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The Voice

The Voice

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Owned by Gleaner GV media group Ltd

It was a fearlessly campaigning newspaper with a voted leadership past.

It has a very tiny team, it’s leadership has shot up since it ended up on the AQA syllabus.

The Voice newspaper is “committed to celebrating black experience” and aims to deliver “positive change” by “informing the black community on important issues”. With its news stories, in-depth interviews, opinion pieces and investigations, The Voice remains “Britain’s most successful black newspaper”.

In the voice there are no published figures but it appears that they have a tiny forming of audience. This is not a product that its reaching its target demographic.

David Hesmondhalgh believed companies involved in cultural industries were motivated by profit rather than a duty to public service broadcasting. No one was going to invest in a newspaper which targeted a niche audience unless it was going to make money. However, the social and political context of the early 1980s offered the founder of The Voice, Val McCalla, an opportunity to raise the funds needed for such a risky venture.

The shift in the publishing from print media to digital formats has been dramatic. Clay Shirky’s “Newspapers and Thinking he Unthinkable”  is a great summary of the threat the newspaper industry faced from online competition, but you probably already know Teen Vogue is no longer available as a glossy magazine and Oh Comely sold its last copy in 2021. Inevitably, The Voice moved from weekly to monthly editions.

The publishers promote their content on various social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. Most posts will direct you to the main website, but The Voice will also retweet and share posts from other institutions to increase the level of engagement with their primary audience.

Although this connection and level of interactivity is expected by digital natives, an older audience might still prefer the feel of print between their fingers.

The Voice will struggle to be heard by an audience who prefer the quick and easy comment culture of social media rather than long-form journalism.

Before the introduction of The Voice, the black press in Britain targeted first-generation immigrants. Newspapers, such as The Caribbean Times and West Africa, kept the diaspora up to date about news about the old countries. The Voice was different. It wanted to publish stories which were relevant to the second generation who were born and raised in Britain.

The Voice continues to construct a positive profile of the black community.

The homepage and category pages contain a collection of links to the news stories making the headlines. Inspired by social media feeds, such as the Instagram and Twitter interfaces, the use of cards is a very popular convention in website design. Each card includes a thumbnail signifying the key themes of the post, a category link, and a headline. These excerpts act as enigma codes which encourage the reader to find out more.

Media Language

The Voice uses codes and conventions to influence meaning. They value black people and like to make them feel superior and strong and independent. They bring racist issues and discrimination problems to the light to relate to their specific audience.

  • They use images of mainly black people to get their views and values across and to attract their target audience. They also have quite a colourful site to show support for ‘coloured’ people and present it in a much more positive term. The images used are often not photoshopped and are natural which gives a real view of people which could better relate to their audience.

The Voice uses semiotics to create a narrative of constructing the world. By presenting content of mainly black people suggests that the world is becoming more diverse and it is not based on only white people in the media. Black signifies diversity. Colour signifies race and mainly black people. The title The Voice signifies the voice they give to black people.

The Voice presents its genre conventions of news website to present their news values. They use informative news but only on one feature to show what the media misses, black news.

They use the images of black people to construct a strong and independent of black people in the world and their growing success.

Media Representations

The choice of online product provides a wide range of representational issues. These include the representation of the target audience – black Britons – but also the selection and construction of news stories and their subjects. The analysis of representation will build on work done in the analysis of visual images and can be used to explore target audiences and ideological readings.

  • The Voice constructs a Black British identity in The Voice and do not generalise them to only black nations.
  • The media producers are encoding black news as black superiority for the audience to decode the importance of black lives and normalises them.
  • By including various types of content whilst maintaining black people subverts the stereotype of black thugs and promotes black people in a more positive way.
  • The stories presented show that black people are successful.

Media Industries

The Voice is a commercial media product but could also be seen as fulfilling a public service through its targeting of an ethnic minority audience. The website also demonstrates the way that news institutions have had to respond to new technology through The Voice’s bi-media presence and use of convergence.

  • The Voice provides a case study for the specialised nature of media production, distribution and circulation within a regional and national context.
  • The Voice doesn’t use multiple digital platforms yet it can be easily accessed on the internet through phones, computers or even ipads/tablets.

Media Audiences

The Voice provides an example of clearly targeted, primary audience through demographics of ethnicity, race and age which should encourage the study of issues of identity. Related to this would be a discussion of the changing relationship between producers and audiences – is there a need for media aimed at specialised audiences in the context of audience as producer? Shirky suggests that due to new technology everyone gets a say in the media and The Voice supports this as they attempt to give black people a voice in the world and get their specific audiences views across.

  • The Voice’s specialised audience is black people, more specifically, black Britons.
  • They successfully target them by producing content that they can relate to.
  • They follow the cultural stereotypes yet go against all negative stereotypes that the media may have placed on black people. (Hall)
  • The Voice produces quite unique and specific content which is very relatable to the audience and also gives them a voice.

