Category Archives: New Media

Filters

Author:
Category:
Journalism, Magazines, New Media, Newspapers

Teen Vogue and The voice -CSP Revision

Leave a comment

Key words/Ideas:

  • Intersectionality (Bel Hooks) – Diversity within the online publications
  • Culture Industries – Risky business (David Hesmondhalgh)
  • Uses and gratifications- personal/social needs (Katz, bloomer)
  • Marginalisation
  • End of Audience (Clay Shirky)
  • Dispora
  • Feminist Frequency
  • Data Harvesting (Zuboff)

The Voice

  • First published 1982
  • No investors for a niche audience, context of 1980’s offered McCalla an opportunity. Barclays was being criticised for investments in south africa after segregation was institutionalised. McCalla secured £62,000, by one of MT’s initiatives so unemployed could start their own business’
  • Countertype to mainstreams negative portrayal of black people

Teen Vogue

Structure:

How media has changed – adaptations (formerly print)

Binary oppositions between portrayals

Noam Chomsky

Audience, New Media, Notes, Theory

BANDURA

Leave a comment

Social Learning Theory

Social Learning Theory
Media Magazine – BanduraDownload

Modelling Effects

In the 1960’s, Bandura conducted a behaviour experiment to explore how when children witness a certain behaviour, they will replicate this.

In today’s society, this seems pretty obvious. So we can look at this idea in terms of how actions represented through the Media can have effect on their audiences.

Bandura called the behaviour we replicate from cinema or television; Symbolic Modelling. (PASSIVE AUDIENCES)

“Human behaviour is to a large extent, socially transmitted, either deliberately or inadvertently”

— Bandura (1973)

Video Violence

  • The media relies on violence to quickly engage audience attention
Attention factorsThe video game player can control avatars to carry out violent acts. This causes a direct correlation between a certain action having violent effects. This translates into the real world and individual behaviour.
Players are rewarded for violent actionsVideo game designers create a positive response to violent actions. For example, for so many kills in a game, the player would receive a certain score. This generates a negative action, positive response loop which feeds violent behaviour in the real world.
Violence is portrayed without moral justification or explanationViolent acts featured in video games are often unprovoked or lack justification (they are casual/normalized). Perhaps this could desensitise players to violence or the effects of violent acts in their lives.
Video games are immersive Video games are often played alone, without the input of others.
Video games are addictivePlaying video games for increased duration means that players are exposed to negative behaviours more often, this becomes addictive.
Realistic violenceGraphic designers have ways of making video games look even more realistic (or hyper-real). This means that the violent acts are similar to real life, meaning it is increasingly difficult to find the division between simulation and true being.
Essays, Exam Prep, New Media, Notes

NEW MEDIA (EXAM PREP)

Leave a comment

New Media Questions

  • Key ideas: Producers, changing social/cultural contexts, audiences

Teen Vogue

  • Owner = Conde Nast (‘a global media company that produces some of the world’s leading print, digital, video and social brands’) They “celebrate the extraordinary. Creativity and imagination are the lifeblood of all that we do. We are a media company for the future, with a remarkable past.”
  • First print edition = Spring 2002
  • Last print edition = 2017 when they ceased print publishing in favour for online articles through their website
  • They have shifted from stereotypical/ conventional content for young women to more societal/ideologically driven content which comments on issues regarding humanity and representation (see first and last print article and their move to online publishing)

The Voice

  • Owner = GV Media Group LTD
  • First print edition = 1982 launched at Notting Hill Carnival of that year
  • Audience statistics:
  • “The media bias” of the previous year’s civil unrest in Brixton was noticed by Val McCalla. So, at the 1982 Notting Hill Carnival, he launched The Voice because he “saw the need for a newspaper that would address the issues that mattered to British-born African-Caribbean people who were trying to stake their claim to the only country they had ever known.”
  • Linking to Paul Gilroy: It seems evident that ‘The Voice’ are ever trying to dispel negative stereotypes and views of diversity across the UK by giving a voice to Black people who share their experiences/stories/words for change. He too noticed the racial binaries that were present in the media saying that “Black communities are constructed as an ‘other’ to white culture and are associated with criminal activity and lawlessness”
  • Key ideas: Products, shaped by economic/political context
Pages: 1 2 3
New Media

New Media EXAM QUESTIONS and dates

Leave a comment

Paper 1 exam: 22nd May

Paper 2 exam: 6th June

  • SharePoint: Students – YEAR 12 2022-2023 – Key theorists
  • Students – YR12 22,23 – Legacy – final revision

You will answer 1 Exam Question from Paper 2, which will be either:
June 2022 Q 3 (Voice and Teen Vogue) or
June 2020 Q 3 (Tomb Raider and Sims) or
June 2019 Q 2 (Tomb Raider / Metroid / Sims)
Speciman Paper Q 3 The Voice, Teen Vogue

Media effects theories argue that the media has the power to shape the audience’s thoughts and behaviour.
How valid do you find the claims made by effects theories? You should refer to two of the Close Study Products (Tomb Raider Anniversary, Metroid: Prime 2 Echoes, Sims Freeplay) in your answer.

