broadcaster?

I think that the BBC is important due to it's focus on public affairs. Echoing James Curran, the British public are more well informed than america's market driven entertainment and so there is benefit in keeping the BBC.

2) Is there a role for the BBC in the 21st century digital world?

The BBC is severely threatened by online streaming services. I agree with Hesmondhalgh's view that the BBC will struggle next to tech companies due to aspects such as budgets being much higher for tech companies than Public service broadcasters. Promotion and publicity holds huge power in the media landscape. However the BBC is important in a biased digital landscape where news stories aren't guaranteed to be truthful. I think the BBC holds an importance in being an unbiased news broadcaster.

3) Should the BBC funding model (license fee) change? How?

The public is going to become unwilling to pay for it due to the rise of streaming services, and so it seems like the funding model should change. The Goldsmiths report suggests ."The government should replace the licence fee as soon as is practically possible with a more progressive funding mechanism such as a tiered platform-neutral household fee, a supplement to Council Tax or funding via general taxation with appropriate parliamentary safeguards."

Industries: Ownership and control

Media conglomerate research

1) Type up your research notes from the lesson - what did you find out about your allocated media conglomerate? Selection of companies: Alphabet, The Walt Disney Company, Comcast, 21st Century Fox, Facebook, Viacom, News Corp, Time Warner. If you were absent or don't have the notes, research any of the companies above and find examples of all the terminology outlined in the notes at the start of this blogpost.

News Corp:

• Is owned by Rupert Murdoch, an Australian billionare.
• News corp has acquired companies such as Twentieth century fox, HarperCollins, and the Wall Street Journal.
• Other companies it parents are Fox news, Sky, New York Post, national geographic, the Sun and the Australian.
• News companies owned by Murdoch are known to be partisan; for example politically siding with Trump.
• Recently, Murdoch attempted to takeover Sky by 21st Century Fox which caused the CMA to get involved.

2) Do you agree that governments should prevent media conglomerates from becoming too dominant? Write an argument that looks at both sides of this debate.

There is a danger to letting conglomerates become too dominant, as huge conglomerates are impossible to regulate due to being so powerful. Once conglomerates get too powerful, they are impossible to govern to make sure they are abiding by laws, and so I think governments should prevent that from happening.

Media Magazine reading and questions

Media Magazine 52 has a good feature on the changing relationship between audiences and institutions in the digital age. Go to our Media Magazine archive, click on MM52 and scroll to page 9 to read the article 'Two Key Concepts: The Relationship Between Audience and Institution'.

1) Briefly describe the production, promotion and distribution process for media companies.

The production process provides audiences with the media products they want. The promotion process researches and identifies the target audience for the product. The distribution process gets the product to the audience.

2) What are the different funding models for media institutions?

The BBC relies on a licence fee paid for by the public.
The ITV relies on income generated by advertisers.
Sky One's income is generated by subscription fees and advertising revenue.

3) The article gives a lot of examples of major media brands and companies. Choose three examples from the article and summarise what the writer is saying about each of them. 

Disney: Its brand is built on it's reputation for animation, known as a family-friendly brand focusing on children's entertainment.
Marvel: Its brand is built on superhero movies that are known for their action and violence but also reinforce mainstream values around duty, sacrifice, personal responsibility and the need for the strong to protect the weak. Their movies are un-risky which has allowed the studio to thrive.

4) What examples are provided of the new business models media companies have had to adopt due to changes in technology and distribution?

2010's introduction of online streaming services to keep up with the new digital age.
In the mid 2000s, Spotify offered an online music service in an attempt to counter free download culture.

5) Re-read the section on 'The Future'. What examples are discussed of technology companies becoming major media institutions?

• Google now owns YouTube, and has revolutionised the way we access music and moving-image entertainment and information.
• Amazon, Netflix and Yahoo now create, produce and ‘broadcast’ their own TV shows, such as Transparent, Orange is the New Black and Community.
• Facebook has bought the virtual reality technology Oculus Rift; one potential benefit for audiences is that it allows users to ‘attend’ and ‘experience’ events without leaving their own homes.

