How do audience responses to [this product] demonstrate sociohistorical circumstances?
Sociohistorical circumstances here refers to the social issues which were important in the time in which the media product was made. For this activity, the episodes we are listening to are mainly around 2018, which for all intents and purposes is 'here and now'. So a different way of phrasing this question could be 'how do these radio shows reflect the dominant ideological perspectives that exist today?
Other ways in which this question could be phrased in the exam:
- Explore the ways in which [this product] reflects the ideological perspectives of it's producer
- To what extent does [this product] reflect the views and ideologies of the time in which it was made?
- Stuart Hall suggests that audiences can receive the ideological perspectives of media products in many different ways, in a system of exchange and negotiation. To what extent do you agree with this audience theory?
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| Late Night Woman's Hour is indicative of the BBC's remit to provide a plurality of voices, opinions, ideologies and representations. Broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it is later podcasted through the BBC Sounds app/webportal, and edited in to bite-size chunks in order to increase audience accessibility. |
The below episodes can be found hosted on BBC Sounds as of 19/01/2022
Reception theory revision
Every media product reflects the ideology of the producer that made it. This process is called encoding. However, audiences can also take, or recieve meaning from media products. This is called decoding.
Dominant ideology: the ideology that is generally accepted in the [UK]. Hall argued that media products tend to reflect and reinfoce the dominant ideology of the country in which it was made.
Preferred reading: the audience recieves the media product in the way the producer intends, gets the intended meaning out of it, and agrees with the ideology of the producer
Oppositional reading: where the audience disagrees with the ideology of the producer
Negotiated reading: where the audience partially agrees with the ideology of the producer
Vaginas/pockets
Plurality of voices: young black British woman, and an older American woman, a blogger, a journalist, anthropologist, stereotypical middle class professions
Preferred reading
- women's pockets are too small, and this is a significant issue
- Raises an issue that women's are manufactured to be form fitting over having a practical utility. Yet another example of patriarchal hegemony
- Preferred reading: an acknowledgement that vaginas do not always smell fresh, and that women should embrace sometimes not smelling like hegemonically accepted stereotype
- A potentially controversial topic to be raised! Both topics draw attention to the inherent sexism in society
Oppositional reading
- some audiences may find the frank discussion of genitalia, in particular female genitalia is distasteful
- Potentially upsetting or distasteful content for younger audiences (???)
- Some audience members may feel the pockets discussion is irrelevant and not particularly care about
- People with traditional views and values may be offended or even shocked by this episode
Negotiated reading
- what the hosts are saying is valid, yet this is clearly not that important, or not important to everyone
- The viewpoints are valid, but there are more pressing issues
- Audiences may not wish to hear about embarrassing personal stories, but may enjoy the discussion of pockets
- Male audiences may not be able to identify with the episode, but may come to a greater understanding of what some women experience
Quotes: "a vagina is a self-cleaning oven" - potentially controversial, potentially informative
"it's not a clementine" - racy, a bit sexual, perhaps appealing to an older audience
Intersectionality/racist 'trapdoors'
Dominant ideology: Episode presents a pro-feminist ideology, in particular intersectional feminism
Preferred reading
- audiences will agree with the message of this episode, and will also feel that feminism and issues surrounding feminism will have a big ,impact on their lives
- Presenter criticises broad statements and statements made by a podcast hosted by two white women
- Preferred reading: feminism can challenge a patriarchal hegemonic society
Negotiated reading
- while the issues raised in this episode are important, they are clearly not the biggest issues in the world
Oppositional reading
- the brand of feminism in this episode is argumentative and divisive
- audiences may be upset by and disgusted by representation of sexually promiscuous women
- audiences may feel that there is a double standard between the representation of men and women
Body image
This clearly reflects the time in which it was made, and raises many socio-historical and political issues.
Dominant ideology: body image is an important topic and deserves to be discussed. This topic holds more hegemonic importance to audiences such as young women. However, the first commentator argues that Instagram is a force for good, and allows for positive manifestations of body image. This contradicts negative stories that may be reported on Instagram, for example promoting EDs SH, etc.
Hyperreality: where the representation is more real than the thing it is representing
Preferred reading
Body image is an issue that is important and should be discussed
Oppositional reading
Body image is not an important issue