Media producers must respond to changing social and cultural contexts to maintain audiences.
To what extent does an analysis of the online Close Study Products The Voice and Teen Vogue support this view?

The target audiences for video games change because of the historical and economic contexts in which they are produced.
To what extent does an analysis of the Close Study Products Tomb Raider: Anniversary and The Sims FreePlay support this statement?

Media products are shaped by the economic and political contexts in which they are created.
To what extent does an analysis of your online, social and participatory Close Study Products (The Voice and Teen Vogue) support this view?

New Media, The Voice

CSP – THE VOICE

Leave a comment

Website: http://www.voice-online.co.uk/

The Voice

Language

  • The newspaper originated in 1982, following a year of civil unrest throughout 1981.
Media Magazine – The VoiceDownload

Representation

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/25/media/the-voice-newspaper-black-history-month/index.html

  • “The media bias” of the previous year’s civil unrest in Brixton was noticed by Val McCalla. So, at the 1982 Notting Hill Carnival, he launched The Voice because he “saw the need for a newspaper that would address the issues that mattered to British-born African-Caribbean people who were trying to stake their claim to the only country they had ever known.”
  • Linking to Paul Gilroy: It seems evident that ‘The Voice’ are ever trying to dispel negative stereotypes and views of diversity across the UK by giving a voice to Black people who share their experiences/stories/words for change. He too noticed the racial binaries that were present in the media saying that “Black communities are constructed as an ‘other’ to white culture and are associated with criminal activity and lawlessness”
  • Compared to Black newspapers from the past who targeted Black immigrants, The Voice was originally keen to target the “second generation” who were born in Britain.
  • On their website, there is a link to a page called ‘Black British Voices’ which includes several articles that focus in on particular individuals and their ‘voice’

https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-voice-britain-39-s-favourite-black-newspaper-the-voice/bwWxpyXvyvAJ6w?hl=en

Audience

  • The Voice’s target audience is “the African and Caribbean diaspora (movement of people from their geographical origin) in the UK” which make up 4.2% (2.4 million) of the UK population

Clay Shirky’s ideas on Mass Amateurisation:

  • Whilst The Voice has moved to a hybrid way of distribution (they still produce a monthly print edition although lots of their day to day news can be accessed through their website or social media channels
  • It is evident that they need to keep a younger audience through quick,easy viewing whilst also trying to appeal to an older demographic who have been loyal to the newspaper since its origins

Industries

  • The Voice – “Britain’s Favourite Black Newspaper” – was first published in 1982
  • It is produced in London, UK and is published each Thursday. From 2019, it began being published monthly
  • “The Voice is proud to champion diversity across the UK and celebrate black excellence in all industries”
  • Owned by GV Media Group Limited

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/is-the-voice-in-the-wilderness-9153401.html

Pages: 1 2
New Media, Television

CSP: The Voice

Leave a comment

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.

New Media, Sims

CSP – SIMS FREEPLAY

Leave a comment

Website: https://www.ea.com/en-gb/games/the-sims/the-sims-freeplay

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesimsfreeplay/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSimsFreePlay?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

The Sims FreePlay

Language

  • Simulation
  • Players create account and are made to create their own avatar that they can control and ‘play’ as
  • They can ‘design’ this virtual character by changing skin tone, eye shape, hair style, outfit and body type to name a few.

Audience

This CSP can be discussed in relation to some general trends in the industry such as the gradual shift away from a heavily male-dominated target audience. Also, the reaction of some reviewers and regulators to The Sims FreePlay is indicative of wider concerns about the potentially negative influences that video games are claimed to exert on players, particularly young players.