Social, Political, Cultural and Economic Contexts

The Voice as an institution has historical and cultural significance in its origins as the UK’s first newspaper aimed specifically at a black British audience, dealing with relevant political and social issues. The website continues this function but is perhaps considered more mainstream and less political than in the past. The economic context can be explored through a consideration of the nature of the production and distribution and move to online content to reach a wider audience and attract advertisers.

Exam Prep, Revision, The Voice

The Voice CSP

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The Voice, founded in 1982, is a British national African-Caribbean newspaper operating in the United Kingdom. The paper is based in London and was published every Thursday until 2019 when it became monthly. It is available in a paper version by subscription and also online. It is owned by GV Media Group Limited, and is aimed at the British African-Caribbean community.

Selection Criteria
Online, social and participatory – news website, produced by and targeting a minority group

The Voice online was a printed newspaper and then moved to online articles in 2016.

The aim of the voice online is to give a positive voice to black British citizens. This is evident in their articles. There is an article titled ‘Black women’s wellbeing takes centre stage in new social media campaign’ published on 30th January 2023 written by Vic Motune which showcases the positivity being spread amongst people of colours achievements.The article is about a wellness campaign organised through social media for black women.

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The voice

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The Voice, founded in 1982, is a British national African-Caribbean newspaper operating in the United Kingdom. The paper is based in London and was published every Thursday until 2019 when it became monthly. It is available in a paper version by subscription and also online.

A platform for young people to share opinions, read the latest news, discover new interests and develop their career in the arts,

It is owned by GV Media Group Limited, and is aimed at the British African-Caribbean community.

The company then moved from print to online and changed to only monthly editions. Production costs for online newspapers are generally cheaper. For the website the main running costs are for hosting, maintenance and security.

Representation

Before the introduction of The Voice, the black press in Britain targeted first-generation immigrants. Newspapers, such as The Caribbean Times and West Africa, kept the diaspora up to date about news about the old countries. The Voice was different. It wanted to publish stories which were relevant to the second generation who were born and raised in Britain.

Stats:

  • The circulation of the paper peaked at 55,000 in the early 1990s with young women being a substantial majority of its weekly buyers.

Theorists:

  • David Hesmondhalgh believed companies involved in cultural industries were motivated by profit rather than a duty to public service broadcasting. No one was going to invest in a newspaper which targeted a niche audience unless it was going to make money.
  • Stats:
  • The circulation of the paper peaked at 55,000 in the early 1990s with young women being a substantial majority of its weekly buyers.

  • Other significant points:
  • How McCalla secured funds for this ‘risky business venture’ – McCalla secured £62,000 from Barclays with the backing of the Loan Guarantee Scheme which was part of a series of initiatives set up by Margaret Thatcher’s government to help unemployed people start their own business. The Voice enterprise was a success and the bank loan was paid off within five years.
  • Paying over £3m, The Gleaner Company took ownership of the newspaper in 2004. They are a Jamaican newspaper and media enterprise
  • The company then moved from print to online and changed to only monthly editions. Production costs for online newspapers are generally cheaper. For the website the main running costs are for hosting, maintenance and security.
New Media, Television

CSP: The Voice

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The Voice, founded in 1982, is a British national African-Caribbean newspaper operating in the United Kingdom. The paper is based in London and was published every Thursday until 2019 when it became monthly. It is available in a paper version by subscription and also online.

The Voice newspaper is “committed to celebrating black experience” and aims to deliver “positive change” by “informing the black community on important issues”. With its news stories, in-depth interviews, opinion pieces and investigations, The Voice remains “Britain’s most successful black newspaper”.

Editor: Lester Holloway – British journalist and editor, as well as a campaigner and local politician.

Stats:

  • The circulation of the paper peaked at 55,000 in the early 1990s with young women being a substantial majority of its weekly buyers.

Other significant points:

  • How McCalla secured funds for this ‘risky business venture’ – McCalla secured £62,000 from Barclays with the backing of the Loan Guarantee Scheme which was part of a series of initiatives set up by Margaret Thatcher’s government to help unemployed people start their own business. The Voice enterprise was a success and the bank loan was paid off within five years.
  • Paying over £3m, The Gleaner Company took ownership of the newspaper in 2004. They are a Jamaican newspaper and media enterprise
  • The company then moved from print to online and changed to only monthly editions. Production costs for online newspapers are generally cheaper. For the website the main running costs are for hosting, maintenance and security.

Representation:

Before the introduction of The Voice, the black press in Britain targeted first-generation immigrants. Newspapers, such as The Caribbean Times and West Africa, kept the diaspora up to date about news about the old countries. The Voice was different. It wanted to publish stories which were relevant to the second generation who were born and raised in Britain.