6) Do you agree with the view that traditional media institutions are struggling to survive?

Yes somewhat, due to the new digital age. TV programming cinema is steadily being dominated by streaming services, however older audiences will be more likely to watch TV than to stream. Tech companies such as google and amazon have higher budgets to market their series and thus would be expected to gain more publicity than a TV series.

7) How might diversification or vertical integration help companies to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing media landscape?

Diversification allows companies to keep up with changes in the market, allowing them to maintain an audience. Vertical integration reduces cost and maximises profit and reducing the inherent risk of the media landscape.

8) How do YOU see the relationship between audience and institution in the future? Will audiences gain increasing power or will the major global media conglomerates maintain their control?

I believe that the major global media conglomerates will continue to diversify and use tactics that will allow them to maintain an audience, thus maintaining their control.

MIGRAIN: Hesmondhalgh - The Cultural Industries

Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet 168: David Hesmondhalgh’s ‘The Cultural Industries’. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets

Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks:

1) What does the term 'Cultural Industries' actually refer to?

The term ‘cultural industry’ refers to the creation, production, and distribution of products of a cultural or artistic nature.

2) What does Hesmondhalgh identify regarding the societies in which the cultural industries are highly profitable?

They tend to be societies that support the conditions where large companies, and their political allies, make money. These conditions being: constant demand for new products; minimal regulation outside of general competition law; relative political and economic stability; workforces that are willing to work hard.

3) Why do some media products offer ideologies that challenge capitalism or inequalities in society?

Companies try to outdo each other to try and satisfy audience desires for the shocking, profane or rebellious in order to secure audience members when competing with eachother.

4) Look at page 2 of the factsheet. What are the problems that Hesmondhalgh identifies with regards to the cultural industries?

• Risky business
• Creativity versus commerce
• High production costs and low reproduction costs
• Semi-public goods; the need to create scarcity

5) Why are so many cultural industries a 'risky business' for the companies involved?

> Audiences are unpredictable
> It's impossible to predict how well a product will do, partly due to the fact companies cannot completely control the publicity a product will receive. Judgements and reactions of audiences, critics and journalists etc. cannot accurately be predicted.

6) What is your opinion on the creativity v commerce debate? Should the media be all about profit or are media products a form of artistic expression that play an important role in society?

I believe that media products that aim to be creatively stimulating over profitable are important to the diversity of media products. It's essential for products to be unique and artistic as there needs to be an artistic freedom in society that should be reflected in our media. Not only this, they could perhaps also bring in a large audience and become profitable due to the nature of the cultural industries as unpredictable.

7) How do cultural industry companies minimise their risks and maximise their profits? (Clue: your work on Industries - Ownership and control will help here) 

Conglomerate ownership is a way of offsetting risk. Vertical integration and diversification is used in order to spread the risk and maximise profit; however if the parent company isn't experienced in certain areas or lacks expertise, it may not be as successful. Diversification means companies can keep up with a constantly changing and evolving industry and not fall behind due to new competition. For example, due to the rise of the digital age, media companies have had to diversify into streaming and other internet driven distribution.

8) Do you agree that the way the cultural industries operate reflects the inequalities and injustices of wider society? Should the content creators, the creative minds behind media products, be better rewarded for their work?

I do believe that the creative minds behind media products are essential in creating diverse and entertaining products in the media, and so they should be better rewarded.

9) Listen and read the transcript to the opening 9 minutes of the Freakonomics podcast - No Hollywood Ending for the Visual-Effects Industry. Why has the visual effects industry suffered despite the huge budgets for most Hollywood movies?

Not much money goes to the visual effects company because visual effects companies are locked into an amount after bidding for jobs no matter what actually happens in the production.

10) What is commodification? 

The transforming of objects and services into commodities.

11) Do you agree with the argument that while there are a huge number of media texts created, they fail to reflect the diversity of people or opinion in wider society?

