Clay Shirky in practice: The Guardian and the language of the amateur

Clay Shirky is an interesting theorist. His central premise, the idea that the audience have dissipated and been replaced with a highly motivated amateur producers is contentious. Many media students and media teachers can instantly point out that posting on a blog and having a moderately successful fashion vlog on YouTube are very VERY different things.

However the aspect of Shirky's work that is most compelling to me is the idea that media producers now adopt a deliberately amateurish approach to appeal to mass audiences and to increase output. This allows producers such as journalists to produce relatable 'content', that can be 'consumed' easily and without consideration.

The Guardian has a reputation of being exclusive and intellectual. If that was the case, it is not so right now. The lexis of the Guardian is accessible to a 12-13 year old. More recently, editorial decisions have seen 'content' that is fixated on 'listicles' and click bait, with head scratching headlines that are derided and delighted over on social media. The inclusion of Adrian Chiles as a columnist seems to be a deliberate ploy to create some of the most bizarre and hilarious 'baity columns ever published.  I'm sure the fact that he's married to the editor in chief of the Guardian is pure coincidence. 

Snide comments aside, this shift to deliberately 'amateurish' articles is indicative of an increasingly difficult media landscape. To minimise risk and maximise profit, legacy media producers must do everything possible to stay relevant, especially because their competition in convergent social media platforms has their content creators working for free, perpetually ensnared by a series of powerful algorithms that are able to automate and maximise 'engagement' in blunt and brutish ways.

Constructing realities - what realities are constructed in the products we have studied for component one?

Representation is not reality. It is the reconstruction of reality. Representations are reconstructions that are formed from shot types and edits and colours and costumes: media language. But what are the things that are actually being represented and reconstructed in the media products we have studied in component one?

Music videos - Formation - The representation of ethnicity, racism, slavery,  the representation of women, and the aftermath of hurricane Katrina in the US south. Also BLM 

Music videos - 17 Going Under - The representation of poverty and the North East of England, of teenagers and various other interconnected social issues

Advertising - Tide Advert - The domestication of women, and the reinforcement of hegemonic, patriarchal values, the housewife stereotype  

Advertising - Super.Human advert - challenging representations of disability and stereotypical representations of people with disabilities  (and of the United Kingdom) - 

Advertising - KOTV - the representations gender in the 1960s, including the stereotypical representations of women 

Newspapers - The Times (™) - the use of representations to manipulate the political ideology of the pre-sold audience, to reinforce ideologies and to shape the audience 

Newspapers - The Daily Mirror (™) - the use of representations to manipulate the political ideology of the pre-sold audience,  to reinforce ideologies and to shape the audience 

Digital distribution and the radio industry

How have digital technologies affected how audiences can respond to radio? 

• The podcast is easily accessible and downloadable for free!
• Easier for the audience to talk to each other about it, using social media. Therefore the issues and themes are more easily spread
• Complicated techniques that engage audiences such as overlapping sound are extremely easy to accomplish
• In addition to BBC Sounds, the podcast can be streamed through Youtube and Spotify. Allows audiences a variety of different points of access
• The use of digital editing software such as Adobe Audition makes editing audio significantly easier than before. Also, accessibility of digital recording equipment has liberalised the production of audio media

How does BBC Sounds use its web portal to maximise audience engagement?

• If the website looked unappealing and was difficult to use, it would minimise audience engagement. However, the website has been designed to effectively engage audiences. 
• From the top of the page: high contrast colourful images with high engagement
• The colour orange has connotations of hope and energy, and constructs a clear brand identity. 
• The thumbnails on the top strip are colourful and easy to access. The majority of audiences will default to live broadcasts, and this ensures that audiences get what they want.
• However, as audiences move from left to right, they can access more niche shows, and therefore this allows the BBC to address plurality 
• Simple, straightforward, web 2.0 layout will appeal to many target audiences

How have digital technologies affected how we listen to radio?

• Digital tech has made radio far more accessible. 
• Use of integrated apps allows for remote listening around the country and the world 
• Everything is digital, everything is connected. For example social media integration allows audiences to instantly share their thoughts with a huge audience!!
• It allows audiences a huge variety of shows, allowing audiences to access niche shows
• Digital convergence has allowed for ease of access, and allows younger audiences an enjoyable experience when interacting with media such as radio 
• Freedom to access shows at any time, rather than relying on scheduled releases 
• Easier to produce radio shows! 
• Accessibility! Mobile phones make listening to radio as easy as simply downloading BBC Sounds and creating an account. This allows radio to appeal to a winder and more diverse audience
• Personalisation. Using a service like Spotify, algorithmic optimisations allows platforms to present audiences with more of what they want to listen to. However, this arguably only presents audiences with a narrow viewpoint of media, as certain companies are able to pay to be included in this optimisation 
• Mobility. Due to the fact that podcasts can be downloaded, they can hypothetically b listen to on other planets 
• Quick, easy, convenient. HYHGP is hosted on Sounds, Spotify and YouTube, which provides audiences with options 
• Allows audiences to repeat, rewind, fast forward 
• Allows audiences to distribute, share and edit the podcast themselves 

Zoella.co.uk archive - Exploring hyperreality and audience response in the article 'Our Favourite Pancake Day Toppings'

How to answer the representation comparison question, and two brief examples of representation comparisons

What questions could come up for the representation comparison question of component one section A?

1. how audiences are positioned by the representations
2. How ideologies conveyed through the representations 
3. construct versions of reality
4. represent social groups
5. representations of gender convey values and attitudes
6. how audiences may interpret the representations of gender
7. how representations convey values and beliefs
8. how the representations position audiences

consider how the representations [construct versions of reality]

 consider the similarities and differences…

make judgments and draw conclusions about how far…

Generic introduction

Representation refers to how reality is reconstructed by the producer using media. Representations can be used to convey an ideological message to the audience, and producers will use media language to anchor and position audience response. In this essay, I shall argue that music videos can use representations to position audiences in dramatically different ways. 