Theorists:

  • David Hesmondhalgh believed companies involved in cultural industries were motivated by profit rather than a duty to public service broadcasting. No one was going to invest in a newspaper which targeted a niche audience unless it was going to make money.

However, the social and political context of the early 1980s offered the founder of The Voice, Val McCalla, an opportunity to raise the funds needed for such a risky venture.

Clay Shirky and the End of Audience

Old Passive Audience VS New Active Audience

Old – Broadcast media used to deliver their products to a mass audience who were mostly disconnected from each other. It was a linear flow of communication with carefully crafted messages intended to entertain and inform the audience.

New – The internet was the beginning of the end of the traditional audience. For example, readers seemed to prefer digital copies of newspapers because they could respond to the articles by adding their own comments and interact with other commentators.

In We The Media, Dan Gillmor (2004) explored the changes in the news industry. He argued grassroots journalists were a serious threat to the monopolies enjoyed by big media conglomerates. The “official” news organisations are no longer writing the “first draft of history” because “the audience is learning how to get a better, timelier report”.

This sort of citizen journalism is a good example of Clay Shirky’s concept of mass amateurisation.

The Voice will struggle to be heard by an audience who prefer the quick and easy comment culture of social media rather than long-form journalism.

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New Media CSPs: Teen Vogue, The Voice and The Sims Freeplay

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Languagewebsite codes and conventions:
-masthead – dominant signifier, ‘teen VOGUE’ promotes vogue where new meets traditional, red font symbolic sign – implies female audience
-adverts – on homepage, below menu – immediate – provides funding for magazine
-menu bar – sets agenda, what the website covers – ‘style’ first so most important/focus, ‘politics’ second shapes audiences viewpoints

Neale
genres change as society and culture changes – genres are historically specific and reflect/represent changing ideas, attitudes, values and beliefs of society

lifestyle magazine – depicts many elements of lifestyle – ‘style’, ‘politics’, ‘culture’ etc
-‘politics’ not traditional element of lifestyle mag, became an element when women became more exposed politics (through media) therefore TV has adapted to audiences changing attitudes to culture/society

Narrative
non-linear narrative – selection of unrelated articles
no meta-narrative – instead collection of micro-narratives
narrative creates ideology that there are issues surrounding ‘politics’/’culture’, also suggested by slogan ‘Rise, Resist. Raise your Voice’, which needs to be raised and made apparent to female audience, use of ‘style’ material for EG makes the content more digestible, entertaining for reader
Representationmagazine values: left-wing, pro-LGBTQ+, pro-life etc
representations: all ages, all ethnicities, all genders, all sexualities –
ages:
ethnicities: ‘Can Brown Girls Every Like Ourselves on TV?’ (Jan 2023)
genders: ‘Robert Pattinson Opened Up About ‘Insidious’ Body Standards for Men in Hollywood’ (Jan 2023)
sexuality: ‘Noah Schnapp Came out as Gay on TikTok’ (Jan 2023)

BUTLER
style section shows ‘fashion’, ‘beauty’ ‘shopping’ etc… – traditionally female performances
style section shows ‘fashion’, ‘beauty’ ‘shopping’ etc… – traditionally female performances
However: ‘politics’ menu suggests women are more than just their interests in ‘fashion’ and ‘beauty’ etc…
overall: Although Teen Vogue has been successful at creating an androgynous side to their audiences by not conforming to fixed genders, they are after all a fashion magazine meaning they still do reinforce certain eurocentric beauty standards

Gauntlett
media provide us with ‘tools’ or resources that we use to construct our identities
modern media offers us a more diverse range of stars, icons and characters from whom we may pick and mix different ideas
reflex identity construction: audiences can ‘borrow from these stories when shaping our narratives of the self’

representations: all ages, all ethnicities, all genders, all sexualities –
ethnicities: ‘Can Brown Girls Every Like Ourselves on TV?’ (Jan 2023)
genders: ‘Robert Pattinson Opened Up About ‘Insidious’ Body Standards for Men in Hollywood’ (Jan 2023)
sexuality: ‘Noah Schnapp Came out as Gay on TikTok’ (Jan 2023)
representing a collection of identities – allows people to build upon their identity and therefore gain sense of self (link to uses and gratifications?)
IndustryTeen Vogue is part of the Conde Nast publishing group, and was first produced in print edition in 2003 as a sister publication to Vogue.