I believe that there has been an improvement in attempting to reflect the diversity of society in media texts in recent years. For instance, more TV shows have POC and WOC leads and there is a larger acceptance for LGBT characters. 

12) How does Hesmondhalgh suggest the cultural industries have changed? Identify the three most significant developments and explain why you think they are the most important.

• Digitalisation, the internet and mobile phones have multiplied the ways audience can gain access to cultural content. This has made small scale production much easier for millions of people (think self-representation + prosumers).
• Powerful IT and technology companies now work with cultural industries to understand and produce cultural production &consumption. These companies (e.g. Apple, Microsoft, Google,Amazon) are now as powerful and influential in cultural industries as traditional companies such as News Corporation, Time Warner or Sony.
• Huge increase in the amount companies spend on advertising which has helped to fuel the growth of the cultural industries.

Audience Classification

Structure

The psychographic group you are researching: Reformers

Names: Hope and Wisdom

Where they work/study: They're studying at university.

Activities in their spare time: They listen to podcasts, plant trees and do yoga

Media consumption:

Newspapers/magazines they read: They read the independent and the guardian and do so digitally

TV programmes/channels they watch: They listen to independent podcasts over TV

Technology they own: Ipads and macbooks

Social media they use: Tumblr and Pintrest

My psychographic group:

I think I would be a mainstreamer, mostly due to the fact that I am very much a part of the mass when it comes to the brands I consume. Although I have fairly niche interests when it comes to certain media products like TV shows, everything else I'm very mainstream.

Audience theory 2 - blog tasks

Theory questions and your opinion

1) Social learning theory has been criticised for simplifying the causes of violence in society. Do you think the media is responsible for anti-social behaviour and violence?

I believe it can be, but media is not exclusively responsible for anti-social behaviour and violence. For example, if a parent is neglectful and doesn't teach and look after their child properly, that child will likely grow up to be anti-social and violent anyway. But they could also learn from other influences around them such as movies and TV and, if they're young enough, be negatively influenced by the violent media. If somebody is anti-social and violent, I don't believe media will ever exclusively be the reason for that behaviour.

2) How is social learning theory relevant in the digital age? Are young people now learning behaviour from social media and the internet? Give examples.

Young people definitely learn behaviour from social media and the internet. For example, make-up tutorials and clothing hauls can be big influences to what clothing or make-up a young person would buy.

3) Research three examples of moral panic from the last 50 years. To what extent was the media responsible for these moral panics? Was the concern in society justified? How have things changed as a result of these moral panics?

1) The 1980s AIDS epidemic caused a moral panic due to the media attention it was getting. Outlets nicknamed it the 'gay plague', further stigmatising the disease and fear mongering. The government put out an advertisement that suggested the moral panic was due to the lack of accurate information about the disease. It was also apparent that the homophobia present in the media (and society) at the time was prevalent in perpetuating stereotypes about gay people and misinformation about AIDS.

2) Although starting in the 1970s, the moral panic regarding violence and video games is still prevalent today. Exaggerated news stories and headlines help perpetuate the idea that playing violent video games are causing children to become violent. There have been attempts to regulate violent videos games in the United States, however in 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that legally restricting sales of video games to minors would be "unconstitutional". In 1999, the public concern reach a peak as many blamed violent video games such as Doom for the Columbine high school shooting.

3) After the 2001 9/11 attacks, there was an unsurprising moral panic about terrorism and Islamic extremism that especially spread throughout the United States. The widespread coverage of the incident, as well as the "War on Terror" in the United States, created fear and prejudice in society of Muslims.

There was a significant increase in hate
crimes against Muslims and Arabs in
2001.

4) Read this introduction to an academic paper on technopanics. What examples are given of technopanics that create fear in society?

Examples given are child safety, digital privacy, and cybersecurity.

5) Do you think the internet should be regulated? Should the government try and control what we can access online?