Example one: The Killers 'When You Were Young' vs Sam Fender '17 Going Under'

Plan 

17 - sad, miserable, depressing mode of address

Moments of hope 

The Killers  - sad, isolated, yet with moments of hope 

Costume codes 

All white: purity and innocence and undertones of religion 

Cross

Church 

Rapid fire montage - proairetic code 

Long shot, isolated, helpless

Working class representations 

Audience positioned through intense emotional performances 

Representations of heterosexual relationships 

Positioned through diegetic sound

Representations of rural areas - bleak, directly, depressing

Master shot: fender on northern terraced street 

Use of stereotypes. Stereotypical settings, costumes…

Representations of religion - of the past, gothic 

Conventional romance narrative in the killers 

Killers: conventional master shot

Fender: constructed as isolated yet important 

Ocean shot: fender standing around a group of stereotypical teenagers 

Representations of grief and loss and depression as an issue - shot of mother in panic in the living room

“The fist fights on the beach” - strong northern accent

Representations of gender: assumption that men must be strong and emotionless - Liesbet Van Zoonen  or Judith Butler 

Mother on the cliff vs standing on the cliff in the killers - representations of mothers 

Example two: Bang Chan 'Railway' vs Beyonce 'Formation'

Compare how this music video extract and the music video for Formation represent social groups. [30]

In your answer you must:

• consider the similarities and differences in how social groups are represented

• consider how representations construct reality

• make judgements and draw conclusions about how far the representations reflect social

and cultural contexts.

Introduction

Representation refers to the re-presentation of ideologies about a certain group of people, as reconstructed by the producer to realign audiences to agree with their ideological perspective. Representations reconstruct different versions of reality, and this is essential for producers to construct a stereotypical yet compelling version of reality. In this essay I shall argue that the representation of social groups in these two videos is completely different, due to the completely different ideological perspectives of these radically different genres of of music. In order to explore this idea, I shall use the examples of Formation by Beyonce, a hip-hop/R&B track with elements of bounce and trap that explores themes of poverty, the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, and black, southern working class identity. I shall also explore the video to Railway by Bang Chan, which presents a completely different ideological perspective typical of a high budget K-pop video. 

Plan 

South Korean men  - perfect, hegemonically attractive, beautiful 

Black working class New Orleans people - powerful, prideful, diverse

Slave owner dress 

Crawling on floor - power

Sexualisation and fetishism of powerful men 

Horror conventions 

Intertextuality

Vampires

Anime references and videogame references 

Social group - fans of east Asian culture and cult audiences

Low angle shots - constructs power 

Beyonce - lyrics ‘all my ladies’, MES of backing dancers

Beyonce positioned as important and commanding 

Black people - subverts stereotypes of black people as violent a dangerous

CU/LS montage of child dancing: disrespect of authority

Intersectional feminism and bell hooks - challenging representations of gender and ethnicity

Subversive representation of masculinity - a binary opposition

New Orleans - exclusively black people, run down, representations of working class identity 

Railway - destroyed prison. Symbolism of destroyed flags suggests shame and misery 

Listen closer… A discussion of episode one of HYHGP?

• The podcast takes the form of a story, with a skilled storytelling constructing the narrative. The is unconventional for podcasts, which often take a talk show format
• Many references to themes of drugs and violence, spreading awareness of these issues. However the show differs from fictionalised accounts such as Top Boy, by going into detail about issues that affect young black men in the UK
• Focus on a range of music in order to explore the topic at hand. George uses references to his favourite rap songs to make points about drugs and violence, and draws a complex picture of his own enjoyment, constructing a complex representation of young black British inner city identity?
• A blunt and often straightforward mode of address, making explicit reference to how many children will end up dead or in prison
• An impactful and controversial mode of address
• Analysis of controversial rap lyrics draws attention to the admissibility of evidence. The audience is assumed to have a clear, detailed and intricate K&U of a range of different issues
• An extremely direct mode of address towards the target audience, with George directly asking the audience to put on a blindfold to fully concentrate on the issues at hand 
• A range of different atmos (atmospheric sounds) constructs a down to earth and immersive mode of address for the target audience, constructing a more relatable atmosphere for the target audience 
• A niche and specific target audience. The word ‘black’ is not mentioned once, yet themes affecting young black British people are implicit.
• George's voice, delivery and topics of discussion are all stereotypically black, allowing him and his podcast to relate to a black audience
• However, the show target a range of people through it’s educated and complex mode of address
• The fact that the show is podcasted means that niche audiences can access this show whenever and wherever 
• Is highly atypical and unconventional of the podcast format
• Discussion of hard hitting and affecting topics, including the issues faced by inner city black British youth
• Consideration of stereotypical representations of black youth, specifically through the lens of UK hip-hop 
• Also deals with the issue of jail, punishment and rehabilitation. George draws attention to issues such as drugs in prison, and constructs a hard hitting and complicated narrative for the target audience 
• Introduction features George looking at a group of inner city children, and speculating over how how many will die or end up in prison 
• George is freely circulating his own opinions, and labels them as such 
• An engaging and immersive use of atmos sound, forcing the audience to understand his points 
• However, a range of deliberately distracting and even confusing sound effects can conversely make the episode more relatable to the target audience 
• Uses examples from UK hip-hop tracks to convey the experiences of young black British men who have experienced these things 
• George has mixed opinions on hip hop. He clearly loves it, is knowledgeable, and even sings along, yet also critiques the potential for UK hip-hop to glamourise criminal lifestyles 
• Entire podcast encourages audience discussion, and requires a significant level of contextual knowledge 

Francophone part one - audience appeal, audience needs, audience positioning in Have You Heard George's Podcast?