Conde Nast claims with Teen Vogue they ‘educate, enlighten, and empower young people, arming them with all they need to lead stylish and informed lives’
Conde Nast as a conglomerate: horizontal and vertical integration – they own a number of publications/magazines
Conde Nast (distributer) owns the exhibitioners

2017, it was announced Teen Vogue would cease in print and continue online-only as part of a new round of cost cuts – show how institutions respond to changes in consumption

like Vogue, it used to include only stories of celebrities and fashion, however expanded its focus to include politics and current affairs in order to adapt to changing climate of the media landscape as a result of consumers needs and wants

The Atlantic magazine claimed: ‘Teen Vogue is doing a better job of covering important stories in 2016 than legacy news publications.’

how teen vogue has adapted to changing media landscape:
as well as a website they also have: facebook, instagram ,twitter, tiktok and pinterest – use of digital platforms to expand the output and reach of the products demonstrates how institutions have responded to the impact of new technology
WEBSITE: 6.2 million visits (Dec 2022), 12M unique users
IG: 4.1m followers (Jan 2023)

regulation
not regulator to monitor online content

Curran and Seaton
the media is controlled by a small number of global conglomerates primarily driven by the logic of profit and power – this concentration limits variety, creativity and quality

Conde Nast assets: 8 print titles including Voge and AD, as well as 12 digital titles including Teen Vogue (obvs), Glamour
Large market share results in lack of diversity within content
however, minimises risk for company

Hesmondhalgh
‘risky business’ makes us aware of why companies want larger market share (link to C&S), claims:
-audiences tastes are continuously adapting which makes predicting their needs and wants nearly impossible
– online magazine articles limited consumption capacity meaning the huge sums of money invested in creating media products result in only a one time reward

therefore Conde Nast’s concentrated use of horizontal integration is arguably to reduce these risks
C&S claim benefits of HI: Production costs can be minimised, Resources can be shared, Market can be controlled
Audienceaudience ‘3.4x more likely to be 18-24’
total audience reach 18.5m

target audience: young people/ teens, mainly girls – TEEN Vogue
how TV appeals to target audience:
-girls – under ‘style’ menu – ‘beauty’, ‘fashion’ – link to Butler
-young people – use of slang/online communication language EG ‘lol’, headlines which refer to pop culture on homepage EG ‘Kylie Jenner finally reveals her baby boy’s name!’ (Jan 2023), use of social media

Shirky
End of Audience – audience has become more active
new/digital media has had a profound effect on the relations between media and individuals
media consumers have a now become producers who ‘speak back to’ the media in various ways, as well as creating and sharing content with one another

TV’s use of online website and social media platforms shows how they have adapted to the changing demands of the audience – to have a voice
readers are able to interact with the website, comment on social media posts and share stories

McQuail and Blumler
uses and gratifications – active selection
believe consumers have a free will to decide how they will use the media and how it will effect them and therefore recognises the decision making process the audience take, highlighting how they seeking specific uses and gratifications when consuming media

audience may want to IDENTIFY with ideas presented top them or seek a new IDENTITY – EG identity drop down menu provides stories surrounding:
-‘health’, ‘sex and relationships’, ‘wellness’ etc…
-‘Health Care for Transgender Adults Becomes New Target in 2023 Legislative Session’ (jan 2021)
audience may want to EDUCATE themselves on politics/political climate of the world – EG politics drop down menu
– ‘environment’, ‘justice’, ‘government’
-”Greta Thunberg was Detained by Police at a Climate Protest in Germany’ (Jan 2023)
Contextculturally significant in its marrying of the political with fashion and lifestyle to target a young female audience more traditionally seen as interested in more superficial issues.
Its explicit feminist stance and reporting on the Trump presidency has made it a relatively radical voice in the context of mainstream US media.
The social and economic contexts can be addressed in terms of how the product has been received and how it has succeeded when other magazines (online) are struggling to maintain audiences
Languagecodes and conventions
news stories, in-depth interviews, opinion pieces and investigations
the header consists of a logo, which links to the homepage, a horizontal menu with the main categories, a subscription button, and the social media links
if you hover over any of the main categories on a larger device, a submenu will appear
This straightforward interface enables users to quickly understand the structure of the website and to navigate to the sections which are relevant to their interests
homepage and category pages contain a collection of links to the news stories making the headlines, use of cards is a very popular convention in website design – inspired by social media. appeals to contemporary audiences
 cards are organised into grids – a layout which echoes the traditional frontpages of newspapers and is frequently used for online newspapers, magazines and blogs, appeals to traditional audiences
headlines and captions provide anchorage

The social share buttons are provided by the AddThis – a company which aims to help businesses “develop a more personal and effective relationships with their current and future customers”- a subtle way to encourage readers to share the articles on their own social channels and become ambassadors for The Voice.
also comment section

Neale
genres change as society and culture changes – genres are historically specific and reflect/represent changing ideas, attitudes, values and beliefs of society

black lifestyle/news
social and political context of the early 1980s
-clashes between police and black youth – generated the idea that black people were criminals EG more likely to steal, use drugs, start fights etc
-1981 – Black community targeted by SUS Laws
-1970s – NF gained support of disillusioned of white youth leading to radical attacks and violence
changes in attitudes towards society formed new genre which had a focus on BLACK lifestyle/news


