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postmodern ideas for essay question.

  • Individual and community alienation Individualistic / isolated narrative
  • Results in individuals becoming isolated and vulnerable
  • So individuals on focus on (understand, can cope with, are knowledgeable about) surface and style. As opposed to substance, content, cohesion, meaning, truth.
  • Individual personal pleasure and gain is the only significant motivating factor
  • A disconnection between cerebral and physical (ie mind and body Descartes – The Cartesian dilemma)
  • creates a world built around uncertainties and half-truths = a virtual world

STRUCTURE(9 marker)

first define/explain postmodernism

then define the key concepts and who said them

after that mention the print product and how it relates to the key concepts.(Futuristic, dystopia, individualism, escapism)

lastly, express thoughts on postmodernism itself.

Simulation-when reality is replaced with signs and representations.

hyperreality- where audiences cant tell the difference between simulation and reaslity

postmodernism

  1. Pastiche – A copy that could be art, literature or tv, in a serious way
  2. Parody – Something that mocks art, literature or the media, made for comedy purposes
  3. Bricolage  –  construction or creation from a diverse range of available things.
  4. Intertextuality – a reference or parallel to another literary work, an extended discussion of a work, or the adoption of a style.
  5. Referential – relating to a referent, in particular having the external world rather than a text or language as a referent
  6. Surface and style over substance and content –
  7. Metanarrative- A metanarrative is a narrative about narratives of historical meaning, experience, or knowledge/drawing attention to the process of storytelling
  8. Hyperreality-where audiences cant tell the difference from reality and non-reality.
  9. Simulation (sometimes termed by Baudrillard as ‘Simulacrum’) – something that replaces reality with representation.
  10. Consumerist Society – hedonism.
  11. Fragmentary Identities- exploration of the fragmentation and reconstruction of identity in the modern age.
  12. Alienation- feeling withdrawn or ostracised within society.
  13. Implosion- Best and Kellner summarize Baudrillards theory: distinctions implode between classes, political ideologies, cultural forms, and between media semiurgy and the real itself 
  14. cultural appropriation-
  15. Reflexivity-a metaphor for the ontological questioning, discussion, and anxiety of the present age.

Postmodernism: Where all ideologies and beliefs are questioned.

The Love Box In Your Living Room – Parody

3 reasons why it’s a parody.

4:11 clip used for comedic affect.
Pastiche
ParodyThe end scene includes the characters critiquing the film.
BricolageExistenZ had a $31 budget so had a wide range of tools available. Also exhibited theories such as Baudrillard’s simulation theory and Stuart Hall’s Encoding and decoding model.
IntertextualityThe film has a postmodern outlook while supporting the idea of Baudrillards simulation theory , other films also support these ideas(The Matrix 1999)
ReferentialThe film refers to itself
Surface and style over substance and content
Metanarrative
Hyperreality
Simulation (sometimes termed by Baudrillard as ‘Simulacrum’) 
Consumerist Society
Fragmentary Identities
Alienation
Implosion
cultural appropriation
Reflexivity

Postmodernism Notes

Urry goes on to note that the global population grew during the twentieth century from 2 to 6 billion, it’s now at 8 billion with some reports suggesting it will hit 9 million by 2037. This has given rise to mega-cities. Rather than forming mass centres of communal, shared living, such mega-cities often create more isoloation, more individualism, more fractured and alienated individuals struggling to survive and keep alive.

Another characteristic of POSTMODERNISM is the creation, development and concentration of high consumption, with a displacement of both consumption and production that has radically altered the nature of societies and individuals living in them. This approach in terms of postmodernism is associated with Fredric Jameson‘s 1984 essay, and subsequently 1991 book; Postmodernism, or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism which located postmodern culture (for example, music videos) in the expression of a new phase of capitalism, one which was aggressively consumerist, rampantly commodifying all of society as potential new markets for INDIVIDUALISED, ISOLATED, PERSONAL PLEASURE AND GAIN.