This episode tackles issues of colonialism, a topic which may not appeal to wider audiences. Colonialism refers to where one country or culture ‘takes over’ another country or culture, and imposes their culture on them. This can lead to interesting blends of culture, and yet always is achieved through the cultural domination of another country. This episode refers to the repackaging of afrobeats, and the reselling of this music in America and Europe for the purpose of power and profit. This is an example of cultural imperialism.

How is this episode constructed in a way that is appealing to its target audiences?

• Extensive use of music creates a relatable and exciting mode of address to teenage audiences. 
• The unfamiliar music choices are very interesting, and provide audiences with a range of information
• The topic of the music industry provides an escapist mode of address to the target audience 
• “Black people love Ed Sheeran” for his range of music, and drawing attention to different genres. Also constructs an inclusive mode of address for his black audiences. Ed Sheeran is a popular artist, and respecting him stops George from alienating his audience
• Episode starts a completely new topic with no assumed information, yet encourages the audience to listen to other episodes 
• Audience appeal, audience needs, audience positioning 
• Themes and content: what is this episode actually about? How does it reflect sociopolitical contexts?
• A complicated and demanding mode of address, with a music related topic. The episode focuses on American music producers ‘stealing’ African/afrobeat music, and the consequences of way. Francophone refers to countries and cultures where the assumption is that the most spoken language is French. The idea that people in these countries speak French is routed in colonisation. While this clearly creates a fascinating mix of cultures, the process of colonisation involves taking people’s freedom away, and this episode deals with this . George considers an example of Senegalese pop music and muses that it wasn’t more internationally successful because “it wasn’t the right kind of European language”. He refers to the artist Akon, and considers why he become famous and other artist didn’t. George discusses ‘whitewashing’, where afrobeat music is remixed, re-corded and represented in a way which will appeal to a whiter international audience.
• Collective industry building takes a certain economy’ 
• The market in Africa is bizarrely smaller than that in north America, and George discusses the capitalist desire to take culture and wealth from another continent, and to remarket it to Americans. This extremely complex mode of address 
• How does George take such complex subject and present it in an appealing way?
• George’s lexis is simple and straightforward, and invites a variety of audiences to engage with him
• A range of music is included throughout the podcast which helps the audience to understand the nature of the discussion, and and also presents an exciting and appealing mode of address
• Highly educational, with a wealth of knowledge being shared with the audience, such as the American appropriation of a range of African music being turned in to chart success 
• The use of poetry is highly appealing, and constructs an important and satisfying mode of address
• “[on Akon] From the start he said he was African/ But that wasn’t the packaging that would bring him to platinum”
• George casually mentions his PhD, insinuating his very high level of education, yet drops the ‘dr’ aspect from his name, constructing a relatable mode of address

Audience responses - applying reception theory to HYHGP?: A Grenfell Story

Reception theory refers to how producers will ENCODE (or ‘put in’) a specific meaning or ideology in to a media product. However, audiences can interpret or decode these messages in a variety of different ways. An audience’s interpretation of a media product can be influenced by any number of factors, including political beliefs, personal opinions, personality, age, location, sexuality, gender, etc.

We can break down the three primary ways in which audiences can interpret media as

1. Preferred reading - where the audience agrees with the ideological perspective of the producer
2. Oppositional reading - where the audiences disagrees with the ideological perspective of the producer 
3. Negotiated reading - where the audience both agrees with and disagrees with the ideology of the producer

