– Laura Mulvey: The Male Gaze – PAGE 148 is an example of the male gaze as a strategy to appeal to the male audience. Shows women in the background of the dominant signifier, the man who’s wearing the Givenchy aftershave.
– Lazarsfeld – two-step flow of communication model hypothesizes that ideas flow from mass media to opinion leaders, and from them, to a wider population
Page 6-7, use of the ‘Man of today’, an opinion leader used to sell a product (Hugo Boss aftershave) to the masses is a prime example of the 2 step model.
Gerbner – Cultivation Theory :
- Introduced cultivation theory in the 1960’s
- 2 main concepts:
- 1. Media texts cultivate a heightened sense of fear in society (mean world syndrome)
- 2. Media consumption leads audiences to accept mainstream ideologies (mainstreaming)
– WHO? The parent company, Hearst Communications UK, creators of the magazine specifically the main editor Morgan Rees
– SAYS WHAT? Men’s Health and how to become stronger and lose weight etc, various other messages also
– IN WHICH CHANNEL? Print, online, social media
– TO WHOM? The target audience of the magazine, younger impressional men, and magazine subscribers. Men specifically interested in health and exercise, active adventurous people. 70% of all Millennials and 69% of all Gen Z over the age of 18
– WITH WHAT EFFECT? Profit. Inspirational, perhaps aggressive.
4 Things to write about in essay + Theories to mention
- Institution – who owns it
- Examples of specific pages
- Language, how it’s laid up, representation
- Audiences –
- 1. Owner: Hearst UK
- 74% of the years circulation is physical print copies, whereas 26% is digital copies