Representation

  • Representations are quite idealistic. Promoting the American Dream, idealistic body types and a perfected version of life

Industries

  • The Sims FreePlay was developed by EA Mobile. Released on IOS in 2011
  • The game was later taken over by Firemonkeys Studios

Regulation:

Sims FreePlay is regulated by the BBFC – British Board of Film Classification. This is an independent organisation that regulates all computer games in the UK. It is rated 12 – because the game “may contain themes that are not suitable for younger children, such as the potential for violent fist fights and “woohoo!”.

https://www.newsweek.com/sims-freeplay-banned-china-saudi-arabia-egypt-lgbtq-996699

The computer game was banned in China, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Egypt due to the games inclusion of LGBTQ and Non-Binary characters. The EA responded saying that “regional standards” were the reason for this ban. The Sims responded saying “We’ve always been proud that our in-game experiences embrace values as broad and diverse as our incredible Sims community. This has been important to us, as we know it is to you”

Pages: 1 2
New Media

Sims Freeplay

Leave a comment

Audiences:

Predominately female – colour scheme emphasises femininity and all the relationship scenes make the audience positioned to respond with the female (OTS camera shots)

The female characters are shown first in the customisation

Aged 10-40+ 

Broad target audience

77% of women surveyed in 35-54 age group said they played games to “help them relax”. For women aged 55-64, games provided “mental stimulation”. These motivations are examples of diversion because they are using the games to escape the stresses and strains of the real world.

The Sims FreePlay is rated 12 because it “may contain themes that are not suitable for younger children, such as the potential for violent fist fights

Industries:

Released in 2011 by EA mobile (Nick Balaban, Michael Rubin) and still available on iOS and Android devices, this virtual town and story builder is free to play, but users are able to purchase in-game items with real money to speed up progress or unlock additional features

David Hesmondhalgh argued companies involved in the cultural industries, such as EA, were just like any other business who wanted to minimise risk and maximise profit. The Sims FreePlay follows the freemium business model – a strategy commonly used in the media industry to attract users to try the product or service.

Representation:

David Gauntlett argues the media and technology play a significant role in shaping our identities and provide us with new ways to express ourselves and connect with others. For instance, the choice of skin tones available at the start of The Sims FreePlay is a recognition of the racial diversity of the audience. Although the gender options follow the simple binary of male and female, players can reject traditional gender roles when they explore the virtual world

Uses and gratifications- 55% of women in the 18-34 age group said “games help them stay connected with friends and family”. This obviously reinforces the argument audiences consume media to develop their personal relationships or, according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, their sense of social belonging. Competing against friends in The Sims FreePlay might also improve the player’s self-esteem because they will feel accepted by their social circle.

Sims construct and function stereotypes to generalise their audience.

It has optimistic views of the world and claims realism.

Audience response to representation and issues around identity.

Audience pleasures:

A younger audience can do things in the game that they can’t do in real life (clubbing, relationships, etc)

Making a character how you want

Forming a perfect lifestyle – personal identity and relationships

Aspiration, diversion and escapism

‘Choose every aspect of your Sims lives: careers, appearance, personality and more! Then, watch as their stories unfold! Love and romance, or drama and breakups – the choice is always yours.’

Language:

The narrative is driven through various quests in which the gamer would have to complete throughout the life. There are also a completion of having a successful life which could motivate the gamer to carry on playing.

Sims Freeplay provides a useful case study for the discussion of Baudrillard’s concept of simulacra and hyperreality.

Codes and conventions are used in this video game to influence meaning

New Media, Sims

Sims Freeplay

Leave a comment

This is an in-depth CSP and needs to be studied with reference to all four elements of the Theoretical Framework (Language, Representation, Industries, Audience) and all relevant contexts.

You will need to study:
• the game
• its Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thesimsfreeplay/
• its Twitter feed
https://twitter.com/TheSimsFreePlay?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%
5Eauthor

Media Language

• How are the codes and conventions of a video game used in the product? How are these conventions used to influence meaning?
• Have developing technologies affected the media language? Some familiarity with the development of the Sims franchise (2000 – present) will be necessary.
• The way media language incorporates viewpoints and ideologies. As a life simulation game Sims Freeplay includes many normative codes and values.
• The application of a semiotic approach will aid the analysis of the way in which the website creates a narrative about the world it is constructing.
• 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.
• How is the game’s narrative driven? What is the motivation for continuing engagement with the product and for the purchase of ‘premium’ content?
• Narrative 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.
• Sims Freeplay provides a useful case study for the discussion of Baudrillard’s concepts including simulation, simulacra, implosion and hyperreality

Media Representations

This product provides a wide range of opportunities to study representation. These include selfrepresentation and representations of reality. The representations of gender (van Zoonen), ethnicity (Gilroy), religious affiliation and age in the Sims franchise have been an on-going subject of debate and there have been notable changes as the series has evolved.