Todorov
narratives share a basic structure that involves a movement from one state of equilibrium to another
The idea that the way in which narratives are resolved can have particular ideological significance

underlying metanarrative – narrative surrounding issues faced by black people and the plight to establish equality
series of micro-narratives, which follow Tripartite structure and make up the overall metanarrative:
EG ‘Africa Diaspora hunger crisis’ (Jan 2023)
equilibrium (condensed) – reader goes onto website and sees article headline
disruption – ‘world hunger increased from 8.0 percent …to 9.8 percent’ between 2019-2021
new equilibrium – audience is educated on the issues facing their community and will feel encouraged to help
Representation“committed to celebrating black experience”  and aims to deliver “positive change” by “informing the black community on important issues”.
They value black people and like to make them feel superior and strong and independent. They bring racist issues and discrimination problems to the light to relate to their specific audience.

purpose: The issue of police racism and harassment being the defining story. Mainstream media was not reporting the issue or framed it through the perspective of the police, government and lawmakers.

Before the introduction of The Voice, the black press in Britain targeted first-generation immigrants. Newspapers, such as The Caribbean Times and West Africa, kept the diaspora up to date about news about the old countries. 
The Voice was different. It wanted to publish stories which were relevant to the second generation who were born and raised in Britain

They were eager to create a countertype to the negative portrayals of black people often represented in the mainstream media. This was particularly important after the civil unrest across England in 1981

The media producers are encoding black news as black superiority for the audience to decode the importance of black lives and normalises them.

Hall
The idea that representation is the production of   meaning through language, with language defined in its broadest sense as a system of signs
The idea that stereotyping, as a form of representation, reduces people to a few simple characteristics or traits
The idea that stereotyping tends to occur where there are inequalities of power, as subordinate or excluded groups are constructed as different or ‘other’

social and political context of the early 1980s influences by Thatcher’s government provoked the newspaper – Margaret Thatcher’s concern in 1978 that the UK “might be rather swamped by people of a different culture”
-clashes between police and black youth – generated the idea that black people were criminals EG more likely to steal, use drugs, start fights etc
-1981 – Black community targeted by SUS Laws
-1970s – NF gained support of disillusioned of white youth leading to radical attacks and violence

therefore, culture and society stereotypes black community, reducing them to few negative characteristics – as a result of inequalities of power
V was created to battle these stereotypes EG
-‘given a voice to those who have often felt voiceless’
–

Gilroy
colonial discourses continue to inform contemporary attitudes to race and ethnicity in the postcolonial era. The idea that civilisations constructs racial hierarchies and sets up binary oppositions based on notions of otherness.
caused by the african diaspora generated by the slave trade

V was made in an effort to get rid of this belief and to abolish binaray oppositions between black and white community
EG – ‘given a voice to those who have often felt voiceless’
Industryowned by GV Media, owned by Gleaner Company Ltd,
aparent company of The Gleaner, Jamaican newspaper
The company’s subsidiaries include Independent Radio Company Limited (IRC)- Power 106 and Music 99 FM, Gleaner Online Limited, Creek Investments Limited, Selectco Publications Limited, GV Media Group Limited and The Gleaner Company (Canada) Inc. and The Gleaner Company (USA) Limited

The Voice remains “Britain’s most successful black newspaper”
despite targeting a niche audience – Barclays provided the label with £66,000 loan which was paid back in fiver years
despite being a commercial media product but could also be seen as fulfilling a public service through its targeting of an ethnic minority audience

Paying over £3m, The Gleaner Company took ownership of the newspaper in 2004. They are a Jamaican newspaper and media enterprise

The circulation of the paper peaked at 55,000 in the early 1990s with young women being a substantial majority of its weekly buyers, selling to one in 10 of London’s black population

how the voice has responded to changes in audience needs and wants:
V has print version – published monthly
also has web edition, convergence – where subscribers don’t have to wait monthly for new stories
this appeals to new audiences as well as more traditional audiences
publishers continue to make money through subscriptions and single-copy sales of the print edition, the online version from display ads and advertorials
HOWEVER: New Nation is another newspaper targeting black people but is more concerned with providing an entertaining read than manning the race barricades
it recieves a higher circulation which indicates audienced wantsare shifting more towards pleasure rather than information – V has not responded to this change
New Nation claims a readership of 32,000
when new nation appeared in 1996 – V sales dropped by 20%

The Advertising Standards Authority in the UK require advertorials to be clearly labelled as paid content to “ensure that readers are not confused about whether copy is marketing material or editorial”

Curran and Seaton
The idea that the media is controlled by a small number of companies primarily driven by the logic of profit and power
The idea that more socially diverse patterns of ownership help to create the conditions for more varied and adventurous media productions