The government controlling what we access online is important for the safety of society. The most obvious example is blocking access to dangerous websites that sell things such as illegal services, guns, drugs ect. I also believe that age restricting content unsuitable for minors is something that is important morally. However, regarding age restrictions, the main problem is that it's usually very easy to get around and oftentimes doesn't work due to anonymity of the internet. Despite this, I still believe that without any attempt to restrict inappropriate content for minors it would be much easier for minors to access it, and so even just asking the question "Are you over 18?" is important.

I do believe that attempting to regulate anything other than that would be censorship however, and would be dangerous to our democratic society and threaten free speech.

6) Apply Gerbner's cultivation theory to new and digital media. Is the internet creating a fearful population? Are we becoming desensitised to online threats, trolling and abuse? Is heavy internet use something we should be worried about in society? Write a paragraph discussing these ideas.

Gerbner's cultivation theory suggests that heavy viewers of the television were exposed to more violence and crime, and so were affected by 'mean world syndrome'. I honestly believe that the extent to which your viewpoint on the world is affected by the TV and internet is much more dependent on the person than Gerbner's theory suggests; somebody could simply have a much more anxious personality than somebody else. However, there is never not going to be a negative news story covered on the internet, and so the constant sense of threat and danger is undeniably present online.
The internet has, in many ways, made us desensitised to the effects we have on others. The sheer amount of death threats and abuse thrown around at people online is staggering but - due to the anonymity of the internet - we don't have to think about our actions and the effects they can have. Essentially, although many won't pay mind to a death threat, there are many who will. Since so many people's lives revolve around the internet, it's much harder to ignore frequent bullying and abuse, and so heavy internet use is definitely something that we should worry about in society.

The effects debate: Media Factsheet

Complete the following tasks using Media Factsheet 030 - The Effects Debate available on the Media Shared drive. You'll find it in our Media Factsheet archive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets. Remember, you can't access these at home so make sure you save the factsheet to a USB/Google Drive or email it to yourself so you can complete the work at home.

Read Media Factsheet 030 - Media and Audiences -The Effects Debate and answer the following questions:

1) Complete the questions in the first activity box (beginning with 'Do you play violent games? Are you violent in real life?')

1. Do you play violent video games and/or watch violent films? Are you violent in ‘real life’? 

> I don't often play many violent video games, but some of my favourite TV shows showcase lots of violence. I wouldn't consider myself a violent person.

2. Do you ever see a product advertised on TV or on the internet and decide you want to buy it? 

>I have, but I rarely go through with actually buying it. It's more of a "I would get that if I had money" feeling than an actual commitment to buying a product.

3. Have you ever seen a documentary which has drawn your attention to an issue which you now feel strongly about?

>Not particularly.

2) What are the four categories for different effects theories?

• Diffusion Theories
• Direct Effect Theories
• Indirect Effect Theories
• The Pluralist Approach

3) What are the examples provided for the hypodermic needle theory - where media texts have been blamed for certain events? 

• Child’s Play – The murder of Jamie Bulger
• Marilyn Manson – The Columbine High School shootings
• Natural Born Killers – a number of murders committed by
romantically linked couples. in one case, the director was sued
for inciting violence although the court case was later dismissed

4) What was the 1999 Columbine massacre? You may need to research this online in addition to the information on the factsheet.

The 1999 Columbine massacre was the deadliest school shooting in US history at the time. 2 Teenagers killed 12 students, including themselves, and 1 teacher, while harming many more. It inspired copycat shootings as well as causing moral panics over teenagers use of internet and violent video games.

5) What are the reasons listed on the factsheet to possibly explain the Columbine High School massacre?

o The ease of access to firearms and the social acceptance of gun ownership
o The alienation felt by teenagers who felt as though they did not fit in
o The hopelessness caused by living in an area where unemployment was high and was economically disadvantaged
o The general desensitisation caused by access to a range of violent images: film, TV, the news, the internet

6) How does the factsheet describe Gerbner's Cultivation theory?

This theory considers the way the media affects attitudes rather than behaviour.

7) What does the factsheet suggest about action films and the values and ideologies that are reinforced with regards to violence?