Representation of particular social groups
• Who is constructing the representation and to what purpose? (Stuart Hall)
• What are the values, attitudes and beliefs embodied in the representations found in Sims Freeplay?
• Analysis of the construction and function of stereotypes
• Representation of the real world and claims about realism
• Audience response to representation and issues around identity (Gauntlett)

Media Industries

Sims Freeplay is a spin-off from the highly popular and successful Sims franchise (Electronic Arts). It is an example of the ‘freemium’ commercial model – increasingly popular for app developers – in which the basic content is free but premium content is a paid for supplement. This game is a case
study 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.
• The use of diverse digital platforms
• How are video games rated and regulated in the UK? (Livingstone and Lunt)
• A study of the Sims franchise will also engage with the effect cultural producers have on media industries.

Media Audiences

This CSP can be discussed in relation to some general trends in the industry such as the gradual shift away from a heavily male-dominated target audience. Also, the reaction of some reviewers and regulators to Sims Freeplay is indicative of wider concerns about the potentially negative influences that video games are claimed to exert on players, particularly young players. These debates can be seen in the context of competing theoretical approaches to the audience, eg effects theory (Bandura), cultivation theory (Gerbner) and reception theory (Hall)
• The role of fans and fandom in video gaming (Jenkins).
• How Sims Freeplay is marketed to a predominantly youth audience
• The interaction between audience, product and digital platform and the opportunities for
audience involvement
• Differing interpretations by different groups – those belonging to and outside the primary
audience.

Social and cultural contexts

A discussion of the social and cultural context of Sims Freeplay will focus on the rapid growth and development of the video game industry and the debates about representation and effects.

New Media, Teen Vogue

CSP – TEEN VOGUE

Leave a comment

Teen Vogue Website
Facebook Page
Twitter Feed

“The young person’s guide to conquering (and saving) the world. Teen Vogue is the destination for the next generation of change-makers, arming young people with the information they need to shape the future.”

Teen Vogue Mission Statement
https://www.condenast.com/brands/teen-vogue/
  • Their focus takes a largely radical, feminist viewpoint which targets a young female audience
https://media-studies.com/teen-vogue-study-guide/
Teen Vogue – Spring 2002
  • Chaotic front cover, lots of anchorage to code for different topics within the magazine
  • Typical magazine style, similar to many in the early 2000’s
  • Signifier’s such as “New It Girl”, “The Sexy Boys of the WB”, “Who’s the Best Dressed?” suggests the content in the magazine lacks substance or major cultural importance. This is a contrast to their most recent print cover (almost 17 years later) which focuses on “Power, Activism and #BLACKGIRLMAGIC”, something much more constructive and useful to the young, impressionable audience
Teen Vogue – Dec 2019

Audience

Teen Vogue 2023 Media Kit

  • $221B – Spending Power
  • 1.8X – Fashion and Beauty Influentials
  • 70% – Female Demographic
  • 2 IN 3 – Gen Z or Millenials
  • 8.4M – Average Monthly Digital Uniques
  • 15.6M – Social Followers
  • 22.9M – Average Monthly Video Views
Media Magazine – Teen Vogue (Changing Audiences)Download

Industry

  • American company originally founded in 2003 through the means of print advertising.
  • It is a partnership company to VOGUE although this online publication is aimed at teenager
  • In 2015, Teen Vogue saw a decline in print sales so they started to move majority of content online. They also changed the course of their content (from articles focused on pop culture/celebrities to focus of politics and current affairs)
  • In 2017, Teen Vogue ceased print publishing

https://nypost.com/2016/11/07/teen-vogue-cuts-circulation-focuses-on-digital/

  • Teen Vogue is owned by Conde Nast (‘a global media company that produces some of the world’s leading print, digital, video and social brands’) They “celebrate the extraordinary. Creativity and imagination are the lifeblood of all that we do. We are a media company for the future, with a remarkable past.”
  • ‘Conde Nast’ owns companies such as Vanity Fair, GQ, The New Yorker, Vogue etc.

Language

Articles:

‘Black Immigrants in the United States Have Been Targeted by Trump’ by RUTH ETIESIT SAMUEL [2/11/2020]

‘Dissociative Identity Disorder on TikTok: Why More Teens Are Self-Diagnosing With DID Because of Social Media’ by LO STYX [27/01/2022]

‘Missouri State House’s Dress Code for Women Becomes Stricter’ by KELLY RISSMAN [17/01/2023]

Online, their is a wide scope of stories – from celebrity culture to important social issues/ points of discussion. There is hard news mixed with soft news. Appeals to many different audience objectives (some might be using the site to access superficial news whilst some are using it as a credited news source to learn about the world)

Ability to sign up with email to receive offers, newsletters to get stories first etc:

Local adverts that a personalised based on my web data, interests etc.

Pages: 1 2