Gleaner company has a much smaller market share
whilst it owns majority of the black labels, which can result in a lack of diversity, on a wider scale its market share is relatively low and therefore does not relate to C&S
therefore its more socially diverse ownership and content creates more diversity within the market

Hesmondhalgh
Hesmondhalgh highlights that the risk associated with media creation encourages organisations, most significantly the large-scale organisations, to overproduce media content in the hopes that enough of those projects will succeed and make up for any losses

Gleaner Company owns multiple labels of the same genre – black lifestyle and news
therefore if one label fails they can still make profit from the others
with regards to the voice – creating niche media content has not proved successful EG
whilst the content is more diverse it only targets a smaller audience therefore smaller sales
Audiencetarget audience: the British African-Caribbean community
specialised audience – proves less successful in practice as tends to be smaller therefore less consumption EG drop in sales

Shirky
End of Audience – audience has become more active
new/digital media has had a profound effect on the relations between media and individuals
media consumers have a now become producers who ‘speak back to’ the media in various ways, as well as creating and sharing content with one another

V’s use of online website and social media platforms shows how they have adapted to the changing demands of the audience – to have a voice
readers are able to interact with the website, comment on social media posts and share stories

McQuail and Blumler
uses and gratifications – active selection
believe consumers have a free will to decide how they will use the media and how it will effect them and therefore recognises the decision making process the audience take, highlighting how they seeking specific uses and gratifications when consuming media

audience may want to IDENTIFY with ideas presented – EG
audience may want to EDUCATE themselves on black issues across the globe – EG
ContextThe Voice as an institution has historical and cultural significance in its origins (1982) as the UK’s
first (and only) newspaper aimed specifically at a black British audience, dealing with relevant
political and social issues. The website continues this function but is perhaps considered more
mainstream and less political than in the past. The economic context can be explored through a
consideration of the nature of the production and distribution and move to online content to reach
a wider audience and attract advertisers.
LanguageNarrative in the context of online material can refer to the way that the images and the selection
of stories construct a narrative about the world – one which is likely to be ideological
-Wright has stated that The Sims was actually meant as a satire of U.S. consumer culture – – Purchased objects connote the wealth and success of the sim (suggest a capitalist view
-non-linear playing style – no end goal
– instead have to have to complete goals in order to progress in the game – “Cook eggs and Bacon” or “Talk to a neighbour for the first time” – which is not a feature on the OG sims
Todorov
only really applied in small doses to micro-narratives, due to open-ended game, rather than to larger meta narrative that cross the whole game e.g.
o Equilibrium: The sim lives in a small house with limited furnishing
o Disruption: A new task appears
o Recognition: The player clicks the task to reveal it wants them to buy a TV
o Attempts to Resolve: The player opens the item tab and finds the TV
o Resolution: The player purchases the TV and places it in the house
o New Equilibrium: The sim can now watch TV
o This narrative would then repeat until such time that the player becomes bored or can no longer complete these tasks and has to complete other tasks in order to complete these

The genre conventions of video games, particularly the subgenre of life simulation or sandbox games, can be identified and discussed in relation to other CSP video games
-As a life simulation game Sims Freeplay includes many normative codes and values. They include features such as being married to have a child and also being able to own a house as a teen.
-took inspiration from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – Each character has a “needs” bar at the bottom left of the screen which displays what that individual sim needs to survive
Neale
-hybrid of:
sandbox – player is not constrained to achieving specific goals and has a large degree of freedom to explore, interact with, or modify the game environment -LOOK AT NARRATIVE FOR EG
life simulation – player lives or controls one or more virtual characters – EG
– Icons for people, furniture and everyday items
– Indexes for conversations i.e. speech bubbles above a sim’s head
– Symbols for speech in the bubbles in the air, symbol for having a sim selected in the iconic green diamond, symbols for needs in needs bar and symbols for money and experience

Baudrillard
in postmodern culture the boundaries between the ‘real’ world and the world of the media have collapsed and that it is no longer possible to distinguish between reality and simulation – media images have come to seem more ‘real’ than the reality they supposedly represent (hyperreality)
“It is no longer a question of imitation… It is a question of substituting the signs of the real for the real” (The Precession of Simulacra 2)

SFP represents a simulacrum of reality – human-like avatars each with their own needs, tasks need to be done EG cook dinner, shower, watch TV
therefore blurs the boundaries between the ‘real’ world and the digital world creating a hyperreality
Representationrepresentations are infinite/diverse – opportunity to completely personalise character: gender, sexuality, appearance (skin colour, eye colour, weight)
audience creates representations – allows people to challenge stereotypes
can create male characters w female characteristics etc…

however whilst the game itself doesn’t make the characters intolerant/prejudice the players can manipulate the game to create intolerant/prejudice worlds – eg creating a world which excludes/segregates a race therefore creating racist representations
although the game offers diverse representations – representations in marketing shows common gender stereotypes EG a male and a female getting married, women in maternal and domestic roles

accurate representation of reality EG when pregnant sim gets morning sickness, HOWEVER no abortion, miscarriage etc.. because designers want it to be something people want to play(LINK TO BAUDRILLARD)