Surface and style over substance (Postmodernism)

in a postmodern world, surfaces and style become the most important defining features of the mass media and popular culture

the fragmentary, decentred nature of music videos that break up traditional understandings of time and space so that audiences are ‘no longer able to distinguish ‘fiction’ from ‘reality’, part of the postmodern condition’

Narrative Theory Quick Recap

Linear, Chronological, Sequential, Circular, Narrative arc, foreshadowing,

Vladimir Propp (Character Types and Function)

uses STOCK CHARACTERS to structure stories (e.g. hero, villain, helper, victim, false hero, princess, dispatcher)

  • Stock characters
  • Narratemes
  • Characters and their roles (hero, villain, helper, princess, false hero, father)

Claude Levi-Strauss (Binary Oppositions)

Creates a dominant message (ideology) of a film. However, as mentioned previously, the way in which individual students / audience members decode specific texts, is also contingent on their own individual ideas, attitudes and beliefs

  • Binary Oppositions
  • Narrative is a structure of themes that relays a dominant message

Todorov:

  • Equilibrium, Disruption, New Equilibrium
  • Frame stories (stories within stories)
  • Single character transformations: The idea that characters follow a journey that leads to a realisation, changed personality. Linking to Ancient Greek narrative structures:

Barthes:

  • Semiotics
  • Hermeneutic code = Dialogue, character, reflection
  • Proairetic code = Action and movement
  • Enigmas = Puzzles, keeping the audience guessing

Freytag’s Pyramid:

paradigm of dramatic structure outlining the seven key steps in successful storytelling: exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and denouement.

  • exposition – the background information that is given at the beginning of a story about the characters, setting etc…
  • inciting incident – the narrative event which launches the main action
  • rising action – the bulk of the plot which builds up to the climax
  • climax – the turning point or crisis in a narrative which is often the highest point of interes
  • falling action – when the climax begins to resolve
  • resolution – when the climax is resolved
  • denouement  – when conflict in a plot is resolved and the plot concludes

Aristotle

  • Catharsis-Aristotle describes catharsis as the purging of the emotions of pity and fear that are aroused in the viewer of a tragedy
  • PeripetiaPeripeteia is the reversal from one state of affairs to its opposite
  • Anagnorisis– a change from ignorance to knowledge
  • 3 Unities : Time, Place, Action. The idea that a narrative should be consistent and should encompass the same place, time frame and plot/action.

Roland Barthes

He came up with the ideology that narratives are often made up of action and thinking or talking about action. Barthes came up with two different codes to distinguish these.

  • Proairetic code = Action, movement
  • Hermenuetic code = Dialogue, character, reflection

Enigmas are puzzles that keep the audience engaged with the narrative. Enigma code is the way in which ideas are raised. How they keep the audience wanting more.

BBC 100 radio show+Statement of intent

Statement Of Intent

I intend to create an hour long radio show which talks mainly about the BBC but also recent events. The show will include 5 speakers and will also play music throughout the hour. The show will also be recorded and then uploaded to soundcloud.

Crissel sets out four main categories for Radio: Words, Sounds, Music and Silence. Our show will likely include all but sounds, a lack of experience with presenting a radio show implies we will likely not include the convention of non-diegetic sound but rather focus on Words, music and silence. Silence will be used as time for thought as the show isn’t scripted or a reading the speakers will need time to think a response or a new topic of discussion. We will play music which a likely audience will be familiar with, as the main topic of discussion is the BBC we will expect viewers to be British so playing music such as ‘Gorillaz’ and ‘Dizzie Rascal’ listeners will likely be familiar with the music.

Radio is chronological and linear, our show will also exhibit this to prevent confusion to the listeners, by doing this we allow the listener to easily follow the narrowcast and conversation. By making radio linear we could relate it to narrative theory when trying to de-code radio and its meaning, because of this radio is also reliant on editing techniques. Editing techniques such as the fade will be present in the narrowcast and will therefore help construct meaning. To relate to Stuart Halls Encoding and Decoding model it can be seen that we (the presenters) encoded messages for the audience to decode, these messages however could’ve been decoded differently to how we intended.