Negotiated responses to A Grenfell Story

The 72 victims of the Grenfell Tower fire

• This episode is probably the most highly regarded of the entire series, and a number of contemporary reviews praised the mature and audacious ways in which the episode treated a particularly distressing event. However, clearly, this episode has the potential to provoke a variety of intensely detailed and negotiated readings. One of the most important contributing factors to this is the relative lack of anchorage presented, with almost no contextual information suggesting what the Grenfell incident even is. This places a significant expectation on behalf of the audience, whether to know about the incident in advance, or at least to have the intention to research the incident after listening. 
• The narrative has a circular or cyclical structure, and begins and ends with the same concept. Starting with a conversation between a teacher and a student, it ends wit the emotionally manipulative scene of the same student talking to her now dead teacher. 
• The music changes throughout, and there is a strong emphasis on the soundtrack. Early on, a smooth R&B soundtrack plays that evolves into a dramatic and cinematic soundtrack. The sound effects throughout reinforce this cinematic reading, yet the acne in particular that underlines the idea that this podcast is ‘a film’ is the very end, where George announces “picture a black screen, like at the end of a film, and the words come up “based on a true story”. These cinematic techniques position the audience in an impactful mode of address. By using the metaphor of a film, George creates a powerful bond to the characters, before destroying it at the end and breaking the fourth wall, and revealing the illusion. This intertextual reference helps audiences to better understand a tragic event.
• Soe audiences may interpret this as being insensitive. By dramatizing an actual event that killed real people, it could be argued that George is profiting off of an event he has no relation to. It is unclear if George is a character in a narrative, or telling the story of someone else. However, George has clearly placed himself in to a story, based on reality. By inserting himself in to the narrative, it can be argued that George forms a connection with his audience, and helps them to understand that this horrific event happened to real people. However an oppositional reading may to take offence at the way the George has made himself the main character of this very particular
•  However, it can also be interpreted that George is absolutely not the main character, but is only slightly related to the narrative. The actual main characters are the teacher and her student, and the relationship that they had with each other. This reinforces the dominant ideology that Grenfell was a tragedy that affected real people 
• The character of the teacher is also a single mother, and the representation of her is surprisingly complex, balanced and positive. Single mothers may be able to identify with her, and may also be affected more intensely by the issues in this radio drama . 
• Reception theory refers to how producers will ENCODE (or ‘put in’) a specific meaning or ideology in to a media product. However, audiences can interpret or decode these messages in a variety of different ways. An audience’s interpretation of a media product can be influenced by any number of factors, including political beliefs, personal opinions, personality, age, location, sexuality, gender, etc
• This episode is probably the most highly regarded of the entire series, and a number of contemporary reviews praised the mature and audacious ways in which the episode treated a particularly distressing event. However, clearly, this episode has the potential to provoke a variety of intensely detailed and negotiated readings. One of the most important contributing factors to this is the relative lack of anchorage presented, with almost no contextual information suggesting what the Grenfell incident even is. This places a significant expectation on behalf of the audience, whether to know about the incident in advance, or at least to have the intention to research the incident after listening. 
• Dominant ideology: to position the audience to be in the position of the real people who died in the Grenfell fire. Based on a true true, George has created a dramatized version of events to affect the audience as much as possible.  
• A point is made that many businesses do not survive past their first year. This fraught conversation between teacher and student constructs realistic and relatable modes of address to both teenagers and students, and middle aged people and teachers. We can negotiate this episode differently based on our upbringing. 
• Different people will be affected differently by facts and events. In particular, audiences who have been directly or indirectly affected by the tragedy will negotiate this episode differently. 
• The incident of the fire is overloaded with criss-crossing speech, sound effects and a depressing film-like soundtrack. Audiences can negotiate this scene in a variety of ways. The preferred reading is of course sympathy, confusion and sorrow. However, a negotiated response may involve the audience questioning exactly what actually happened. Audiences may feel confused and even frustrated by the lack of factual accuracy in the episode 
• Some audiences may find the entire episode disrespectful to the people who actually died. The episode presents a dramatized series of events, constructing a dramatic series of events for the purpose of emotional impact. Some audiences may find it distasteful or even wrong that George is using the event for both financial gain and exposure 
• However a further negotiation would be that although the narrative is complex and maybe manipulative, ultimately it increases exposure of a particularly tragic event. While their are very few facts included in this episode, the audience are encouraged to search out facts and meaning themselves 
• Themes of drug trafficking and crime, and how they relate to young black people in inner city areas are key to this narrative. One way of negotiating this aspect could be to take offence at the stereotypical and highly leading representation of young black people. However it also draws attention to a very real issue, that the victims of the Grenfell fire were overwhelmingly people of colour and vulnerable 
• A negotiated reading of of the opening conversation could be embarrassment at the stereotypical relationship of a student and teacher
• Audiences may be frustrated that this episode is so different from other episodes of George's podcast, as it take the form of drama 
• The ending is sad and emotionally manipulative. George speaks in a croaky voice, directly addressing the audience and telling us we are viewing the end credits. This breaking the fourth wall directly addresses the audience. However, some audiences may be frustrated at this ‘clever’ storytelling technique, that takes them out of the narrative 
• George is essentially a self insert character, and he describes how attractive he is, how good at back massages he is, and also what a good poet he is. A negotiated reading of George’s self-representation could be he detracts from the impact of the disaster and this is absolutely not appropriate 

Active audience readings - Jenkins, Shirky… and George

A fan is somebody who really loves a film, and they show it by making their own stuff (Jenkins)

People don’t just need to watch films anymore, they can make them! And film makers now use the same stuff to make a film as you do! (shirky) 

Applying Shirky to George: Francophone

Shirky argues that the concept of audience has ended, as now everyone is a producer! Clearly we as the general public now have way more opportunities to produce, edit, and distribute media products. But Shirky goes one step further, and argues that media producers have now been shaped by this, and often adopt ‘amateurish’ elements to their products. 

• George uses informal language and address. “Let’s go to the Ivory Coast”, 
• The use of music to create an engrossing mode of address is easily accomplished with digital technology 
• Pointing out parts of the song he particularly likes, creating an enthusiastic and unprofessional mode of address!
• Accent is not posh, and delivery is colloquial and unpolished 
• Talking over the music: often music and dialogue overlap, sometimes making his dialogue indistinct
• This combination of ‘amateurish’ elements creates an authentic and engrossing mode of address for the target audience, which keeps them listening episode after episode. By selecting an artist who is authentic and connects with young people, the BBC desperately hope to attract audiences who otherwise wouldn’t listen to BBC sound (i.e. young people)
• Shirky argues that the concept of audience has ended, as now everyone is a producer! Clearly we as the general public now have way more opportunities to produce, edit, and distribute media products. But Shirky goes one step further, and argues that media producers have now been shaped by this, and often adopt ‘amateurish’ elements to their products. 
• “Here it goes [music suddenly gets louder]. Such audio editing is made extremely simple due to digital technology 
• Use of informal lexis: “Every time that beat drops, I wanna hear the whole song!”
• Admits his own ignorance “I thought this song was Congolese”
• Keeps cutting in and out, deliberately turning up the music
• “And he’s like ‘au revoir’ [laughs] 
• Relaxed vocal delivery 
• An unsophisticated, causal, and engaging mode of address for the target audience is constructed through the ‘amateurish’ mode of address and production values 

Applying Jenkins - Ways in which fans can interact include...