Violence for a ‘good’ reason is acceptable and violence for a ‘bad’ reason must be punished.  

8) What criticisms of direct effect theories are suggested in the factsheet?

It suggests the theory has an elitist element suggesting a judgement is being made about the mass audience as they are assumed to be easily led and not perceptive or self-aware.

9) Why might the 1970s sitcom Love Thy Neighbour be considered so controversial today? What does this tell us about Reception theory and how audiences create meanings?

It's considered racist and offensive due to the racial slurs and insensitivity present in the sitcom. The racism is no longer an acceptable form of comedy, showcasing how ideologies in society are constantly evolving. It supports the idea that no one text has one single meaning as perspectives on media can change and evolve over time.

10) What examples are provided for Hall's theory of preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings?

The Sun and The Guardian

Audience theory: blog tasks

Hypodermic needle model

1) Read this Mail Online article about the effects of videogames. How does this article link to the hypodermic needle model?

The article discusses how "Playing violent video games for just 20 minutes a day can encourage aggressive behaviour." The article implies that young people are injected with violent thoughts and perspectives on the world by playing violent video games, without any personal autonomy to reject these violence views and form their own opinions. This closely links to the hypodermic needle model theory with the insulting way it implies audiences are injected with views from the media.

2) How does coverage of the Talk Talk hacking case (see Daily Mail front page below) link to the hypodermic needle model? Why might someone criticise this front page? 

This links to the hypodermic needle model as the front page connotes that the hacker's violent video games and antisocial nature made him become a hacker.This article would get criticised as it implies playing violent video games make children become antisocial. It also implies that the the kid being fatherless led to him becoming a criminal, which is insulting to single mothers.

Two-step flow model

1) Summarise the two-step flow model. In your opinion, is the two-step flow theory still relevant today?

The two-step flow model is a theory that suggests it is people in the media that influence an audience and less the media itself. There are 'opinion leaders' in society today, especially with social media such as instagram and youtube where we form connections with people behind the screen.

2) How does this YouTube blogger fit into the two-step flow model?

This youtube blogger is a make-up reviewer. His own opinion on the products he reviews influences his audience as they decide if they are to buy the products based on his reviews.

3) How this this Telegraph feature on Britain's most popular tweeters fit the two-step flow model? Do you think these accounts genuinely have an influence over their audience?

The twitter accounts express their own opinions on issues all while promoting their brands and character. Popular celebrities will undeniably have influence on an audience due to their status as celebrities.

4) Read this BBC profile of Jamal Edwards. How does Jamal Edwards link to the two-step flow model?

Due to being a young creator and starting by making videos on youtube, his story will have an influence on young audiences and make them aspire to be as successful as he is.

 

Uses and Gratifications theory

1) For each of the four categories, write about one media text that fits that particular audience use or pleasure. Make sure you explain WHY it fits the category and use images or clips to illustrate your points.

Diversion:

X Factor. It's a TV series used as escape from your usual life.

Personal Relationships:

Pokemon games. You get easily attached to your favourite pokemon and characters.

Personal Identity:

Skins. A TV series focusing on the lives of 6th formers in which people from 6th form can project themselves onto.

Surveillance:

Weather channels. They're used to provide the audience with a weather report, which is information useful for living.

Dependency theory

1) Do you agree that audiences have become dependent on the media? What evidence or examples can you provide to support your view?

I agree that audiences have become dependant on the media. Aspects of life that have become essential in society, such as knowing current news events or what the weather is going to be like, have all become very easy access through the internet and TV.

2) How has the growth of new and digital technology in the last 15 years changed people's dependency on the media? Is this a new problem?

Due to the smart phone being invented in recent years, there is a constant access to social media, games and communication that people have undoubtedly become dependant on. When the latest news story and notification is so easily accessible, there is the issue of society becoming completely reliant on the media.

Social media also allows for audiences to give their own inputs on certain issues. Websites such as youtube has provided people with platforms to influence society; people can rise up from nowhere and become hugely impactful. Due to the new emphasis on social media, people have become obsessed with not missing out.