The idea of intimacy, which is present in almost every broadcast and narrowcast will also be present in ours. With use of an informal register and selective use of pronouns such as ‘you’ ‘I’ ‘we’ we will be able to construct this same intimacy between presenter and listener. Radio is a flexible medium and is either a broadcast or a narrowcast depending on the size of the audience, for ours we expect our live audience to be 10-20 so this would be considered a narrowcast.

Comparative table

ThemeNewsbeatWar of the Worlds
Ownership
HABERMASBBC helped transformed the public sphere by changing the notions of time and place.
hypothecated tax used to put money back into productions, implies BBC, a PSB is following the ethos rather than seeking a profit.
CBS, a private business is seen to look for a profit. they are more concerned about entertainment rather than education. Exhibits populism?
SEATONSeaton said “Mrs Thatcher and her supporters are in favour of de-regulation, competition and choice” Thatcher strived for populism rather than paternalism, this conflicted the ethos of the BBC. Seaton then talks about the rise of competition and choice
Audience (Active/Passive)Active. Postmodernism. Young audience- naive.
News- a trusted source
Passive- pre modernism. hypo needle

War of the worlds

About:

‘War Of The Worlds’ was a live broadcast which broadcasted on Columbia broadcasting systems (CBS) on October 30th 1938 8-9pm

The broadcast was based of the book written by H.G Welles in 1898 and aired on the Halloween episode of ‘The mercury Theatre on The Air’. Listeners around the States believed that the broadcast was real and informing the public that Martians had invaded New Jersey, this instilled panic across the country

Radio Conventions

Although the story of interplanetary warfare is typical of the science fiction genre, it was presented within the format of normal evening of radio programming. There appears to be a routine report from the “Government Weather Bureau” about a “slight atmospheric disturbance” along the east coast of America. We are then “entertained by the music of Ramón Raquello and his orchestra” who are playing a tango from the Park Plaza Hotel. Even the “special bulletin from the Intercontinental Radio News”, which interrupts the music, met the expectations of the contemporary audience.

By incorporating these basic radio codes into the start of the script, it is clear the writers were trying to make the story sound plausible. According to Baudrillard’s simulation theory, this would be the first stage which is a “reflection of reality”.

Baudrillard claims that our current society has replaced all reality and meaning with symbols and signs. The simulacra that Baudrillard refers to are the significations and symbolism of culture and media that construct perceived reality, this could be related to Gerberners cultivation theory.

the writers were warned against using the original names by the legal department at Columbia Broadcasting Company because they were worried about the threat of litigation. These changes are very subtle so most listeners would not be able to spot the difference. This blurring of boundaries between fact and fiction could be one of the reasons why members of audience believed aliens were attempting to destroy the human race.

Audience

The New York Times reported “a wave of mass hysteria seized thousands of radio listeners” with some adults requiring “medical treatment for shock and hysteria”. Apparently, “thousands of persons” phoned different agencies “seeking advice on protective measures against the raids”.2 The Daily News in New York went with the headline “Fake Radio ‘War’ stirs terror through U.S.”

The hypodermic needle theory suggests a media text can have a powerful and immediate effect on the passive audience. It would seem “The War of the Worlds” production supports this argument because so many terrified listeners, for example, “rushed out of their houses” to escape the “gas raid”.4

The cultivation theory can also explain some of the hysteria. Gerbner’s research suggested heavy users of television become more susceptible to its messages, especially if the texts resonate with the viewer.

Even the two-step flow model of communication provides some insight into how the panic unfolded. For instance, a “throng of playgoers had rushed” from a “theatre” because “news” of the invasion had “spread” to the audience. The New York Times also reported how the “rumor” of war “spread through the district and many persons stood on street corners hoping for a sight of the ‘battle’ in the skies”.7 Therefore, not everyone who was terrorised by the radio play was actually listening to the broadcast. They heard the rumours from people they trusted in their social circle.