• Prompts for the audience to engage in the episodes themselves (“close your eyes”)
• Comment on youtube videos, for example “you’re an advocate for the people”
• Posting reviews on Reddit
• Creating a fan quiz 
• Posting video responses
• Creating fan art (pickle George!)
• Flash cards…
• The HYHGP book!
• However, there is surprisingly little actual examples of actual fan engagement with the podcast suggest that a) the podcast attracts a niche audience, but also b) the podcast does not encourage active audience engagement

Issues with Shirky’s theory

• Simply saying ‘hey, everyone can make films now’ is technically true, but ultimately it’s a gross oversimplification. The media industries are still alarmingly unequal, and there are many aspects to stop people from achieving financial or critical success
• Assumes that everyone has the same level of education and skill. This is absolutely not true!
• Completely disregards professionals who have devoted their lives to making media
• Budget. The world is very unfair and unequal, and some people have significant advantages 
• Nepotism! Certain people have advantages that other people don’t

Ensuring economic success: How does the trailer to AC: Valhalla target both mainstream and niche audiences?

• High quality, realistic graphics demonstrating very high production values, including blood splatters, physics, fire, water, hair, facial expressions
• Established, pre sold audience for the AC franchise 
• MES of a wrist blade appeals to fans
• Use of cut scenes presents a cinematic and high quality experience to the target audience
• The trailer refuses to show more videogame elements, such as stats, HUDs, menus, exploration etc to appeal to new audiences and to not confuse them
• Trailer looks like a film trailer, not a videogame! The trailer therefore can target film fans!
• Intertextuality to other media products such as Vikings, Rome, Game Of Thrones, God Of War. All these references allow the trailer to target new audiences!
• Graphics are of a particularly high quality, with extremely high production values. Effects such as blood splatter, water effects, fire effects and especially hair!
• However, the footage from the trailer is not ‘in game footage’, but instead is a cinematic or a cut scene. This allows the producer to show off the highest quality aspects of this game 
• Trailer looks a movie rather than a game, than helps the advert to appeal to a wider audience who may not be familiar with videogames 
• A clear and well defined narrative with antagonists, protagonists and binary oppositions 
• Camera angles, editing and MES all suggest high production values typical of a AAA studio 
• Trailer uses conventions of action films and historical epics, and specifically resembles shows, films and videogames like Vikings, God Of War, Game of Thrones (intertextual reference) 
• References to social media and other videos at the end (digital convergence) 

Violence and the Assassin's Creed franchise

Examples of violence: how does AC: Mirage cultivate an ideological perspective that violence is acceptable?

• An explicit and unflinching shot of a man being stabbed in the neck, with realistic blood splatter. This is presented to the audience as a minor event
• Indirect forms of violence, for example poisoning with a poison dart, reinforces the ideology that violence can be discrete and sophisticated 
• The sheer amount of death in the video is somehow justified by a binary opposition between good and evil, where it is assumed that the professional assassin is good….
• The objective of the mission is to murder. The verb ‘assassinate’ is used many times 
• The verb ‘assassinate’ frequently appears as a contextual action, as opposed to hugging, kissing, or simply talking 
• The sheer number of people killed in just a few minutes, at least 2 a minute 
• Climbing walls and jumping off buildings is alarming behaviour, and may encourage imitable behaviour 
• The protagonist is an assassin: a paid murderer. He is represented as the ‘good guy’, and the passive guards are ‘bad’. This reinforces the ideology that violence is good and appropriate
• Violence is presented in a stylish manner, with attractive movements, and stylish bursts of blood 
• Killing is made easy through being presented as a single button press, and there is not representation of the aftermath and the trauma that comes from killing

To even move around in Assassin's Creed: Mirage is a proairetic encoding of violence. The verbs to interact with the world, climbing, jumping, stabbing, are all violent and active, yet also are all commonplace in videogames. While violent videogames may not make violent people, they clearly cultivate an ideological perspectives that violence is normal, acceptable and commonplace

Dominant ideology:  That violence is acceptable as long as it is justified through certain situations 

• The role of an assassin is presented in a positive light 
• Some people are good (eg the player), some people are bad (eg the slave owner), and some people deserve to die 
• There is no discernable political perspective in this game, just good and bad people, which the producer hopes is unlikely to offend anybody
• The game isn’t real! The violence isn’t real, and fantasy violence is different from real violence 
• The only appropriate response to a bad situation is to sneak and to kill. Negotiation is never an option 
• Baghdad is a violent and yet exciting place 

Preferred reading - agree with the ideology of the producer

Oppositional reading - disagree with the ideology of the producer

Negotiated reading - both agree and yet disagree 

Negotiated responses to AC Mirage 

• While the game has a focus on crime and murder, there are many opportunities for players to do different things, for example climbing buildings and exploring. Some players will enjoy this aspect of the game far more than the combat
• This game could potentially cultivate the ideology that certain people should be dealt with with violence 
• Players may negotiate the violence as being fun, and even silly. The violence is often over the top, theatrical, and ridiculous, and it is unlikely that many players would equate this violence with real world violence
• The violence is boring, and actually brings the game down. It would be better if there were other modes and ways of playing… but it is interesting viewing the architecture 
• It is frustrating being forced to play as a single character, even through the stealth is great!
• The middle eastern setting may be relatable to certain audiences! It is fun and exciting to see you and your location represented! However, the same player may have to negotiate the potentially problematic representation 
• Certain players may be frustrated with the lack of plot, yet they may also enjoy the more refined gameplay mechanics 

However, even through AC is filled with contentious violence, the developers have included a discovery mode in many of the games, eg Valhalla, which allows even younger players to explore and to have fun with no threat of violence. This kind of accessibility feature is only made possible through digital technology. This mode has proven extremely popular with parents and children, providing a completely new experience. Such a mode is only possible however in AAA games 