3) Reflecting on your own media use, how does your media consumption impact on your emotions? Does the media have an overall positive or negative impact on your health and wellbeing? Why?

Media consumption has both negative and positive impacts on my emotions and wellbeing. Video games are an example of media that provides me with entertainment. Social media such as twitter can be an enjoyable way to interact with friends and funny posts online, yet can also be very draining with the constant conflict and bad news that circulates on the website. I recently discovered an anime that I became obsessed with, which has probably had a negative impact on my wellbeing with how addicted I became to it. Media is also used as an escape to de-stress, yet also can be stressful in itself.

MIGRAIN October assessment learner response

FEEDBACK

1) Type up feedback in full

Total = 36 = B

WWW:
This is one of the best Autumn assessments I've read - seriously impressive! Real insight shown, confident use of theory to support points, good depth to your analysis.

EBI:
> Perhaps just exam technique + timing... you needed a little more for the genre question (another paragraph and more theory - Neale, Chandler, Abercrombie)
> Q2 could have offered a little more comparison

2/3) Identify at least one potential point that you missed out on for each question in the assessment.

Q2:
> Similar themes of determination
> Both dressed for an urban environment

Q3:
> Neale's repetition and difference: Allows producers to evolve genre + maintain audiences.
> Abercrombie: "Sound economic sense", "loyal audience"

Q4:> Preferred: Can trust this magazine, know what they're talking about, trend setters
> Oppositional: Arrogant, negative black/youth stereotypes, hand gesture = gang sign

4) Did you get any media terminology or theory wrong in the assessment? Make a note of it here for future revision, including theories/terminology that you could have used but didn't.

Q3:
Tolson: genre "mediates between industry and audience
Neale's repetition and difference
Schatz's genre of order + intergration
Abercrombie: "exploit conventions"

5) Identify your strongest question. Why did you do better on this question?

Question 1: Full marks. I cited the 3 different narrative theorists and covered a large range of points.

6) Identify your weakest question. Why did you score lower on this particular task?

Question 3: I had trouble remembering the specific names and details of genre theories/theorists regarding genre.

7) Re-write your weakest answer in full (or, if it was the essay question, write out a full essay plan). Use the mark scheme to identify anticipated content you can add to your response and make sure your typed re-draft is a top-level answer.

Genre is important for media producers as it allows them to exploit the interests of certain audiences and also allows their content to remain interesting. Schatz suggested that genre goes through a cycle; innovation, classical, parody and deconstruction. After media codes are established and repeated for a genre, they begin to become parodies and cliched as the conventions are oversaturated. This is important for media producers as it allows them to consistently create successful media by treading familiar ground that they know is popular.
Genre is also important in allowing media producers to create a profitable product that attracts an audience: Abercrombie suggests that “television producers set out to exploit genre conventions [as] it makes sound economic sense.” This is further backed up by Neale declaring that “difference is absolutely essential to the economy of genre.” Neale’s theory of repetition and difference suggests that genre allows producers to evolve genre and maintain audiences. Audiences will go into a piece of media with pre-determined conventions and expectations for the genre, such as themes or structure. Chandler called these “conventions of content,” implying that audiences that disliked certain conventions of a genre will know not to consume media of that genre again.

8) Email your re-written answer (7) to the next person below you on the blog list. Ask them to provide a WWW/EBI response before next Friday and then include this underneath your answer on your blog. 

WWW: This is an outstanding answer and would certainly be top level - excellent use of your notes and the mark scheme to deliver this!

EBI: You could potentially discuss the importance of genre for audience pleasures - there is a significant pleasure for audiences in having expectations satisfied which genre allows. Also, make your paragraphs clearer - it will make it easier for examiners to see you have covered all aspects of the question.