Context

In a radio interview, Orson Welles revealed the preferred reading of the text, saying, “It’s supposed to show the corrupt condition and decadent state of affairs in democracy.”8 To fully appreciate why some listeners panicked, we need to consider the historical and social context behind the broadcast. In terms of Stuart Hall’s reception theory and his encoding / decoding model of communication, this is the audience’s framework of knowledge.

First, “The War of the Worlds” was aired by Columbia Broadcasting Systems (CBS) – one of only two national broadcasters who were trusted by millions of listeners every day to deliver reliable and impartial news. It is also important to note that CBS frequently interrupted scheduled programmes to inform their listeners of the latest updates from Europe. In the weeks prior to “The War of the Worlds” episode, the network reported on Hitler’s continued occupation Czechoslovakia and the inevitability of another global conflict.

Of course, Welles exploited the audience’s fear of a foreign power and their weapons of mass destruction. One concerned citizen said, “I knew it was some Germans trying to gas us all but when the announcer kept on calling them people from Mars, I just thought he was ignorant.”9

Finally, since radio was a relatively new form of mass communication, it could also be argued that many listeners lacked the media literacy needed to understand “The War of the Worlds” was a pastiche of its codes and conventions. Although Welles argued his format “was not even new” and it might seem like an obvious trick to a modern audience, many of the listeners may not have realised the drama was just entertainment.

Essay Questions:

Essay Questions

  1. Explain how Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds broadcast used the codes and conventions of radio to convince the audience Martians were invading New York.
  2. How do the cultural and historical circumstances affect the audience’s interpretation of media texts? Refer to the Close Study Product War of the Worlds in your answer.
  3. Discuss how and why audiences might respond to and interpret media texts differently depending on the social context they are consumed. Refer to the Close Study Product War of the Worlds in your answer.
  4. “There is no doubt the media has a profound influence on the audience’s thoughts and behaviour.” To what extent does your analysis of the Close Study Product War of the Worlds support this view?

NEWSBEAT CSP

Newsbeat is an example of a transitional media product which reflects changes in the contemporary media landscape. Newsbeat is both a traditional radio programme with regular, scheduled broadcast times, but it is also available online after broadcast. The broadcast itself and the use of digital platforms provides opportunities for audience interaction. Newsbeat also exemplifies the challenges facing the BBC as a public service broadcaster that needs to appeal to a youth audience within a competitive media
landscape.

Newsbeat has a duration of 15 mins, this emphasises the target demographic as young people may have a shorter attention span.

Takes an informal approach to a stereotypically formal programme.

Uses social media in order to connect with their audience.

Industries:

• Newsbeat as a BBC News product with bulletins are broadcasted on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 1 Xtra and BBC Asian
Network
• The funding of BBC Radio through the license fee, concept of hypothecated tax
• Issues around the role of a public service broadcaster within a competitive, contemporary media landscape
• The distinctive nature of the programme connected to its public service remit
• Arguments on the need for addressing a youth audience already catered for commercially
• The influence of new technology on media industries – Newsbeat as multi–platform media product. e.g. Website,
Twitter or Instagram
• The regulation of the BBC via Ofcom and the governance of the BBC

Audience:

  • The techniques the broadcast uses to target a youth audience and create audience appeal. e.g. Presentation style, News values, Content selection.
  • 84% are 12 – 15 ages
  • The opportunities for audience interaction, participation and self-representation
  • The way external factors – such as demographics and psychographics – are likely to also affect audience response and
  • produce differing interpretations
  • Cultivation theory including Gerbner
  • Reception theory including Hall

Social and Cultural contexts:

• Newsbeat is part of BBC News. The BBC has a unique place in society as the ‘national’ broadcaster with an expectation of
impartial reporting of the news. There is an expectation that the BBC will be a reliable source of accurate reporting in the
context of rising concerns about fake-news.
• The BBC is at the heart of political arguments regarding its social role, the content of its programming and the fact that it
offers competition for commercial media industries.
• Traditional news providers (Radio, TV and Newspapers) are in competition with a host of digital websites and social media
platforms who have become the primary providers of news for many, especially young people.