BONUS VIOLENCE - Criticisms of the effects model and of Bandura’s study

Conclusion of study: that violent media has a direct influence on it’s audiences 

• However, children are affected in completely different ways as they lack development, both cognitive and social
• Assuming that violence only occurs in media, and in one form is highly reductive
• The experiment arguably doesn’t model violence, but models play
• The media is highly structured and doesn’t resemble a film or TV show
• Imitable behaviour
• Conclusion of the experiment: that media has a direct effect on audiences
• The experiment was carried out on children who are fundamentally different, immature, still developing and vulnerable
• A big bouncy floppy doll is not the same as a human, and therefore the results cannot be evenly applied
• Children are potentially unable to differentiate between media and real life, which means ultimately the results must be questioned
• The video is wholly instructional, and does not resemble other forms of media
• The theory and the experiment are vital in proving that certain people MUST be protected by regulations, including the very young and the vulnerable, for example people with MH issues

Better theories than the effects model

• The reception model argues that there are many multiple responses to different media products and audiences can negotiate different responses
• Cultivation theory argues that prolonged exposure to media can gradually shape our ideologies and can eventually desensitise audiences 

Audience negotiations of Assassin’s Creed: Mirage

Preferred readings

• Violence is sometimes acceptable, and in fact violence is normalised through the constant representation of violence. Audiences will interpret that violence is only acceptable if it is for a good cause, for example rescuing a woman.

Negotiated readings 

• While audiences may have anti violent and pacificist ideologies, audiences will negotiate the violence in this game based on it’s fictitious status. Simply put, most audiences can separate fact from fiction
• Other audiences may agree that violence is acceptable, yet stealing is absolutely not (!)
• Other audiences may identify with the criminal protagonist, and while they would never commit crimes themselves, may in turn look upon crime more favourable 
• Further audiences may reject violent readings and playstyles, and instead explore the historically accurate setting of Baghdad 
• Middle Eastern audiences may be delighted at the representation of the middle east, even if it is somewhat stereotypical  
• While parents may disapprove of younger audiences playing such a violent game, the detailed discovery and history modes in games like Mirage and Valhalla allow very young children to enjoy and to explore these games in a completely different way. This extremely negotiated experience is only made possible through digital technology, and is only really possible for videogames 

Introduction to music videos

This post is focused around studying music videos to prepare to the possibility of music videos coming in in the component one exam. However, it also provides useful context and examples of how to approach making your own music videos

Two kinds of question!

1. Representation - how something is presented again by the producer of a media
2. Media language - the things which build a media product. Media language questions are analysis questions.

We need to prepare for two things:

1. looking at representational contexts in the set music videos
2. analysing unseen music videos using the textual analysis toolkit

What is a music video?

• A music video is an advert for a song 
• A music video is a visual interpretation of a piece of music 

Andrew Goodwin’s three varieties of music videos

1. Narrative - tell a story, sometimes featuring the performers, sometimes not. Often this is based on the lyrics
2. Performance  - dancing, singing, lip syncing, playing instruments, gestures 
3. Abstract - fanciful imagery that may or may not have deeper symbolic significance

Exploring music videos

France Gall - Baby Pop

• While this music video was released in 1966, it codifies many elements of music videos that are still used today, including:
• Use of lip synching combined with a fourth wall breaking direct mode of address is highly conventional of music videos, establishing a sense of connection between the performer and the audience
• The use of synchronised dance routines is also highly conventional, and communicates a sense of encouragement to the audience, inviting them to do the same!
• A range of shot types, focusing on close ups of the performer, and establishing Gall asd the star of her own video 
• A limited range of editing, focusing on straightforward cross cutting from location to location. Lacking modern techniques, it still establishes a sense of place
• The MES of trendy and then fashionable costumes allows the video to appeal to a young female target audience 
• A range of dance routines, although the performance is understated and simplistic
• Lip syncing, with the performer looking directly in to the camera in a direct address. Breaking the fourth wall is also breaking the rules of cinema. However it allows her to interact with the audience
• Her costume is highly fashionable, and extremely reminiscent of French popular fashion of the 1960’s. Helping her to appeal to 1960s teenage teenage girls, yet also young male audiences 
• A range of camera angles are used throughout the video 
• A range of interior and exteriors helps to maintain audience attention

Convergence: the coming together of two previously separate industries. Music videos combine music and film. 

The combination of music and television is highly profitable. In the 80s there was a shift from young people buying records to young people watching television. Therefore music videos allowed young people to have exposure to the music they were turning there backs on, and allowed record labels to PULL these audiences back to being profitable customers

Why music videos? 

• It creates a more entertaining product
• It allows the song to be advertised 
• It allows an artist or celebrity to be established 
• It allows a narrative to be constructed 
• It allows for the maximisation of profit by creating a memorable product that will target multiple audiences 

Lipstick - Orange Caramel 

• The MES of matching outfitters for the main performers symbolises friendship and unity. This is further anchored through the use of stereotypically cutesy hand gestures and dance moves which suggest that the target audience of teenage girls are engaged and positioned through this performance
• The MES of costumes creates a further sense of unity between the performers. However, they are differentiated between certain colourful elements. Furthermore, the costumes are bold and extravagant, which further reinforces the outlandish qualities 
• While the premise of the music video is highly conventional, the setting is saturated an a hyper intense orange, which clearly links to the band. Furthermore, the neon orange colours connote joy and youthful exuberance
• The performers are wearing tight, short costumes, and this combined with the attractive performers constructs a definite ideology of sexualisation. This reinforces certain societal standards for women, and presents an aspirational mode of address to the young female target audience