INDEX

1) Introduction to Media: 10 questions
2) Media consumption audit
3) Semiotics blog tasks - English analysis and Icon, Index, Symbol
4) Language: Reading an image - advert analyses
5) Reception theory - advert analyses part 2
6) Genre: Factsheets and genre study questions
7) Blog feedback and learner response
8) Narrative: Factsheet questions

Narrative blog task

1) Give an example from film or television that uses Todorov's narrative structure of equilibrium, disequilibrium and new equilibrium.
Lord of the rings
Equilibrium: The beginning exposition shows a peaceful ideal world
Disequilibrium: The ring is introduced and peace is threatened
New equilibrium: Peace is restored however some main characters do not return

2) Complete the activity on page 1 of the Factsheet: find a clip on YouTube of the opening of a new TV drama series (season 1, episode 1). Embed the clip in your blog and write an analysis of the narrative markers that help establish setting, character and plot.


The setting is established as a company office building through the visual iconography. The lead character, Michael, is introduced in the beginning scene of the pilot. His mannerisms and dialect shape his character as being witty and flippant, mistaking the woman as a man on the phone. He proudly flaunts being the "Regional Manager of the Scranton branch of a paper distribution company", and guides the cameraman through the office building. This further emphasises the setting and easily introduces the style of show The Office is; a comedy series follows the everyday lives of office employees. Through the shaky camera-work and Michael speaking directly to the cameraman, the show is established as a kind of documentary style series that recognises the camera and having an audience. Michael introduces Pam, the secretary, creating a contrast in their personalities that further creates a comedic tone.

3) Provide three different examples from film or television of characters that fit Propp's hero character role.
Harry Potter
Midoriya Izuku - My hero academia
Maka Albarn - Soul Eater

4) Give an example of a binary opposition.
Villain and hero

5) What example is provided in the Factsheet for the way narratives can emphasise dominant ideologies and values?
The winner often represents the dominant ideas and values of our culture. When the policeman captures the criminal in a crime drama– the ideology of the value of law and order is emphasised.

6) Why do enigma and action codes (Barthes) offer gratifications for audiences?
Conventional narratives offer gratification to the audience. Complications are created with an enigma for the audience. The audience is curious as to what actions will be taken and how problems will be solved.

7) Write a one-sentence summary of the four different types of TV narrative:

• Episodic narrative (the series): There are different narrative arcs each episode and each is usually resolved by the end of it.
• Overarching narrative (the serial): A narrative arc plays out over a series of episodes, and the resolution plays out at the end of the serial.
• Mixed narrative: A text that uses both episodic and overarching narratives.
• Multi-strand overlapping narrative (soap narrative): These have a continuous narrative and tell a number of different stories at the same time.

8) How does the Factsheet suggest adverts use narrative? 
Adverts set up a problem and immediately offer the solution to create a swift resolution.

LR

Name	First blog task - 10 Questions	Media Consumption Audit	Semiotics blog tasks	MIGRAIN Reading an Image	Reception theory advert analysis
Belle

WWW: Your blog is a joy to read – there’s a real engagement and level of thought that bodes very well for future achievement in the subject. You are already writing in some depth and considering a variety of different possible meanings to texts. The examples you’ve chosen for the Semiotics task are excellent and I really like the amount of thought and reflection in your initial 10 questions. The only criticism would be that you strike me as the perfect candidate to thrive at university so I’d encourage you to think about that possibility over the next year or so!

EBI: In terms of areas to improve, I would look at your media consumption audit as a starting point. It’s clear that you already have a level of political understanding (based on your Brexit comments) and consume a variety of different types of media. However, I do think that you could be more specific in how you plan to develop in this area and I encourage you to start reading newspapers regularly (even if this is online) and also explore the potential of podcasts. Finally, your Semiotics post was a little later than the deadline so one area we should keep an eye on is organisation, workload and meeting deadlines.

LR: Reflect on your work in A Level Media so far. What is your strongest piece of work? What is your weakest? What specific skills or knowledge do you need to develop over the rest of the course?

Response:
I think my strongest piece of work is my Genre blog task, and my weakest is my media consumption audit. I think I need to brush up on remembering certain theories regarding genre and also the names of theorists.