Possible questions Newsbeat:

How does Newsbeat challenge the social and cultural contexts in which it’s made

How is the BBC regulated

How does Newsbeat appeal to a younger audience

AUDIENCE:

2-step flow model Lazarfeld

Uses and Gratifications Haas, Katz and Gurevitch 1973 personal social needs.

INSTITUTION

David Hesmondalgh

John Reith established the tradition of independent public service broadcasting in UK

84% of viewers are 12-15

the Ethos of the BBC is to inform, entertain and educate.

Theodor Adorno explained that Leisure time should be used productively instead of recreational entertainment. This exhibits the idea of Populism and paternalism.

Habermas, transformation of the public sphere.

Jean Seaton- theory of public service broadcasting

Peacock report- Richard Collins 2009

The Royal charter and mid term reviews, regulation.

In the essay I will argue that the rule of Mrs Thatcher sparked the deterioration of the relationship between the state, public service broadcasters and the public. This transformed the public sphere.

Public Service Broadcasting

Broadcasting is to a mass audience

Narrowcasting is to a niche audience

10 things for quality broadcasting

Professional:

Sound Design,

mise-en-scene,

cinematography

editing

A decent budget in order to use quality equipment

Character development and depth

A well-rounded narrative which will captivate viewers

Professional writing, unpredictable

The Royal Charter

The Royal Charter is the constitutional basis for the BBC. It sets out the BBC’s Object, Mission and Public Purposes. The Charter also outlines the Corporation’s governance and regulatory arrangements, including the role and composition of the BBC Board.

The current Charter began on 1 January 2017 and ends on 31 December 2027.

The Government will carry out a mid-term review of the Charter, focussing on governance and regulatory arrangements. This review is not a full Charter Review and so will not look at the BBC’s mission, purpose or the method by which it is funded.

The Agreement

The Agreement between the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and the BBC sits alongside the Charter. It provides further detail on many of the topics outlined in the Charter including the BBC’s funding and its regulatory duties.

The Agreement runs coterminous to the Charter but can be amended during the Charter period subject to the agreement of the Secretary of State and the BBC.

Ethos

The public service ethos of the BBC is to inform, entertain and educate

Populism is a political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups.

Paternalism is the policy or practice on the part of people in authority of restricting the freedom and responsibilities of those subordinate to or otherwise dependent on them in their supposed interest.

john reith

Frankfurt School

Theodor Adorno explained that Leisure time should be used productively instead of recreational entertainment. This exhibits the idea of Populism and paternalism.

Habermas, transformation of public sphere

the BBC allowed a transformation of the public sphere by changing the notions of time and space

Jean Seaton- theory of Public

One cause of the collapse of the principle of public service broadcasting has been the deterioration in the relationship between the state and broadcasting institutions.

In principle, Mrs Thatcher and her supporters are in favour of de-regulation, competition and choice. They are distrustful, of plans to allow people to listen and watch what they like, subject only to the law of the land. They espouse the market system but they dislike the libertarian value judgements involved in its operation. judgements which underlie the peacock report. the peacock report exposed many of the contradictions of the Thatcherite espousal of market forces.

peacock report is a book written by Richard Collins in 2009

Oh comely

focus on creativity, environment

femininity

The first issue of Oh Comely was published in 2010

woman as artists, athletes, entrepreneurs

editor is Lisa Sykes-used to work for hearst Uk

front cover- comely: old word meaning attractive. model- little makeup, modest clothing, radical haircut.