Orange Caramel  - Catalina 

• An ongoing theme is constructed through the MES of costume, which represents these young women as fish and simultaneously food products. This alarming ideological perspective is emphasised through the striking MES of cellophane being wrapped around the women, and the distancing BEV shot of them thrashing in synchronisation 
• The iconography of women being trapped and clearly in distress is not only highly referential of the horror film but also highly typical of a pop music video 
• The iconography of this video is highly stereotypical. The MES of chopsticks and rice is woven in to the costumes of the performers is very funny, and creates a stereotypical representation of south Korean people 
• The editing is fast paced, precise and extremely clean, which mirrors the tempo of the song. In this sense, the video looks like the song sounds 

Lingua Ignota - PENNSYLVANIA FURNACE

• The MES of the costume constructs a binary opposition between conservatism and liberalism. While elements of it make reference to religious costume, the sheer elements of her dress reveal her underwear, constructing a confusing and contradictory node of address. 
• The music itself is stripped back indie, and yet the lyrics are dressing and powerful. The music itself is mellow and soft, which is further anchored through the setting of bleak, empty, yet relaxing fields. 
• The video has been colour graded to emphasise the cold blue tones of the naturalistic setting, This constructs a miserable, unhappy, and depressing mode of address, which is further reinforced through the atypical dance routine, that emphasises emotion over a skillful set of practices

Newspapers: industry and contextual information

The contextual information in this post was correct circa 2025. It is worth remembering that the newspaper industry is in a constant state of flux, and we strongly recommend doing your own research!

For component one section b, if newspapers come up, do NOT refer to the  set text editions! The set edition should only be used if you are specifically asked to use it! And you only ever could be asked to use it in the representation comparison question!

(c) Explain the impact of economic contexts on the newspaper industry. Refer to the Times to support your points. [10] - The newspaper industry has declined significantly due to competition from online and digitally convergent media

(b) How do media producers target specialised audiences? Refer to a print edition of The Daily Mirror to support your points. [12] - Newspapers target their specialised target audiences in a range of straightforward and established ways, to ensure maximum engagement and audience alignment

1. Use Wikipedia to find key facts about the finances and production contexts of these newspapers
2. Pick out specific examples from the Donald Trump print edition (2024) to find specific examples to support your points - https://lr-media.blogspot.com/2024/11/example-newspaper-for-2024-2026-cohort.html 
3. List relevant and useful theories that you can drop in the audience question in particular 

Fact file

The Times

• 2020 circulation: 365,000
• 2014 circulation: 390,000
• 2000 circulation: ALLEDGEDLY 726,000 a steady decline
• Owned by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp, a billionaire owned multinational conglomerate. News UK also publishes The Sun. But News International, own Fox in part, although Disney bought out much of the company to eliminate competition Conglomeration reduces risk 
• Middle class, middle aged, white collar, managerial, corporate 
• Competition from The Guardian (left wing), The Financial Times, The Daily Telegraph 
• Right wing (centre right), supports the conservative. Middle class people in the UK tend to skew right wing 
• Price of the times has almost tripled in a decade to £2.80. However, the middle class, affluent target audience are clearly willing to pay this… case in point, The Times Website is subscription based and charges £26 a month, a selling point to the middle class audience?

The Daily Mirror

• 2024 circulation - 196,000
• 2000 circulation - 2.4 million - a collapse of readership
• Reach PLC, a horizontally integrated UK conglomerate that specialises in acquiring local newspapers. Facing challenges from competition from digitally convent media, Reach PLC have focused on digitally convergent such as newspaper websites and online gambling
• Working class, middle aged, blue collar workers and manual laborers
• Competition from the right wing The Sun and The Daily Mail
• Left wing ideological perspective: support the labour party. Working class people in the UK tend to skew right wing 
• Prince of Daily Mirror has shot up from 35p in 2004 to £1.80 in 2024, partly due to inflation and the financial situation of the company. The Sun currently costs £1.10… 
• The mirror website has low production values, and predominantly makes money through clickbait advertisements

PRINT EDITION EXAMPLES November 7th 2024 - how do these newspapers minimise risk and maximise profit in a digitally convergent world? And how do they target their very specific and specialised target audiences?

The Times

• While the front page headline leans towards supporting Trump, it is not overtly biased, which is typical of broadsheet newspapers. The lexis of the headline, “golden age” is optimistic and reasonably sophisticated, and suggests a positive representation of Trump
• The main image is both patriarchal and patriotic in it’s mode of address. Throughout the newspaper, the selection of images of trump are broadly respectful
• The Times focuses on hard, serious news. “Berry Bros fear inheritance tax is a body blow” this financial story, anchored with the highly middle class image of a Cambridge student conducting wine tasting.

The Daily Mirror

• What have the done… Again?”. Lexis is negative and pessimistic, yet also informal
• While the mirror selects the same image for the front page story, many images of trump  in the mirror are unflattering, reinforcing the ideology that he is unfit to rule
• An emphasis on soft news stories, including celebrity gossip and speculation over the new James Bond movie. This focus on gossip will stereotypically appeal to a working class specialised audience of those in manual labour 

ADAM CURTIS - SHIFTY - NOW ON iPLAYER

Adam Curtis makes very beautiful, uncompromising and often terrifying documentaries about how we make sense of the world. Through his access to The BBC's vast archive of news and documentary footage, he typically pieces together a collage of fractured narratives that forces the audience to come to their own understandings and conclusions. Shifty, his latest series, is a history of the radical changes in the UK from the late 1970s to the mid 2010's. This is not a conventional historical documentary, and instead uses a range of often confusing archive footage to explore how meaning collapsed and became 'shifty' after the establishment of Margaret Thatcher's government. In doing so, the series explores identity, culture, media, politics and pot-colonialism.