Gauntlett
media provides us with ‘tools’ or resources that we use to construct our identities
modern media offers us a more diverse range of stars, icons and characters from whom we may pick and mix different ideas
reflex identity construction: audiences can ‘borrow from these stories when shaping our narratives of the self’

players are able to choose their identity and literally construct it – appearance, job, home, aspirations
can create almost a better version of their identity and mirror it to theirs
improves the narrative within the game but also within the players own life

Butler
gender identities are constructed by the institutions we have been brought up with and exposed to and are often presented to us as objective
they theorise that it is your behaviour that fabricate your gender/identity, most significantly your repeated behaviour rather than what the institutions construct
‘rituals and performative actions constantly reinforce our identities’

SFP enables players to give male characteristics to female characters EG facial hair as well as allow them to do stereotypical male acts EG gaming – vice versa
therefore sims identity is built upon performance of acts, rather than the biological gender they are issued with
Industrydeveloped/produced by EA mobile and FireMonkeys – subsidiaries of EA (also responsible for other games EG FIFA)
horizontally and vertically integrated – develop, publish and market the games themselves saving money and giving them creative control
Maxis originally developed game but EA bought it when they realised the games potential – HI

As of October 2019, all The Sims games combined generated lifetime sales of more than US$5 billion
SFP has seen OVER 200 million downloads since 2011 – remarkable success

The videogames industry has changed massively since the emergence of the smart phone and app store distribution model.
Mobile gaming has changed the audience demographics for gaming and brought the industry into the mainstream.
The app store model means tech giants such as Apple and Google are making significant sums from mobile gaming but mobile hits can still earn developers millions

how was SFP adapted to changing media landscape?
The Sims FreePlay is a spin-off from the hugely successful Sims franchise first published by Electronic Arts (EA) in 2000
EA mobile has 9 offices around the world, reflecting popularity of mobile gaming – created online mobile game to adapt to new platform
example of diversification and technological change as the video game industry has started to shift away from a reliance on hard copy console and PC products to streaming and (as here) to apps for tablets and mobile phones – cheaper to produce however more up keep due to constant need to update game (due to updates on phones as well as to keep audience interested eg update which allowed people to have pets

synergetic partnerships – sponsodred content within the game or pop up ads EG worked with Moschino gave them the opportunity to sponsor an update to brands clothing was available to players a to purchase in game

VSC and PEGI regulate
rate 12 – due to minor adult content – drinking sex
mobile gaming cannot be regulated as easy as console
different countries have different policies – many countries in asia have banned SFP due to the ability to have lgbtq+ relationships

audience can communicate with producer – social media, app store EG audience suggested pregnancy feature

Hesmondhalgh
‘risky business’ makes us aware of why companies want larger market share (link to C&S), claims:
-audiences tastes are continuously adapting which makes predicting their needs and wants nearly impossible
a way to battle this risk is serialisation and remakes, which SFP use:

SFP remade the sims franchise digitally – recycling previously successful archived material requires less time, effort and money when it comes to the production and instantly engages an audience through nostalgia-based appeals, while also rebranding content so that it fits the tastes of contemporary audiences ie digital generation
also use of serialisation – use of sequels, prequels, spin-offs etc… requires less investment in marketing activities to create audience visibility therefore allowing producers to maximise their investments – SFP is a spin off of the Sims, digital mobile game, includes elements of original products as well as the sequels of the og product EG ability to have pets
this is an example of diversification – a corporate strategy used to enter into a new market or industry in which the business does not currently operate ie mobile gaming

Livingstone and Lunt
idea that there is an underlying struggle in recent UK regulation policy between the need to further the interests of citizens (by offering protection from harmful or offensive material), and the need to further the interests of consumers (by ensuring choice, value for money, and market competition)

does not appear to apply to SFP as it appears to offer both citizen and consumer approach:
-citizen: despite being self-regulated, it still protects citizens from harmful material EG- when the sims are going to the ‘toilet’ or ‘trying for a baby’ a blue graphic appears in order to hide the activity which could be considered offensive material
-consumer: ensures choice by making the avatar completely customisable, value for money by the game being free
(however in app purchases, which many players feel like they cannot proceed far into the game without indulging in)
Audiencetarget female casual gamers – 18-40
virtual ‘dolls house’
allows audience to be creative – build house, character
sense of escapism – create dream house, world
sense of identity –