Institution

the dominant signifier can be seen to be the target audience of the magazine, with minimal makeup and modest fashionable clothing it is implied to the viewer that this product doesn’t follow common print conventions which attempt to maximise sales while minimising risk, by not following this Oh! doesn’t follow David Hesmondalgh’s theory. David Hesmondalgh said big media companies and conglomerates use tactics in order to maximise sales while also minimising risk of loss of sales. link to uses and grats

Representation

By looking at the front cover and page 15 it is clear that the magazine does not align with Laura Mulvey’s theory of the ‘male gaze’. The ‘male gaze’ is when media products attempt to appeal to a heterosexual male’s perspective. On page 15 the viewer can see a mid shot of a woman wearing a hijab, hijabs are not massively represented within mainstream media but with use of the bright colour in the background it is clear Oh! is representing Fahma Mohamed in a positive light, the article gives an insight to her academic past and her successful career.

Audience

With use of the empowering symbolic signs spread throughout the magazine, seen on page 14 and the front cover. It’s clear, using Katz’s, Gurevitch’s and Haas’ theory of uses and gratifications Oh!’s readers may read the product for social needs such as confidence and self-esteem

1st page- speaking out, revolution

essay prep

Half page on:

Audience

Lasswelllasswells model of communication
in 1927 wrote Propaganda Technique in the World War
Hypodermic model (passive consumption)
As Martin Moore notes, Lasswell: believed each government had ‘manipulated the mass media in order to justify its actions’ in World War 1 (2019:122). 
which focuses on “Who (says) What (to) Whom (in) What Channel (with) What Effect”.
audience injected with media, passive consumers.
Lazarfeld in 1948 he developed the Two Step Flow model of communication.
 this theory suggests that the audience are ACTIVE NOT PASSIVE
Two step flow communication (active consumption)
Relate to mens health as CSP uses Vin Diesel (an Opinion leader to the target audience)
Uses and GratificationsKatz, Gurevitch and Haas (1973)
The uses and gratifications theory assumes the audience chooses what it wants to watch for five different reasons.
Information and Education
Information and Education
Personal Identity
Integration and social interaction
Escapism
This theory recognises the decision making process in the audience themselves.
 explores our motivation to engage with texts. This information could help producers target their audience more effectively.
applied to mens health- Personal needs: understanding self, enjoyment
Social Needs- Confidence, self esteem
Stuart HallHe worked at the Open University for a number of years, as a professer of sociology
He looks at Encoding, Decoding and how the media represent ideologies.
Hall’s work covers issues of hegemony and cultural studies, taking a post-Gramscian stance
‘He theorized that media texts contain a variety of messages that are encoded (made/inserted) by producers and then decoded (understood) by audiences. Therefore what we see is simply a ‘re-presentation’ of what producers want us to see.’ He said that a message must be decoded before
Accept dominant message, negotiate dominant message or reject it.
Antonio Gramsci
Cultural Hegemony:
● Antonio Gramsci: Italian philosopher writing in the 1930s
Key Terms:
● Hegemonic: dominant, ruling-class, power-holders
● Hegemonic culture: the dominant culture
● Cultural hegemony: power, rule, or domination maintained by ideological and cultural means.
● Ideology: worldview – beliefs, assumptions and values
● Cultural hegemony functions by framing the ideologies of the dominant social group as the only legitimate
ideology.
● The ideologies of the dominant group are expressed and maintained through its economic, political, moral,
and social institutions (like the education system and the media).
● These institutions socialise people into accepting the norms, values and beliefs of the dominant social
group.
● As a result, oppressed groups believe that the social and economic conditions of society are natural and

Language

Semiotics

  1. Sign: A gesture, action or thing that displays information or instruction
  2. Code: Letters, words, symbols or figures used to represent others
  3. Convention: A way that something is done
  4. Dominant Signifier: The main sign
  5. Anchorage: Words that go with images to give them a specific context

Ferdinand de Saussure:

  1. Signifier: The thing, item or code that we read
  2. Signified: The context behind the thing that is being represented
  3. Syntagm: Sequence; order in which they go and how one sign links to another
  4. Paradigm: Collection of similar signs; a group of things that are similar

C S Pierce:

  1. Icon: A sign that looks like its object
  2. Index: A sign that has a link to it’s subject
  3. Symbol: A sign that has a random link to it’s subject

Roland Barthes:

  1. Signification: The process of signifying by signs or symbols
  2. Denotation: A literal meaning of a word in contrast to the feelings or ideas behind it
  3. Connotation: A feeling that invokes for a person in addition to its literal meaning
  4. Myth: Something that is made up and widely false; a rumour
  5. Ideology: A system of ideas which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy
  6. Radical: Challenges dominant ideas
  7. Reactionary: Confirms dominant ideas

Institution

Industry and Businessvertical and horizontal integration
David Hesmondalgh
monopoly mergers
Political Compass
David Hesmondalgh said the media business is a risky business.
minimise risk, maximise profit. if a media product does well the concept will be used until it stops doing well.
relates to blinded by the light, independent film but the smaller studio is owned by warner bros, showing that media power has fallen into the hands of a few conglomerates.
Cultural industries – Types of media in which a cultural/creative company produces, distributes and exhibits a product
Production– Making or producing a product
Distribution– Advertising or marketing the product
Exhibition / Consumption-Showing the product/releasing it
Mergers– Combining two or more things into one
Monopolies– When a company owns all the three
Commodification – turning something into an item that can be bought and sold
Regulation– A rule/restriction made by government/authority
Deregulation– When the government restrictions are loosened
Conglomerates– When a business owns a massive group of companies
Vertical Integration– When a company does all 3 production, distribution and consumption
Horizontal Integration– When a company only produces or distributes

Representation

David GauntlettFluidity of Identity
Negotiated identity
Constructed identity
Collective identity
Gauntlett explores the idea that a persons identity is not fixed and is shaped based off their experiences or the media they consume

In Relation to Mens Health Having Vin Diesel in the magazine can help make a constructed identity as he can be seen as an opinion leader so readers may value the advice/articles in this magazine more than they would if he wasn’t there.

The Male Gaze- Laura Mulvey

Judith Butler- Feminist critical thinking.

About Men’s Health

MensHealth.com averages 118 million views a month

In 2004, Men’s Health began putting celebrities and athletes on the cover

Largest audience of the Men’s Health magazine from April 2019 to March 2020 are adults over the age of 15 with a total of 1,816 and the second largest audience were men with 708 results. The least amount of audience was within women although 365 women bought the product. The reach was lower among households with children, with 391 thousand readers from this demographic reached by the print title or its website during this period.

  • Men’s Health is the largest men’s magazine brand and the number one source of information for and about men.
  • Has 25 print editions in 35 countries around the world.
  • 21 million readers across its social and digital platforms.
  • Women’s Health gained 7,239 more copies sold than Men’s Health which was 89,111 and Women’s Health which was 96,350.

per issue 74% of copies are print while the other 26% is digital

per issue 85% of copies go to UK & Rol

Hearst

  • Men’s Health is owned by Hearst who own many other companies such as: NetDoctor, Lenny Letter, Delish (25% owned)
  • Hearst is a media company founded on March 4 1887

Mens Health – CSP

Front Cover

Reactionary Colour blue, stereotypical masculine colour

Dominant Signifier- Vin Diesel, known for his work in fast and furious, the movies main target demographic is men.

Fitness tips around Vin Diesel allude to the idea that if you follow the tips you can look like Vin Diesel

Hashtag possibly widens demographic to younger audience

Having Vin Diesel in the magazine can help make a constructed identity as he can be seen as an opinion leader so readers may value the advice/articles in this magazine more than they would if he wasn’t there.

Content

Article

Older man running marathon widens the demographic to an older audience