In short, this documentary is as close as it's possible to get to 'media studies the TV show. The conclusion to this documentary is the same as the conclusion to every Adam Curtis documentary: that meaning has collapsed, that we cannot make sense of the world now, and that we cannot tell the difference between what is real and what is not real. 

Curtis's style of documentary film making is marmite. You may well hate it. It provides now answers, but asks complex questions instead, forcing the audience to come to their own conclusions. But if this sounds up your street, you may welcome as obsessed with Adam Curtis's documentary films as I am!

Unseen textual analysis practice: PG tips advert

PG Tips | Live Life One Tea at a Time | At Home With Monkey: Explore how media language combines to create meaning

This advertisement uses many conventions of the reality show in a manner which will be accessible and easily recognisable to it's working class target audience

• PG tips connotations of working class identity
• MES is stereotypical working class, newbuild house, aspirational 
• Intertextual references to TOWIE
• Tabloid newspaper: symbolic of working class identity 
• Stereotypical and hyperreal representation of working class lifestyle 
• Model is hegemonically attractive yet also stereotypical working class. Appealing to middle aged heterosexual men, yet also realistic and relatable to a heterosexual female audience 
• Ideology
• Narrative
• Intertextuality
• Married couple 
• Middle aged, working class, white British people 
• PG tips: stereotypical working class 
• MES of the stacked boxes suggests a humorous obsession with the brand 
• Performance: shouting at children
• Stereotypical working class setting
• References to reality shows like TOWIE
• Soundtrack is stereotypically British and comedic, reference to comedy shows 
• The newspaper constructs a hyperreal representation of the working class
• The woman is hegemonically attractive, appealing to a heterosexual male audience , yet relatable for a female audience 

Representation and newspapers - the 'partygate' editions

Component one  A - Representation question is ALWAYS 30 marks, ALWAYS an hour and ALWAYS comparing a SET TEXT to an UNSEEN EXAMPLE.

Who, what where why when is represented in the set texts?

• EVENT - ‘partygate’. A reference to the ‘Watergate’ scandal. An intertextual reference that will appeal to an older target audience…
• POLITICAL PARTY - The conservative party. Historically the most popular party, and were in power in the year it was published] Feb 2022.
• POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES  - both newspapers have different views 
• BORIS JOHNSON - the public figure, who has been reconstructed by the producers
• MIDDLE AGED, MIDDLE CLASS WHITE MEN - this group in society are hegemonically and hierarchically more important than others 
• BRITAIN  - The most important country in the world!
• There is also a symbolic annihilation of black people, women, and working class people…although the Mirror does feature several working class people

Compare how these pages from the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror construct versions of reality. In your answer you must: 

• consider the choices media producers make when constructing versions of reality 
• consider the similarities and differences in the representations 
• make judgements and draw conclusions about how far the representations relate to relevant media contexts. [30]

Newspapers will use media language to construct representations that fit into their own agenda. In doing so, the producers of a newspaper will construct a complex new version of reality to manipulate their target audience to change or cultivate their own ideology. In doing so, newspapers construct a target audience who will consistently buy their newspaper every day, thus minimising risk and maximising profit. 

 

What is the reality constructed in these two newspapers?

Daily mirror - partygate set edition

• While the mirror is politically against the conservatives and Johnson, Johnson is represented as the most important and powerful person in the country. The main image of the former PM dominates the front page, reinforcing not only his blame in regards to the scandal, but also his immense fame and influence 
• The skyline article on the royal family (tears for the king) also reinforce a patriotic mode of address, and suggests a complex mix of ideologies that are likely to appeal to a working class target audience. By being positioned next to the masthead, the royal family are elevated to the same importance as the newspaper itself, and suggests their values are the same. The sense of patriotism is anchored through the lexis of the slogan, ‘The heart of Britain, suggesting the mirror is at the centre of what it means to be British. Therefore, a manipulative reality is constructed where if the target audience do not buy the mirror, they will be less patriotic and less British 
• The double page splash image of a busy surgery represents a reality where British medical workers are hardworking and essential . Yet a smaller secondary image of Boris Johnson apparently smirking with a flute of champagne constructs a reality where the prime minister has no respect and compassion for the hard work of the British people. This is a classic example of bias through selections, where a misleading image of Johnson constructs a reality where he is contemptuous of the NHS and the British people. This is highly likely to cultivate a shared ideological perspective in the target audience. 
• Stereotypes:
• Evil manipulative politicians
• Hardworking and resourceful NHS workers
• Evil, manipulative dictator Putin… better than johnson!
• ‘The general public’... middle aged and diverse, just like the target audience
• The younger, more casual politician. Kier Starmer doesn’t wear a tie, making him more relatable to the target audience 

Daily mail  - unseen example

• A patriotic reality is constructed through the MES of flags, anchored through the long shot of a diverse crowd, and finally the anchorage of the lexis of the headline, seemingly directly addressing the audience as well as the soldiers who sacrificed themselves in WWII. A complex reconstruction of Britain is made, cultivating a sense of pride and patriotism 
• A professionally shot yet canted angle portrait of the royal family positions the patriotic target audience to realise that the royal family are also human, reinforcing the sense of togetherness. This humorous mode of address constructs an unlikely reality where the target audience and the royal family are equal. 
• By reinforcing royalist and hierarchical ideologies, the newspaper reinforces right wing ideologies about power that cannot be challenged. Karl Marx argued that the ruling class use their power to manipulate the ideologies of the working class. By reinforcing straightforward ideologies, that both the Royal family and British ideologies are the most important things in the world, a sense of control and manipulation is constructed