McQuail and Blumler
uses and gratifications – active selection
believe consumers have a free will to decide how they will use the media and how it will effect them and therefore recognises the decision making process the audience take, highlighting how they seek specific uses and gratifications when consuming media
(link to gauntlett)

audience may want to IDENTIFY with ideas presented top them or seek a new IDENTITY – EG players are able to choose their identity and literally construct it – appearance, job, home, aspirations – can create almost a better version of their identity and mirror it to theirs
OR audience may want to seek ESCAPISM – EG can built a completely new life, dream world, dream house, dream version of themselves

Gerbner
examines the lasting effects of media – Looking primarily at the relationship between violence on television and violence in society EG  the more television people watch, the more likely they are to hold a view of reality that is closer to television’s depiction of reality
For many individuals the distorted and partial reality portrayed on television represents what the world is ‘really’ like (could like to Baudrillard)

This can be applied to SFP as a mobile game
as a simulation its depiction of reality is accurate/realistic
whilst it does not heavily depict violent content which can influence the audience to see the world as more straight forward than it actually is – what Gerbner calls World Syndrome
instead SFP representation of reality distorts our own reality as tasks in the Sim world are significantly a lot easier than in the real world – therefore the more sims people play,  the more likely they are to hold a view of reality that is closer to SFP’s depiction of reality
Contextl focus on the rapid growth and
development of the video game industry and the debates about representation and effects
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The Voice

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First published in 1982, The Voice newspaper is “committed to celebrating black experience” and aims to deliver “positive change” by “informing the black community on important issues”. With its news stories, in-depth interviews, opinion pieces and investigations, The Voice remains “Britain’s most successful black newspaper”.

Financing

David Hesmondhalgh believed companies involved in cultural industries were motivated by profit rather than a duty to public service broadcasting. No one was going to invest in a newspaper which targeted a niche audience unless it was going to make money. However, the social and political context of the early 1980s offered the founder of The Voice, Val McCalla, an opportunity to raise the funds needed for such a risky venture.

Barclays Bank was being heavily criticised for its investments in South Africa where racial segregation was institutionalised in a system known as apartheid. In a bit of impression management, the bank attempted to counteract the negative publicity by showing support for African-Caribbean causes.

McCalla secured £62,000 from Barclays with the backing of the Loan Guarantee Scheme which was part of a series of initiatives set up by Margaret Thatcher’s government to help unemployed people start their own business. The Voice enterprise was a success and the bank loan was paid off within five years.

The circulation of the paper peaked at 55,000 in the early 1990s with young women being a substantial majority of its weekly buyers.

Changes in Consumption

The shift in the publishing from print media to digital formats has been dramatic. Clay Shirky’s “Newspapers and Thinking he Unthinkable”  is a great summary of the threat the newspaper industry faced from online competition, but you probably already know Teen Vogue is no longer available as a glossy magazine and Oh Comely sold its last copy in 2021. Inevitably, The Voice moved from weekly to monthly editions.

Production costs are generally cheaper for online newspapers compared to the traditional tabloid. After some upfront expenditure to design and build a functioning website, the main running costs are for hosting, maintenance and security.

Consumers often prefer the digital format because they can access the site at a time that suits their lifestyle and routine. There is no need to wait until next month’s edition to get the story behind the headlines.

The relationship between producers and audiences has also shifted. The publishers promote their content on various social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. Most posts will direct you to the main website, but The Voice will also retweet and share posts from other institutions to increase the level of engagement with their primary audience.

Although this connection and level of interactivity is expected by digital natives, an older audience might still prefer the feel of print between their fingers.

The End of Audience

In We The Media, Dan Gillmor (2004) explored the changes in the news industry. He argued grassroots journalists were a serious threat to the monopolies enjoyed by big media conglomerates. The “official” news organisations are no longer writing the “first draft of history” because “the audience is learning how to get a better, timelier report”.

This sort of citizen journalism is a good example of Clay Shirky’s concept of mass amateurisation.

The Voice will struggle to be heard by an audience who prefer the quick and easy comment culture of social media rather than long-form journalism.

Representation

Before the introduction of The Voice, the black press in Britain targeted first-generation immigrants. Newspapers, such as The Caribbean Times and West Africa, kept the diaspora up to date about news about the old countries. The Voice was different. It wanted to publish stories which were relevant to the second generation who were born and raised in Britain.

They were eager to create a countertype to the negative portrayals of black people often represented in the mainstream media. This was particularly important after the civil unrest across England in 1981.

Was there a riot in Brixton or was it an uprising against social and economic injustice? Language matters. Consider the following front cover from The Sun:

1981 Front Page

The headline reinforces the binary opposition between the civilised England and the savage Other. The audience are positioned to sympathise with the cowering police officers who are under attack. They are almost protecting the viewer from the violence and the side-turned and torched vehicle is a strong signifier of the destruction they are trying to prevent.